Most of you might already know that laughter is good for health and, as an extension, humor too. What you might not know is how your sense of humor can enhance your relationship and sex life.
Dr. Brian Kaplan, a qualified doctor, practices the use of reverse psychology and humor in psychotherapy. In his Book, Almost Happy, he talks about how he uses reverse psychology to make people laugh off their problems.
We got the opportunity to interview Dr. Kaplan about his book. He told us, “If you come to me with a problem like you are not getting enough sex. I will play with it and get you to eventually laugh at it. I will make it extreme and exaggerate it to a ridiculous degree. But I will also be listening carefully. I will get you to laugh at anything you are holding back.”
In the second chapter of the book “Sex, Love, and Relationships,” Dr. Kaplan wrote;
“Doctors have a duty to restore health but medicine also requires us to relieve suffering. A vital factor affecting our health is the quality of our personal relationships. Single people often blame their unhappiness on not having secured the right partner. Many married couples have simply given up sex. Any doctor who takes the time to talk to his or her patients knows that sexual dissatis-faction is a frequent cause of unhappiness.
Some couples are fine until a four-letter word enters their lives—kids. Many may miss the good old days of being passionate lov-ers but are often distracted by another four-letter word—work.
In-laws and money are the other two frequently mentionedanti-aphrodisiacs. The harmony of family life has been roughed up by the demands of modern living. Family meals are out of fashion. There are many parents who “can’t talk now” to their children. Before you know it, “now” becomes a few years ago, and your kids no longer want to talk to you! You may be in danger of finding a comical button that provokes you to improve the quality of your relationships.”
The book is full of buttons. Dr. Kaplan told us during the interview, “The buttons or the pictures refer to subpersonalities. A subpersonality might be something like your inner child or a part of you that is a critic. When one part of you becomes too loud, it can hurt you by dominating all the other parts of your personality.”
For example, one of the buttons in his book is “Blame My Parents.”
“Who is this button for?
Anyone overusing poor parenting as an excuse for unhappiness. Professionals who aid and abet the above.
Other transgressors of the Fifth Commandment.1
PROVOCATIVE SUGGESTIONS
Punish your parents for their errors by suing them, divorcing them, converting to a new religion, or buying yourself a big motorbike.
Continue to play the blame game but give your parents a break by letting siblings, children, friends, neighbors, teachers, therapists, politicians, the economy, and the weather share the blame for your suffering.”
With the help of these buttons, Dr. Kaplan exaggerates the issue so that the person going through Almost Happy gets a nudge into thinking that the situation cannot be as bad as Dr. Kaplan is making it out to be. Laughing at the Kaplans’ comic exaggeration of many common issues liberates readers from the parts of themselves that are holding them back from enjoying life to the full.
