Humour in Gestalt Therapy — Curative Force and Catalyst for Change: A Case Study

Abstract

I report on the findings of a study into the use of humour in therapy, which forms part of ongoing attempts to identify new ways in which to enhance therapy towards a positive experience for both client and therapist. In contrast to the many clinical papers that deal with the patient's inability to cry and mourn, few discuss the inability to laugh or use wit and humour. Most research points to this behaviour as a maladaptive response and uses humour for developmental assessment. In contrast, this exploratory article describes a single case, where the client revealed a habitually resisted contact through deflection and where she moved from a denial state to full awareness to emotional wellness through the use of humour techniques. Furthermore, it is argued that humour can be taught and used constructively as a coping mechanism in potentially harmful situations. In addition, humour can create awareness with the client, therapist and other users to improve humour capabilities.