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fandomhigh2006-11-28 10:41 am
dr-jwilsonmd.livejournal.com) wrote in fandomhigh2006-11-28 10:41 am
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The Best Medicine: Humor - Period 6 - Class #12
Today there was an assortment of little tarts and scones for the kids to pick up and have with tea, cider, coffee or cocoa. Aziraphale really was out doing himself on the baking front.
Wilson was leaning against the front of the desk, sipping on some cider and waiting for everybody to get settled before starting class.
“Good afternoon. I hope everybody had a wonderful break and now we’re in to the final few classes of the semester.”
Lecture:
Smiling, he finished off the cider and walked to the overhead projector to start the day’s lesson.
“We’ve spoken in a past class about dark or macabre humor. Today I’d like to talk about the function of that humor in many high stress professions and also in people who are facing incurable diseases.”
Adding a film to the projector, Wilson continued.
“Since for obvious reasons I have an intimate knowledge of the subject, I’m going to use Oncology in this lecture. Now we’ve discussed the physiological advantages to humor in a patient, though it is acknowledged that, despite the title of this class, humor isn’t a medicine. A colleague of mine Richard Penson recently wrote an article that appeared in last September's issue of the journal Oncologist, ‘Laughter: The Best Medicine?’ The current consensus, he says: Humor has little effect on disease outcome, ‘but it can make a huge impact on the quality of life while living with cancer.’”
Crossing his arms, Wilson leaned a hip against the projector.
“Living with cancer. You can easily substitute living with…oh say a prophecy that you are a Chosen One and will die to save your world when you turn 21 or living with the loss of a beloved family member or living with the day to day trauma of seeing people suffering every hour.”
“A man named Allen Klein, who lost his beloved wife to cancer turned to writing what’s termed disease-centered humor and he has to date written two books, "The Healing Power of Humor" (Tarcher, 1989) and "The Courage to Laugh" (Tarcher, 1998). He says that ’Life-challenging matters such as cancer ‘are not funny in themselves, but funny things happen’ during their course. Which is a basis of the idea of quality of life.”
Flicking off the projector for a moment, Wilson sat up on the desk and looked out at the class.
“A cancer survivor Lawrence Calhoun, who is also a psychology professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, said something that’s very relevant to this topic. He said that ’humor can be useful in creating a sense of community among cancer patients. As with other groups under stress, such as police and medical emergency personnel, he says, the 'in' group may develop ways of coping that involve poking fun at people outside the group." Their humor ‘to an outsider may sound cold,’ but it can help people deal with the particular stresses their group faces.’”
Class Participation:
Reaching over to refill a cup with cider, Wilson looked out at the class.
“What do you guys think about that? We’ve talked a bit on how humor should be inclusive, rather that exclusive but what about this situation? What about high stress groups who experience a life challenging event –or daily life challenging events- that only someone else in their group could fully understand? Is it cruel of them to poke fun at people outside the group or is their use of humor necessary to help them psychologically come to terms with the incomprehensible?”
"Secondly, can you think of a time when you saw such an application of humor? Either from the 'inside' or from 'without'?"
Homework:
“Please be working on your projects!”
[ooc: Today’s lecture was shamelessly cribbed from the enclosed article. OCDs areon their way up! Class is in session.]
Wilson was leaning against the front of the desk, sipping on some cider and waiting for everybody to get settled before starting class.
“Good afternoon. I hope everybody had a wonderful break and now we’re in to the final few classes of the semester.”
Lecture:
Smiling, he finished off the cider and walked to the overhead projector to start the day’s lesson.
“We’ve spoken in a past class about dark or macabre humor. Today I’d like to talk about the function of that humor in many high stress professions and also in people who are facing incurable diseases.”
Adding a film to the projector, Wilson continued.
“Since for obvious reasons I have an intimate knowledge of the subject, I’m going to use Oncology in this lecture. Now we’ve discussed the physiological advantages to humor in a patient, though it is acknowledged that, despite the title of this class, humor isn’t a medicine. A colleague of mine Richard Penson recently wrote an article that appeared in last September's issue of the journal Oncologist, ‘Laughter: The Best Medicine?’ The current consensus, he says: Humor has little effect on disease outcome, ‘but it can make a huge impact on the quality of life while living with cancer.’”
Crossing his arms, Wilson leaned a hip against the projector.
“Living with cancer. You can easily substitute living with…oh say a prophecy that you are a Chosen One and will die to save your world when you turn 21 or living with the loss of a beloved family member or living with the day to day trauma of seeing people suffering every hour.”
“A man named Allen Klein, who lost his beloved wife to cancer turned to writing what’s termed disease-centered humor and he has to date written two books, "The Healing Power of Humor" (Tarcher, 1989) and "The Courage to Laugh" (Tarcher, 1998). He says that ’Life-challenging matters such as cancer ‘are not funny in themselves, but funny things happen’ during their course. Which is a basis of the idea of quality of life.”
Flicking off the projector for a moment, Wilson sat up on the desk and looked out at the class.
“A cancer survivor Lawrence Calhoun, who is also a psychology professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, said something that’s very relevant to this topic. He said that ’humor can be useful in creating a sense of community among cancer patients. As with other groups under stress, such as police and medical emergency personnel, he says, the 'in' group may develop ways of coping that involve poking fun at people outside the group." Their humor ‘to an outsider may sound cold,’ but it can help people deal with the particular stresses their group faces.’”
Class Participation:
Reaching over to refill a cup with cider, Wilson looked out at the class.
“What do you guys think about that? We’ve talked a bit on how humor should be inclusive, rather that exclusive but what about this situation? What about high stress groups who experience a life challenging event –or daily life challenging events- that only someone else in their group could fully understand? Is it cruel of them to poke fun at people outside the group or is their use of humor necessary to help them psychologically come to terms with the incomprehensible?”
"Secondly, can you think of a time when you saw such an application of humor? Either from the 'inside' or from 'without'?"
Homework:
“Please be working on your projects!”
[ooc: Today’s lecture was shamelessly cribbed from the enclosed article. OCDs are
Re: Class Participation