Reframing

Humorous Reframing in Psychotherapy

Humorous reframing has long been a technique for change in the practice of psychotherapy, although it has not always been referred to by this label. In his logotherapy, Viktor Frankl frequently used the method of “paradoxical intention,” in which he would encourage his clients to reframe their symptoms (e.g., profuse sweating, stuttering, compulsive washing, insomnia) from distressing events to be avoided to events that are desired and pursued. In other words, Frankl advised his patients to stop trying to avoid neurotic symptoms and instead pursue them as fully as possible. Frankl cited many cases in which this kind of reframing brought about fast relief of debilitating symptoms, and he argues that a humorous attitude about one’s symptoms, even ridiculing them, is an important part of the success of the method of paradoxical intention.

Another well-known figure in the history of psychotherapy, Albert Ellis, used humorous reframing as a central part of his rational emotive therapy (RET), which is the precursor to the now-dominant cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Ellis argued that what makes one depressed, anxious, or otherwise miserable are one’s “irrational beliefs.” To alleviate one’s psychological symptoms, one must alter the irrational frame through which one views the world. He argued that one of the most effective means by which this reframing can be accomplished is humor. Ellis called the process through which one changes the irrational frame(s) through which one experiences the world, “disputing.” Ellis is famous for using hilarious and irreverent methods to dispute his patients' irrational frames, including requiring clients to sing “rational humorous songs” that ridicule and belittle the irrational beliefs (i.e., frames) of clients. These songs had such titles as “Whine, Whine, Whine,” “Maybe I’ll Move My Ass,” and

“I Am Just a Love Slob!” He made a significant impact with this and other methods for helping clients reframe distressing experiences, an impact that clients reportedly felt in their clinical work with him and an impact that is still felt in the field of psychotherapy.

Besides Frankl and Ellis, many other pioneers in psychotherapy, including Alfred Adler and Milton Erickson, have advocated for humor’s effectiveness in helping clients reframe their symptoms and distress. Humor has increasingly been appreciated as an agent for change in psychotherapy, and many books and collections have been dedicated to its use. A common theme in writings on humor in psychotherapy is that humor is a potent tool to help clients reframe their perspective and adopt new ways of experiencing and relating.

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