PAPER -3

ASSIGHNMENTS

1. Significance of laughter in therapeutic progress

DR RUCHI SHAH

Contents:
1. Introduction
2. Health benefits of Humor and laughter
3. Laughter’s effects on the body.
4. Spiritual benefits of laughter
5. Laughter as a therapy

Introduction
Laughter reduces Stress, Laughter combats fear, Laughter comforts, Laughter Relaxes, Laughter
reduces pain, Laughter Boosts the Immune System, Laughter Spreads Happiness, Laughter
cultivates optimism, Laughter helps Communication.
Laughter therapy is a kind of cognitive-behavioral therapies that could make physical,
psychological, and social relationships healthy, ultimately improving the quality of life. Laughter
therapy, as a non-pharmacological, alternative treatment, has a positive effect on the mental health
and the immune system.
Laughter yoga is a modern exercise involving prolonged voluntary laughter which gives the
benefits of the spontaneous laughter.1

Health Benefits of Humor and Laughter

Laughter activates the chemistry of the will to live and increases our capacity to fight disease.
Laughing relaxes the body and reduces problems associated with high blood pressure, strokes,
arthritis, and ulcers. Some research suggests that laughter may also reduce the risk of heart disease.
Historically, research has shown that distressing emotions (depression, anger, anxiety, and stress)
are all related to heart disease. A study done at the University of Maryland Medical Center suggests
that a good sense of humor and the ability to laugh at stressful situations helps mitigate the
damaging physical effects of distressing emotions.1
A good hearty laugh can help:
★ reduce stress
★ lower blood pressure
★ elevate mood
★ boost immune system
★ improve brain functioning
★ protect the heart
★ connect you to others
★ foster instant relaxation
★ make you feel good.

Laughter's Effects on the Body

Laughter lowers blood pressure.
People who laugh heartily on a regular basis have lower standing blood pressure than the average
person. When people have a good laugh, initially the blood pressure increases, but then it decreases
to levels below normal. Breathing then becomes deeper which sends oxygen enriched blood and
nutrients throughout the body.
Humor changes our biochemical state.
Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases infection fighting antibodies. It increases our
attentiveness, heart rate, and pulse.
Laughter protects the heart.
Laughter, along with an active sense of humor, may help protect you against a heart attack,
according to the study at the University of Maryland Medical Center (cited above). The study,
which is the first to indicate that laughter may help prevent heart disease, found that people with
heart disease were 40 percent less likely to laugh in a variety of situations compared to people of
the same age without heart disease.
Laughter gives our bodies a good workout.
Laughter can be a great workout for your diaphragm, abdominal, respiratory, facial, leg, and back
muscles. It massages abdominal organs, tones intestinal functioning, and strengthens the muscles
that hold the abdominal organs in place. Not only does laughter give your midsection a workout, it
can benefit digestion and absorption functioning as well. It is estimated that hearty laughter can
burn calories equivalent to several minutes on the rowing machine or the exercise bike.
Humor improves brain function and relieves stress.
Laughter stimulates both sides of the brain to enhance learning. It eases muscle tension and
psychological stress, which keeps the brain alert and allows people to retain more information.2

Humor Improves Mental and Emotional Health

Humor is a powerful emotional medicine that can lower stress, dissolve anger and unite families in
troubled times. Mood is elevated by striving to find humor in difficult and frustrating situations.
Laughing at ourselves and the situation helps reveal that small things are not the earth-shaking
events they sometimes seem to be. Looking at a problem from a different perspective can make it
seem less formidable and provide opportunities for greater objectivity and insight. Humor also
helps us avoid loneliness by connecting with others who are attracted to genuine cheerfulness. And
the good feeling that we get when we laugh can remain with us as an internal experience even after
the laughter subsides.
Mental health professionals point out that humor can also teach perspective by helping patients to
see reality rather than the distortion that supports their distress. Humor shifts the ways in which we
think, and distress is greatly associated with the way we think. It is not situations that generate our
stress, it is the meaning we place on the situations. Humor adjusts the meaning of an event so that it
is not so overwhelming.
Laugh as a means of reducing tension because laughter is often followed by a state of relaxation.
Lower anxiety by visualizing a humorous situation to replace the view of an anxiety-producing
situation

