Knowing laughter

~ Jason Schwartz

In The Gifts of Imperfection, Brene Brown describes “knowing laughter”

In I Thought It Was Just Me, I refer to the kind of laughter that helps us heal as knowing laughter. Laughter is a spiritual form of communing; without words we can say to one another, “I’m with you. I get it.”

True laughter is not the use of humor as self-deprecation or deflection; it’s not the kind of painful laughter we sometimes hide behind. Knowing laughter embodies the relief and connection we experience when we realize the power of sharing our stories—we’re not laughing at each other but with each other.

It reminds me of Ernie Kurtz’s writing about laughter at meetings

The laughter that takes place at an AA meeting is not laughter at the speaker, it is laughter at self. This is why it is so healing. Any genuine Twelve-Step meeting will have laughter, the humor that comes from the embrace of this image of imperfection.

Published by Jason Schwartz

I have been an addiction professional and social worker since 1994. I started blogging in 2005 as the Clinical Director at Dawn Farm. I no longer work at Dawn Farm and am now the Director of Behavioral Medicine at a community hospital, and a lecturer at Eastern Michigan University’s School of Social Work. Views expressed here are my own. Keep in mind that the field, the contexts in which the field operates, and my views have changed over time.

2 thoughts on “Knowing laughter”

  1. Simple and meaningful message. My little brother had addiction problems and he went into severe depression. It was very hard for us to see him like that. We tried all sort of medicinal approaches but had no use. We approached Bellwood Health Services in Ontario and our hopes were just to see him back to normal. They told us that the support of the family is the biggest strength that anybody who is suffering from addiction (let it be any kind). They had more practical approach than medicinal. Engaging him in different tasks, doing group works changed him a lot. In these groups discussion sessions, all shared their problems, small jokes and concerns, and they started to understand that these addictions ruins everything. I saw him change, he was so attached to his group there and they enjoyed everything together. Then I realized that these medicines are not the only thing need for them. The ultimate thing needed is support from friends and family. It’s the happiness around that will cure them.

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