Tag Archives: therapy

Improv Is My Therapy (Part 2)

Posted by Jeff Thompson on December 23, 2016

**This piece is an editorial, and does not necessarily reflect the views of The Improv Network or any of its members or staff.  It is also not an endorsement of any political candidate for office.**

Several months ago, I wrote an article entitled “Improv Is My Therapy” which detailed how some of the philosophies that we are taught in improvisation are similar to those that one might experience during the course of therapy.  A few days ago, Donald Trump, was nominated to be the 45th President of the United States.  Many people in the community have felt very upset by this, and I too have felt a roller coaster of feelings since the announcement.  Regardless of where you stand on the election, we can agree that this election has been extremely divisive.  But, in the end, we’re all on the same team.  So once again, I call upon the great wisdom of the improv philosophers who have come before us to guide us in this difficult time along with ketamine bipolar therapy.

Rule #1: Don’t Deny

Our two-party system is essentially a two-person show in which instead of building something together, we just wait until we have a chance to initiate and dominate the scene.  There are also some people sitting on the back line, wanting to contribute, but they are largely ignored (we should probably also listen to what they have to say).  One of the first things we learn in improv is to never say no.  It’s safer to say no, it’s easier, it means that we get to be in complete control of a situation that nobody has the answers to.  (Improv and real life are oddly similar, no one really knows what is going to happen next – and some people claim that they definitely know what should happen next).

And this isn’t to teeter into moral relativism.  There are times when one side is wrong, when something is clearly going in one direction and someone throws in an upsetting curveball.  But in many cases, we have something to learn from the other side.  If you want to play the game of a scene, but your partner wants to play with patient narrative work, you both bring something valuable to the stage and you can build something amazing if you work together to integrate both of your respective strengths.  But before you build, you must accept what is given to you.  The reflex to outright deny someone else’s perspective because they aren’t like you is dangerous and unproductive. On other news, checkout https://www.emergencyhomesolutionsoc.com/mold-removal-orange-county-eco-friendly-options/.

Rule #2: Yes, And

Accepting isn’t the only step.  Once we’ve come to a place where we have acknowledged each other, we should then build.  Both parties come in with an idea of what will be, but somewhere in between those two perspectives is the actuality of what should be.  America is a wonderful mix of diverse viewpoints and perspectives; consequently, there will be many views on what is right for our nation to do.  There is no answer or decision that will be universally loved by everyone.  People are going to walk away from the stage feeling like the initiation that they had wasn’t listened to, that their scene was edited too quickly, or that people didn’t get the game that they were trying to set up.  And it sucks, but we are building something together.

Rule #3: Treating Your Partner Like a Genius

are a bunch of ! Every, last one of them!  They’re irrational, selfish, and worst of all, they don’t care about American values.  Anything that they say is completely farfetched and not worth the air molecules that were vibrated to transmit the sound wave carrying their message.  Look, there are definitely people from either party that are dumb as hell.  But there are also sane, educated people who are going to make decisions that you disagree with.  Why did my teammate initiate a Harold opening in which everyone had to do a handstand?  Why is that a good idea?  Ugh, those Groundlings-trained people are ridiculous!  (Ridiculously funny, such great shows!)  If we don’t’ take the time to understand the other side, we’ll just build more animosity.  And yes, there’s a chance that it won’t always be reciprocated, but when it is it’ll be worth it!

Rule #4: Don’t Be An Asshole

All of what I’ve said assumes that the other person is acting in a relatively civil manner.  In the same way that we should have respect for each other on stage (not grabbing, kissing, choking, etc… without consent), we should also be respectful to each other in this discourse.  I have many friends who are legitimately scared for their lives because of what they feel a Trump Presidency may enable people to do (and the events in the past few days have corroborated those fears).  Using your views or the success of your chosen candidate to terrorize others is just as bad as the person who always initiates honeymoon scenes to try and kiss their fellow teammates.  It may feel like we are in different countries, but we all pledge allegiance to the same flag (there are some people who pledge allegiance to a slightly outdated American flag – I don’t know what to say in response to them).