a. Humor Helps Us Stay Emotionally Healthy

A healthy sense of humor is related to being able to laugh at oneself and one's life. Laughing at
oneself can be a way of accepting and respecting oneself. Lack of a sense of humor is directly
related to lower self esteem. (Note that laughing at oneself can also be unhealthy if one laughs as a
way of self degradation.)
b. Mental Health Benefits of Laughter
Humor enhances our ability to affiliate or connect with others.
Humor helps us replace distressing emotions with pleasurable feelings. You cannot feel angry,
depressed, anxious, guilty, or resentful and experience humor at the same time.
Lacking humor will cause one's thought processes to stagnate leading to increased distress.
Humor changes behavior – when we experience humor we talk more, make more eye contact with
others, touch others, etc.
Humor increases energy, and with increased energy we may perform activities that we might
otherwise avoid.
Finally, humor is good for mental health because it makes us feel good!3

Social benefits of humor and laughter

Our work, marriage and family all need humor, celebrations, play and ritual as much as record-
keeping and problem solving. We should ask the questions "Do we laugh together?" as well as "Can
we get through this hardship together?" Humor binds us together, lightens our burdens and helps us
keep things in perspective. One of the things that saps our energy is the time, focus and effort we
put into coping with life's problems including each other's limitations. Our families, our friends and
our neighbors are not perfect and neither are our marriages, our kids or our in-laws. When we laugh
together, it can bind us closer together instead of pulling us apart.
Remember that even in the most difficult of times, a laugh, or even simply a smile, can go a long
way in helping us feel better
Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.
Humor unites us, especially when we laugh together.
Laughter heals.
Laughs and smiles are enjoyed best when shared with others.
To laugh or not to laugh is your choice.4

Spiritual Benefits of humour and laughter

• Laughter is universal • Decreases prejudice • Reveals connections of all • Balances mind, body
and soul • Helps towards obtaining tranquility.4

Laughter as a therapy
Developing our sense of humor Laughter is a birthright, a natural part of life. The part of the brain
that connects to and facilitates laughter is among the first parts of the nervous system to come on
line after birth. Infants begin smiling during the first weeks of life and laugh out loud within months
of being born. Even if you did not grow up in a household where laughter was a common sound,
you can learn to laugh at any stage.
Pioneers in “laugh therapy,” find it’s possible to laugh without even experiencing a funny event.
The same holds for smiling. When you look at someone or see something even mildly pleasing,
practice smiling.
• Schedule time to have fun/ Block the time out. • Make this a commitment to yourself. • Write it on
your planner! • Find humor in a stressful situation (Keep your eyes open for humorous Situations
and share them!) • World Laughter Day is celebrated May 2nd • 'Fake It Until You Make
It‘ (Laughter Yoga)
Techniques: Memorize and be able to tell at least one short joke or story. Movies/ Music/ cartoons
Websites and blogs Collect & use humorous memos, signs, posters, bumper stickers, etc. Keep a
humor journal Start a humor library.5

References
1. University Of Maryland Medical Center. "University Of Maryland School Of Medicine Study
Shows Laughter Helps Blood Vessels Function Better." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 19 March
2005. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/03/050309111444.htm>.
2. Cho, E.A. & Oh, H.E. (2011) Effects of laughter therapy on depression, quality of life, resilience
and immune responses in breast cancer survivors. J. Korean Acad. Nurs., 41, 285-293.
3. Mora-Ripoll, R. (2010) The therapeutic value of laughter in medicine. Altern. Ther. Health
Med., 16, 56-64
4. Takeda, M., Hashimoto, R., Kudo, T., Okochi, M., Tagami, S., Morihara, T., Sadick, G. &
Tanaka, T. (2010) Laughter and humor as complementary and alternative medicines for dementia
patients. BMC Complement. Altern. Med., 10, 1-7.
5. Ko, H.J. & Youn, C.H. (2011) Effects of laughter therapy on depression, cognition and sleep
among the community-dwelling elderly. Geriatr. Gerontol. Int., 11, 267-274
 PAPER -3

