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GET MORE LAUGHTER IN YOUR LIFE!
David Granirer - North America's Psychotherapist/Stand-Up Comic
Volume 2, Issue 10
Editor: David Granirer, david@psychocomic.com
Publisher: David Granirer
www.psychocomic.com

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IN THIS ISSUE
1. Welcome From The Publisher/Joke
2. Humor in the Aftermath of September 11
3. What's Good Stories
4. An Opportunity To Help
5. Classified Ads
6. Contact Information

PRIVACY STATEMENT: WE WILL NOT DISTRIBUTE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS TO ANYONE. PERIOD. 

1. WELCOME FROM THE PUBLISHER

Hi Folks,

To help you lighten up, Iíve decided to start every issue with a joke. If anyone has some good clean jokes that are reasonably short, feel free to email them to me at david@psychocomic.com

Thanks to Eva Sharell for this one:
 
When Albert Einstein was making the rounds of the speaker's
circuit, he usually found himself longing to get back to his
laboratory work. One night as they were driving to yet another
rubber-chicken dinner, Einstein mentioned to his chauffeur (a man who
somewhat resembled Einstein in looks & manner) that he was tired of
speechmaking.
 
"I have and idea, boss," his chauffeur said. "I've heard you give
this speech so many times. I'll bet I could give it for you."
Einstein laughed loudly and said, "Why not? Let's do it!"
When they arrive at the dinner, Einstein donned the chauffeur's
cap and jacket and sat in the back of the room. The chauffeur gave a
beautiful rendition of Einstein's speech and even answered a few
questions expertly.
 
Then a supremely pompous professor asked an extremely esoteric
question about anti-matter formation, digressing here and there to
let everyone in the audience know that he was nobody's fool.
Without missing a beat, the chauffeur fixed the professor with a
steely stare and said, "Sir, the answer to that question is so
simple that I will let my chauffeur, who is sitting in the back,
answer it for me."
 
 
 

****Come Have A Laugh!*****

My stand-up comedy shows continue at Cafe Madeleine, 3763 West 10th Ave., Vancouver. Clean, intelligent comedy in a smoke-free environment, Fridays at 8:00 p.m. Reservations recommended (604) 224-5558. Bring in this newsletter and buy one 
entree, get second for 50% off. Opening the show are students from my Langara College Stand-Up Comedy Clinic Course. 
 
 

2.  HUMOR IN THE AFTERMATH OF SEPTEMBER 11

On the morning of September 11 I came down the stairs and my daughter said "Daddy, why do they have the same show on every channel?" It took me a few minutes to put it all together, and then it hit me: "My brother works across the street from the World Trade Center." I found out later that he was OK, but lucky to be alive.

Needless to say, I wasnít feeling very funny for the next few days. Like a lot of people, I had a sick feeling in my stomach, along with classic depression symptoms like exhaustion, fatigue, numbness, disrupted sleep cycle, low appetite, anxiety, and difficulty concentrating.

September 11 shattered the belief that we in North America are safe. We were confronted by our powerlessness and lack of control over what happens around us. But in order to function in the world, we need to believe that itís a safe place, and that we have some control.

Iíve often said that even though we may not be able to control external events, we do have control over how we react to them, and that reacting with humor partially restores the feeling that we are in control. For example, youíve probably noticed the jokes (most of them directed at Bin Laden and the terrorists) that have sprung up on the Internet.

After a traumatic event, people often go into a state of shock or depression. The fact that these jokes are appearing is a sign that weíre starting to recover from the shock. In order to recover, we need to both acknowledge the horror and be able to distance ourselves from it. According to Viktor Frankl, a concentration camp survivor and author of "Manís Search for Meaning," humor allows us to do both. By joking, weíre saying "Yes it was horrible, and something like that could probably never happen to me." So we let ourselves grieve the loss, while at the same time reconstructing our belief that the world is a safe (or reasonably safe) place. And whether or not this belief is a form of denial, we still need it in order to function. Without it weíd be too afraid to ever leave the house!

Once the shock from a traumatic event wears off, we start to feel our feelings again. Anger is often the first one. One way of expressing this anger without drowning in it is through humor. 