Last Thoughts

Part of what fueled the fervor of this election was a group of Americans who felt that they were not listened to, and supported the first person to tell them “I hear you.  Your concerns are valid.  And let’s take those concerns and let’s make your country be as great as you want it to be.”  And yes, we might not agree 100% with all their concerns, but if we don’t ever listen, if we never assume that they might have valid concerns, and if we don’t try to build something together with them, then we can never grow as a team.  In that regard, Donald Trump is a helluva good improviser and I sincerely hope that he will be a good President (even though I personally, have many concerns about his recent and past actions).  As artists, it is important to use our voices to build bridges and support the voices of those who feel unheard, but also to stand up for what is right in the world.  Striking that balance between the two in the upcoming years might be difficult, but I believe in our ability to do it.  You all look like geniuses to me.

Guest Blog: Improv is My Therapy Part 1

Posted by Nick Armstrong on December 8, 2015

There is a fair amount of anecdotal evidence on how improvisation helps people. Many of us have firsthand experience on how improvisation has changed our lives and have probably heard similar stories from others in the community. Improvisation is also used in corporate workshops and in drama therapy as a way of teaching skills that are useful for increasing workplace effectiveness or dealing with mental illness. As an individual who teaches psychology and does improv, sometimes I wonder why improvisation seems such an effective tool for improving the lives of individuals. In what I hope to be the beginning of a series of articles (note my optimistic “Part I” in the title), I will begin by discussing why “Yes, And” is therapeutic by drawing comparisons with similar psychotherapeutic concepts.

For many, the rule of “Yes, And” is the first tenet of improvisation that they learn. This phrase reminds us to first say yes, to agree with what the other person in the scene has said, and then show that we are agreeing by adding to that. While the temptation is often to go “No, But”, we learn over time that by saying yes and building something together, we create a much more enjoyable experience for ourselves and the audience.

Our desire to say “No, But” is usually related to control. Studies in social psychology tell us, we are fearful of things that we perceive to be foreign to us (such as the thoughts in someone else’s head), and trusting of the things that we perceive to be from us or similar to us (such as the thoughts in our own head). Improvisation is a frightening experience (as we often forget) in that we are coming to the stage with nothing prepared; this activates our fight-or-flight response and causes us to want to default to our primal settings. Our simple, anxious minds want to stick to what we tend to perceive as good, which is anything that we can control (i.e. the thoughts in our own head). Instead of trying to trust another person, we try to save ourselves. Improvisation teaches us to embrace and acknowledge our fear, but not to be controlled by it.

In psychology, we often refer to people’s perceptions of the amount of control they exert over their lives as their locus of control. Individuals with an internal locus of control believe that they have control over their life, while those with an external locus of control believe that their lives are controlled by external forces. To be healthy, an individual should be somewhere in the middle; it is important to be comfortable with not always controlling everything, but also to be aware of what one can control. Individuals with an internal locus of control benefit from Yes-Anding because they learn to accept what they can’t control (by saying “yes”); individuals with an external locus of control benefit because they learn that they have some control over their environment (by saying “and”).

Agreement is not a one-way street; not only are we agreeing with what our partner is saying, but they are agreeing with what we are saying. Carl Rogers, an influential American psychologist, developed the idea of unconditional positive regard. According to Rogers, a therapist should show unconditional positive regard to a patient, that is to say, no matter what a patient shares with their therapist, the therapist should show acceptance without negative judgment of the basic worth of the individual. On stage, we are asked to show unconditional positive regard to our teammates, and that can be very therapeutic. We base our self-esteem partially on how we are viewed by others, and when our thoughts and ideas are supported and elevated to the level of comedy gold, we feel great about ourselves; we learn to trust our ideas. Being yes-anded reminds us that we are valuable, worthy, and wanted. Yes, And teaches us how to relinquish some of our need to control the world around us, to thrive even when we are fearful and uncertain, and to remember that we are individuals of worth and brilliance.

Guest Blogger and NIN Member Jeff Thompson

Jeff has been an improviser since 2002 and has studied at iO West, ComedySportz LA, Second City Hollywood, The Groundlings, Nerdist, and UCB LA.  He is also one of the producers of the Hollywood Improv Festival.

When not on-stage, he can be found teaching psychology, coaching teams, consulting for businesses, or playing video games.