Assignments-2

EFFECT OF STORIES IN SHAPING AND DESHAPING THINKING STYLES

Contents:
1. Introduction
2. Neuroscience of brain while listening to stories
3. How stories impact our thinking styles
4. Deshaping our minds and thinking styles with the power to imagine new worlds
5. Making childhood connections
6. 3 ways to use storytelling in every day life
7. References

Introduction
Stories help us access the hidden places within our souls that are wellsprings of healing. We tell our
stories in order to heal; in listening to the stories of how others have walked their path, our own
journey of discovery and healing can be enriched.
Stories are immensely valuable. We have so much compassion and wisdom to share. “Stories and
compassion” have the power to unite us and hold us together in a profound and healing way.
Storytelling engages not just people’s intellect, but also their feelings: a bald recitation of facts
invariably lacks the impact (and the enduring power) of a coherent narrative that awakens one’s
emotions.
Not only do stories connect us to the past and express universal beliefs, they can also help us
develop a better understanding of the world and those we share it with. This is part of the reason
why your brain loves stories.

Neuroscience of brain while listening to stories

The neuroscience of language has traditionally focused on under- standing how the comprehension
and production of words and single sentences is implemented in our brains. Despite the impor-
tance of stories in our everyday lives, the neuroscience of narrative has only recently begun to be an
area of active research. An interesting observation from this line of work is that regions that are not
traditionally thought to be part of a “language network” in the brain become consistently activated
when people listen to narratives.
Listening to a story that’s being told or read to you activates the auditory cortex of your brain.
Engaging with a story also fires up your left temporal cortex, the region that is receptive to
language. This part of your brain is also capable of filtering out “noise”; that is, overused words or
clichés. That is why the most skilled storytellers are careful about the language they use, employing
a host of literary techniques to keep your brain engaged.
And once it is, other regions soon begin to participate in the process.
Facts and figures activates 2 regions of the brain 1. wrenches’s area- language comprehension
2. Broca’s area- language processing
While stories can activate 7 regions of your brain. Each region is triggered by a specific sense
described in the story.
1. Motor cortex- movement
2. Sensory cortex and cerebellum- touch
3. Broca’s area- language processing
4. Olfactory cortex- scents
5. Wernicke’s area- language comprehension
6. Auditory cortex- sounds
7. Visual cortex-colors and shapes

How stories impact our thinking styles

Not only do stories connect us to the past and express universal beliefs, they can also help us
develop a better understanding of the world and those we share it with. This is part of the reason
why your brain loves stories.
“Peeking” into another life through a story is possible in any number of ways – it could be when
you read a book, watch a movie or talk with a friend. Whatever their form, stories are a constant in
our lives.
In fact it’s estimated that as much as 65 per cent of all human interactions take the form of social
storytelling (i.e. gossip). And where there are stories, there is greater potential for empathy and
discovery. As Rutledge puts it: “When you listen to stories and understand them, you experience the
exact same brain pattern as the person telling the story.”
So by imagining ourselves in someone else’s position we can either affirm or challenge our beliefs
and assumptions. Indeed, according to psychology researcher Dan Johnson, simply reading fiction
can increase our empathy towards others we may have initially viewed as being “outsiders”.

