Laughter Really Is A Great Medicine

Allow yourself the freedom to let loose a real belly laugh, or take some time to interact with a pet. You may just be surprised to find that your stress level has decreased and your mood has increased.

April is both Stress Awareness Month, and Counseling Awareness Month, and St. Lawrence Health team members have some good advice on how to change up those anxious feelings, or realize the time has come to set up an appointment to talk with them.

“Laughter and humor are a great tool for anyone struggling with a mental health diagnosis,” noted Gouverneur Hospital Director of Behavioral Health Heather Rich, LCSW, CASAC-MC. “Laughter is something that can give a patient a break from the struggles of depression, anxiety, trauma, et cetera. Laughter is something that can take you out of living in the past or future-focused thinking and put you in the present moment to fully enjoy and embrace that experience.

“Laughter in the immediate moment can decrease our stress response and soothe tension. In the long term, it can help to alleviate pain, increase personal satisfaction, increase social interactions, and improve your mood,” she added.

Learning to laugh at yourself and find humor in a situation can be a good thing, as can realizing not everything is as serious as we may think. Sayings or comments about humor have been around for ages and may be told from generation to generation because there is truth to them. Most of us are familiar with the lines “laughter is the best medicine,” “laughter is contagious,” or “I’d rather laugh than cry about it.”

“We are all our own worst critics, and if we can’t laugh at ourselves then it makes it hard to learn from our own mistakes. Knowing that everyone makes mistakes, that everyone is not perfect, and we all have our own unique quirks, allows us all to be more human,” Ms. Rich stated. “One of the best things about being human is being able to laugh! Children laugh about 10 times more than adults on a daily basis; we as adults need to work on upping our laugh quota to enjoy the benefits of laughter.”

She suggested watching a child when they laugh; it involves their full body and mind in that moment. Social media is another great source, as there are thousands of cute videos of children laughing. After observing such a moment, you may be hard-pressed not to find yourself smiling and laughing.

“Sometimes during a session with a patient, laughter just happens. This is a great time to show my patient that they can laugh at life. I often discuss the things that make them feel safe or calm them down, and for many patients it is their favorite funny movie or show. We then put that movie or show in their safety plan to use when they are feeling down or their anxiety is triggered; it can serve as a nice hug to themselves to soothe and comfort them,” Ms. Rich said.

Most patients are receptive to bringing light-heartedness into their sessions because it really is a part of who they are. Ms. Rich said one of her most favorite things is to experience the “deep belly, can’t breathe kind of laughing.” Sharing that kind of moment with a patient is an actual special therapeutic experience for them both.

“Patients are not just made up of their depression, anxiety, trauma, and the like; they are so many more things. They have characteristics, values, and experiences that include light-heartedness and laughter,” Ms. Rich said.

When a patient is talking with Ms. Rich, they will not find her telling them things could have been worse, or someone else has things worse than they do.

“Those saying are just not true. Each person’s experience is valid and worthy of their emotions around it. I focus a lot with my patients on gratitude, as there is always something to be grateful for,” she said. “I am a firm believer in the power of ‘and,’ meaning you can know you made the correct choice and be sad about it; you can be disappointed in someone and still care about them; or you can do your best and understand no one else may see or recognize it.”

Animal-Assisted Therapy

Patients receiving assistance through St. Lawrence Health’s Behavioral Health or Substance Use Disorder service lines may often times see a four-legged “staff” member in the halls, or as part of their treatment program. The system currently has four trained therapy dogs on its team, who of course, each have their own ID badge.

Canton-Potsdam Hospital (CPH) Chemical Dependency Counselor Amber Stickney is the handler for Captain, or Cappy, as she lovingly calls him. She describes her working companion as having a warm and loving personality, and he eagerly interacts with patients when they are near.

“Captain has a natural ability to make heavy situations feel a lot lighter. He can quickly sense when a patient’s mood or demeanor changes. When he finds a patient upset or overwhelmed, he often responds by laying his head in the patient’s lap, or extending his paw to ‘hold’ the patient’s hand,” Ms. Stickney said. “His presence alone makes many patients feel much more comfortable expressing themselves and their feelings.”

Her position with the CPH Outpatient Substance Use Disorder program consists of evaluating each new patient when entering the facility. Captain is a great addition to the team in assisting new patients, as his presence makes a first appointment much less stressful or intimidating.

Upon a new patient’s screening process, they are asked if they are comfortable with Animal-Assisted Therapy. If they are not, Ms. Stickney leaves Captain with another counselor, or he may have a self-care day of his own at home, which is okay because he needs downtime away from work just like humans.

“Cappy currently works in an individual setting, but he is very excited to begin working in group sessions in the near future. He believes in the idea ‘the more the merrier’ because that means extra attention and tummy rubs, and maybe an extra treat or two,” Ms. Stickney laughed.

To become a member of the Substance Use Disorder team, Captain completed both basic and intermediate six-week programs with Mountainside K-9 out of Madrid, then further went on to complete and pass the K-9 Good Citizen examination.

“I think Cappy’s overall enthusiasm, energy, and welcoming, carefree attitude make him excel at his work as a therapy dog. He greets each individual with the same amount of enthusiasm, and he is thrilled to both give and receive love,” Ms. Stickney said.

To learn more about St. Lawrence Health’s Behavioral Health and Animal-Assisted Therapy services, visit https://stlawrencehealthsystem.org/services/behavioral-health. To learn about its Substance Use Disorder services, visit https://stlawrencehealthsystem.org/services/substance-use.