-- Lizzie Allan, the founder of Hilarapy – Healing with Humor, and the visionary behind comedy therapy’s online success, is at the center of a powerfully unique intersection of her online comedy therapy process and the surging demand for relief from being cooped up in our homes.
Allan, a Registered Therapeutic Counsellor, a Professional Comedian with a degree in Comedy Writing and Performance, and a Comedy Therapist, harnesses the power of comedy in her immersive online therapy processes.
A recent study on the efficacy of group therapy found “significant effects of group psychotherapy in reducing symptoms compared to no-treatment control groups.” Essentially, group therapy helps. Another study published in 2018 that focused on the efficacy of group psychotherapy for geriatric depression found similar positive outcomes and that “improvements were found across a variety of settings, protocols, participant characteristics, and for several psychological domains.” There are multiple other studies published much like these that additionally support the efficacy of group therapy.
A widely available study on online group therapy efficacy was completed and published by the Journal of Medical Internet Research. The study found the online group course was effective in reducing anxiety and depression symptoms for the participants, thus supporting inferences on the advantages of online group therapy.
“Nobody escapes trauma,” observes Allan. “Being alive is the definition of traumatic. It starts with being born, and it carries on till we die.” Shame emerges later, after a traumatic event. Shame is when you feel like the whole of you is wrong. The emergence of shame leads down a dark path to stress, anxiety and depression.
Lizzie Allan grew up around generational mental illness and addiction, but the family always had humor. She remembers the relief comedy brought and always found playing the clown made her feel accepted. She struggled with the mounting weight of her family’s undealt with trauma and loss, so she put her humor mask on, and hacked off parts of her personality in an effort to belong. That was 21-years ago.
“Let me share with you,” elaborates Lizzie, “how comedy can change the world if you’re willing to make friends with your shame. The power of comedy is profound, but before I even began to find the funny, I had to revisit my experiences of mental illness and come to terms with the big juicy fullness of being human. Perhaps we’re not supposed to be perfect. Perhaps life gets messy and dark and awful… for everyone, sometimes.”
Lizzie took her childhood shame to one of the biggest stages in the world, TED, an established global phenomenon that embodies Ideas Worth Spreading, where precious few are selected to bring their outstanding concepts to the red dot. Lizzie Allan’s TED Talk, Transforming Your Shame into Comedy, shares her Cinderella story and reveals the transformative origin story of Hilarapy – a revolutionary new modality to help those dealing with the absurdity of the human condition.
She embraces vulnerability as one of the strongest tools available. When she began to share her experiences with others vulnerably, something intense happened. Instead of the rejection and abandonment she spent a lifetime running from, she found love and understanding; incredibly, the shame vanished.
“Hilarapy creates a place for people to embrace who they are as individuals and share themselves in a healthy, supportive environment,” describes world recognized therapeutic comedian, Allan. “Being vulnerable has power; it has impact and value. This is a vibrant and growing global ecosystem that is core to the human experience.”
Hilarapy offers a Free 45-minute Comedy Online Therapy Free Class – Using the Power of Therapeutic Comedy to Change Your World. Profound life-changing experiences occur when combining comedy and group therapy.
For additional information on Hilarapy, Hilarapy Studios, and the new Hilarapy – Healing with Humor Online Program, go to Hilarapy.com.
Release ID: 89031756