Deshaping our minds and thinking styles with the power to imagine new worlds
Technology too relies on stories since a good plot and credible characters are essential to deep
engagement. It’s even reasonable to suggest that stories are in fact the original virtual reality, since
they allow us to experience other places, characters, events and consequences purely by stimulating
our imaginations.
As Rutledge puts it “To the human brain, imagined experiences are processed the same as real
experiences... Through imagination, we tap into creativity that is the foundation of innovation, self-
discovery and change.”
Psychologists refer to this flight of imagination as “narrative transport”. It occurs when we are fully
immersed in a story’s world. It’s understood that the greater the level of empathy in the reader, the
deeper the transportation experience becomes.

Making childhood connections

The huge role that stories play in our social interactions and views is universal. Their formative
impact also begins very early in life.
In second year of life, a child begins to understand simple and basic concepts However, he will not
hold on to most of their earlier memories because they have no context on which to anchor them.
This changes as soon as a child begins to develop narrative skills. These will give him or her a
better mechanism for making sense of the world around them. By the age of four or five a child will
also have developed what’s known as “theory of mind”. Essentially this relates to their ability put
themselves in another’s shoes, or to be aware of their awareness.
The adventures and characters that children experience through stories are almost certain to have a
lifelong impact. This then is a pivotal time in their development, not just in terms of vocabulary or
reading skills, but in the broader terms of their ability to think, empathize and imagine.

3 ways to use storytelling in every day life

1. Make others come up with your idea: Exchange telling suggestions for telling stories:
According to Uri Hasson from Princeton, a story is the only way to activate parts in the brain so that
a listener turns the story into their own idea and experience.
The next time you struggle with getting people on board with your projects and ideas, simply tell
them a story, where the outcome is that doing what you had in mind.

2.Write more persuasively – bring in stories from yourself or an expert:

Natural for anyone to think while writing a story that I don’t have any experience. But seeking help
from an expert and sharing your story can really help in exchange of ideas and innovations and
creating better understanding of story writing.

3.The simple story is more successful than the complicated one:

Using simple language as well as a low complexity is the best way to activate the brain regions that
make us truly relate to the situation and happenings in the story. This is a similar reason to why
multitasking is so hard for us.
Try to reduce the number adjectives or complicated nouns in a presentation or article and exchange
them with more simple, yet heartfelt language.

References
1.Yuan Y, Major-Girardin J, Brown S (2018) Storytelling is intrinsically men- talistic: A functional
magnetic resonance imaging study of narrative pro- duction across modalities. J Cogn Neurosci
30:1298 –1314.
2. Amk M,Willems RM (2019) Mental simulation during literary reading:individual differences
revealed with eye-tracking. Lang Cogn Neurosci 34:511–535.
3. Downs JS (2014) Prescriptive scientific narratives for communicating usable science. Proc Natl
Acad Sci U S A, 111 [Suppl 4]:13627–13633.
4.Glaser M, Garsoffky B, Schwan S (2009) Narrative-based learning: possible benefits and
problems. Communications 34:429–447.
5.Hassabis D, Spreng RN, Rusu AA, Robbins CA, Mar RA, Schacter DL (2014) Imagine all the
people: How the brain creates and uses personality models to predict behavior. Cereb Cortex
24:1979 –1987.
6.Hasson U, Egidi G, Marelli M, Willems RM (2018) Grounding the neurobiology of language in
first principles: the necessity of non–language centric explanations for language comprehension.
Cognition 180:135–157.
 Difference between dissociative amnesia, repression and suppression
DR RUCHI SHAH