At one of my presentations, someone told how a friend was in the British Army unit that had to clean up after the Lockerbie disaster, when terrorists blew up a jumbo jet in the sky over Lockerbie, Scotland.  As they worked through the night, unit membersí humor got weirder and weirder, but as far as the friend was concerned, itís what got them through. 

To be truly effective as a psychological shield, the intensity of such humor needs to roughly match the intensity of the situation. The rule here is that the worse the conditions, the more often and radical the humor needs to be. Or to put it another way, if you have a cold you take vitamin C, if you have pneumonia you also need something stronger. In a context where everything decent and right is obliterated, humor becomes a healing release for the anger and pain we feel. Of necessity it takes on an irreverent, nothing-is-sacred quality, because what we hold as sacred has been so grossly violated. 

So when you come across some of the humor surrounding the attacks, especially the tasteless kind, it helps to remind yourself that this is how some people need to express their anger and outrage.

Ultimately, the important thing is that like any expression of anger, we not get stuck in it, but use it as a doorway into dealing with our underlying feelings of grief and loss. And as we do, the humor will shift from being solely outward-focused, which helps express our anger, to include more self-deprecation, which helps to heal our grief.  
 
 

If you would like to print one of my articles on humor in the workplace in your newsletter free of charge, email me at david@psychocomic.com and Iíll send you a complete summary of all the articles Iíve written.

For other free articles about laughter go to www.psychocomic.com/Articles.htm

For free back issues of this ezine go to www.psychocomic.com/Newsletter.htm

*****GET MORE LAUGHTER IN YOUR LIFE!*****
Check out David's tapes, posters, buttons at www.psychocomic.com/Products.htm
 

3. WHAT'S GOOD STORIES

It's so easy to see all the bad things around us, that sometimes we forget about all the great things that go on. And we need to hear about good things because that gives us hope and inspires us to go out and do more good things.

In this section, I want to hear from you. What's happened in your life that's good? What things have people done that inspire you to be kind to others? What funny things have happened?

Email your short stories to me at david@psychocomic.com, and if I publish yours, you get a free copy of my tape "I'm OK But YOU Need Professional Help!"

Terry Oakes  from  Fredericton, New Brunswick contributed this monthís story

I raised my stepdaughter since she was three years old. Starting at a
very young age I used a small trick for when she would start to whine for
something. I would rotate my thumb around my index finger and say to her "Do you know what this is?" She would say "What?" and I would say " It's the worlds smallest
record player, do you know what it's playing?" She would say "NO!" and I
would say "my heart bleeds for you". I used this tactic hundreds of times
over approximately 13 years and of course it drove her absolutely crazy.

Well, my wife (ex-wife) and I decided to have more children. My oldest was
around four when I remembered the little trick above. We were in the mall
and he was bugging me for a chocolate bar so I rotated my thumb and
repeated the verse. Much to my surprise he said: "Daddy do you know what
THIS is? It's the worlds smaller record player and do you know what it's
playing? I WANT A CHOCOLATE BAR, I WANT A CHOCOLATE BAR!"

Needless to say that was the last time I used the trick.
 
 

4. AN OPPORTUNITY TO HELP

ARTISTS WITHOUT BORDERS brings psychological relief to the victims of war in the form of art and/or entertainment. They send performers and artists to refugee camps and zones of conflict. Theyíve been to Kosovo, East Timor, Chechnya and more. If youíd like more information, or to help out, (Theyíre a non-profit organization and could use donations) go to their web site http://www.artwit.org .

If anyone has a good cause they'd like to promote please email me at david@psychocomic.com
 

5. CLASSIFIED ADS

Speakers: Learn how to incorporate stand-up comedy into your presentations. Check out David's stand-up comedy skills coaching for presenters at: www.psychocomic.com/ComedyCourse.htm
 

6. CONTACT INFORMATION

David Granirer gives laughter in the workplace presentations helping hundreds of organizations throughout North America reduce stress, increase wellness, and cope with change. For more information on his presentations, stand-up comedy, products, and articles call (604) 205-9242 or go to www.psychocomic.com

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