Megsanity
Women, psychology and expletives.

Laughter. It’s kind of a big deal. 

I, to my benefit or my peril, have the uncanny ability to turn almost anything into a ridiculous, sarcasm-filled fantasy. If this sounds fun to you, humor may be just the ticket out of scary thoughts. 

The Psychological Benefit of Laughter

Humor may be just as effective at reducing fear as desensitization, a type of exposure therapy¹. Even the simple act of smiling has the ability to improve mood according to David Eagleman author of Incognito⁸. 

But why would this be?...  continue reading

This is my mother's all-time favorite joke:

Q: "Why don't cannibals eat clowns?"
A: "Because they taste funny!" 

Here's how it would go for someone with coulrophobia:
Q: "Why don't cannibals eat clowns?"
A: "Because clowns are fucking terrifying!" 

Clowns are one of the more common phobias, and it's easy to see why....  continue reading

Thought replacement is one of the most widely-used techniques in cognitive behavioral treatment. It is also one of the most self-explanatory techniques under the cognitive behavioral umbrella. What you do is...replace your thoughts. 

This is often easier said than done, especially when you have a set of scary thought patterns or negative self talk cycles that have become persistent over time. People who experience the same thoughts over and over again have a more difficult time with replacement, simply because the thoughts tend to become a part of their daily experience. Thought replacement aims to change that by encouraging a different response when the automatic pattern begins. 

Let's check out an example....  continue reading

"I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and, gosh-darn it, people like me."

Stuart Smally, from the old Saturday Night Live skits may be the poster child for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): the gold standard in treatment for numerous issues including anxiety, depression, intrusive thoughts, and low self-esteem, just to name a few. The premise behind cognitive behavioral therapy is that by altering your thought patterns, you can change how your body responds, essentially short-circuiting undesired physical symptoms such as the fight or flight response....  continue reading