1. DISSOCIATIVE AMNESIA
Dissociative disorders is a disruption in the usually integrated functions of consciousness, memory ,
identity , or perception of the environment. The disturbance may be sudden or gradual, transient or
chronic
Inability to recall important personal information, usually of a traumatic or stressful nature, that is
too extensive to be explained by normal forgetfulness.
This disturbance can be based on neurobiological changes in the brain caused by traumatic stress.
Types of Dissociative Amnesia 1. Localized amnesia: Inability to recall events related to a
circumscribed period of time. 2. Selective amnesia: Ability to remember some, but not all, of the
events occurring during a circumscribed period of time. 3. Generalized amnesia: Failure to recall
one's entire life. 4. Continuous amnesia: Failure to recall successive events as they occur. 5.
Systematized amnesia: Amnesia for certain categories of memory , such as all memories relating to
one's family or to a particular person.
Factors Leading To Dissociative Amnesia After Traumatic Experiences
★Trauma caused by human assault rather than natural disaster
★Repeated traumatization as opposed to single traumatic events
★ Longer duration of trauma
★ Fear of death or significant harm during trauma
★Trauma caused by multiple perpetrators
★Close relationship between perpetrator and victim
★Betrayal by a caretaker as part of abuse
★Threats of death or significant harm by perpetrator if the victim discloses his or her identity or
information regarding the traumatic experience
★Violence of trauma (i.e., physical injury caused by the trauma)
★Earlier age at onset of trauma

There are two major clinical presentations of dissociative amnesia: 1. Classic Presentation:
! Overt, florid, dramatic clinical disturbance that frequently results in the patient being brought
quickly to medical attention, specifically for symptoms related to the dissociative disorder.
Frequently found in those who have experienced extreme acute trauma.
! Patients may present with intercurrent somatoform or conversion symptoms, alterations in
consciousness, depersonalization, derealization, trance states, spontaneous age regression, and even
ongoing anterograde dissociative amnesia.

Course and Prognosis ! Acute dissociative amnesia frequently spontaneously resolves once the
person is removed to safety from traumatic or overwhelming circumstances. ! Some patients do
develop chronic forms of generalized, continuous, or severe localized amnesia and are profoundly
disabled and require high levels of social support, such as nursing home placement or intensive
family caretaking. ! Clinicians should try to restore patients' lost memories to consciousness as
soon as possible; otherwise, the repressed memory may form a nucleus in the unconscious mind
around which future amnestic episodes may develop.1

REPRESSION
Cases of emotional trauma such as abuse and sexual assault started the theory of memory
repression, where the patient does not remember the event properly, or at all. Sigmund Freud was
the first scientist to discuss repressed memory, after a case of his inspired him to discuss emotional
repression, trauma and how they are related, but he later abandoned it because of lack of scientific
evidence.
Some of the techniques used in recovering lost memories were:
● Hypnosis: a therapeutic technique in which clinicians make suggestions to individuals who have
undergone a procedure designed to relax them and focus their minds. 3
● Guided imagery: a program of directed thoughts and suggestions that guide your imagination
toward a relaxed, focused state. 2
● Automatic writing: a claimed psychic ability allowing a person to produce written words without
consciously writing. Non-believers: Around the 1990’s renowned scientists and psychologists
started discovering that the memories recovered were false and unreliable after trying to match
them up with real life events, therefore discrediting the theory and considering repressed memories
a myth.4
Definition
● Repressed memory can be defined as a blocked memory because of the happenings of a traumatic
event and it is compared to Dissociative Amnesia.
● Dissociative Amnesia: “inability to recall autobiographical information. This amnesia may be
localized (i.e., an event or period of time), selective (i.e., a specific aspect of an event), or
generalized (i.e., identity and life history).”5

SUPPRESSION
Repression: Unconsciously pushing painful, embarrassing or threatening memories out of
awareness/consciousness. Motivated forgetting, according to some theories
Suppression: Consciously putting something painful or threatening out of mind or trying to keep it
from entering awareness.
It enters the unconscious mind. Can get recollected in the state of hypnosis. This condition becomes
very painful for the person to come out from.

References
1.References 1. Kaplan & Sadock (1998).Synopsis of Psychiatry. New Delhi: Warerly Art Ltd.
2. Guided Imagery - Topic Overview. (n.d.). Retrieved, from https://www.webmd.com/
balance/stress-management/tc/guided-imagery- topic-overvie
3. American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/topics/
hypnosis/
4.Automatic Writing. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.dictionary.com/browse/automatic-
writing
5. Repressed Memories. (n.d.). Retrieved, from http://www.guidetopsychology.com/
repressn.htm