The OCD Stories Dr Ronald Nicholson: Using humour in OCD therapy (#499)
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Aug 17, 2025 Join Dr. Ronald Nicholson, a clinical psychologist specializing in humor in OCD therapy. He shares fascinating insights on using laughter as a tool to challenge obsessive thoughts. Discover how humor can create cognitive flexibility and lighten the mood in therapy sessions. Ronald recounts personal anecdotes that illustrate the absurdity of OCD and the science behind laughter's benefits. He emphasizes the importance of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in promoting personal growth and managing anxiety. It's a delightful blend of insight and lightheartedness!
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Group Icebreaker That Changed The Room
- Ron describes a group exercise where members joked about their OCD themes and the mood shifted dramatically.
- Laughter produced cognitive diffusion and made ERP feel more doable for participants.
Use Humor To Lower Exposure Anxiety
- Use humor tactically to lower anxiety before or during exposures to improve buy-in for ERP.
- Laughing releases dopamine, oxytocin, and endorphins while reducing cortisol and adrenaline, easing anticipation.
Humor Builds Irrelevance And Flexibility
- Laughing displays irrelevance and helps people take intrusive thoughts less seriously, aiding cognitive diffusion.
- Humor also trains cognitive flexibility by encouraging multiple perspectives and reducing rigid rule-following.
