Palliative and supportive care is a form of service to patients whose disease has not reacted to curative treatment or cannot be cured medically (Hui et al. Reference Hui, De La Cruz and Mori2013). So, it is necessary to provide special interventions so that patients can continue to have enthusiasm in life and can achieve satisfaction or happiness in the rest of their lives (Xiao et al. Reference Xiao, Chow and Liu2019). To be able to realize this, patients need to be given assistance so that they can improve their spirituality and can find meaning in their lives, even in their suffering (Breitbart Reference Breitbart2002; Breitbart et al. Reference Breitbart, Rosenfeld and Gibson2010; McClain et al. Reference McClain, Rosenfeld and Breitbart2003; Nelson et al. Reference Nelson, Rosenfeld and Breitbart2002). In this context, the patient is invited to get closer to his/her God inwardly, and cognitively the patient can interpret the life he/she that has lived as a gift given by God to him/her (Breitbart Reference Breitbart2002; Breitbart et al. Reference Breitbart, Rosenfeld and Gibson2010).
Based on evidence from several articles that have been published in this journal, it is proven that humor (Clayton and Marczak Reference Clayton and Marczak2022) and music therapy (Nyashanu et al. Reference Nyashanu, Ikhile and Pfende2021) are quite interesting discussion topics. Caregivers and mental health professionals who work in this field can provide interventions through humor (Dean and Gregory Reference Dean and Gregory2004, Reference Dean and Gregory2005) and music therapy (Gallagher Reference Gallagher2011; Gallagher et al. Reference Gallagher, Huston and Nelson2001, Reference Gallagher, Lagman and Walsh2006) in order to increase spirituality and meaning in life for the patients. It is evident that several research results state that humor (Pinna et al. Reference Pinna, Mahtani-Chugani and Sanchez Correas2018) and music therapy (McConnell and Porter Reference McConnell and Porter2017) are separately effective in palliative and supportive care services. Furthermore, the combination of humor and music therapy has also been shown to be effective (Haire and MacDonald Reference Haire and MacDonald2019; Lister Reference Lister1994).
In retrospect, Freud (Reference Freud1928, Reference Freud and Strachey1961, Reference Freud2014) has long described that his psychoanalytic theory of jokes or humor has a relationship with unconscious processes (Christoff and Dauphin Reference Christoff, Dauphin, Zeigler-Hill and Shackelford2017). In the process of the human subconscious are stored all experiences, whether pleasant or not, dreams, or hopes that have not been realized, and if examined more deeply, there can be found about spirituality and meaning in life (Frankl Reference Frankl2011; Jastrzębski Reference Jastrzębski2021). Through this humor, patients can be helped to realize all experiences of spirituality and search for meaning in life through laughing activities (Johnson Reference Johnson2002; Mackinlay Reference Mackinlay2014). With this experience of laughter, patients can be more grateful for their life as a gift from God (Dean Reference Dean, Cox, Bendiksen and Stevenson2021) so that they have high well-being (Martin et al. Reference Martin, Kuiper and Olinger1993; Papousek Reference Papousek2018).
Furthermore, through music, patients can be invited to get closer to God and find meaning in their lives (Lipe Reference Lipe2002; Moss Reference Moss2019), for example, by giving spiritual music or songs to patients, inviting them to sing spiritual songs together, watching spiritual music videos together, and even inviting patients to create spiritual songs together (Situmorang Reference Situmorang2021). In addition to increasing the patient’s spirituality, it can also help them to find more meaning in life through the lyrics of songs sung and/or composed by themselves (Baker and Ballantyne Reference Baker and Ballantyne2013; Baker et al. Reference Baker, Silverman and MacDonald2015).
In its application, humor and music therapy can be carried out together (Haire and MacDonald Reference Haire and MacDonald2019; Lister Reference Lister1994) so that their effectiveness is higher in helping patients improve their spirituality and search for meaning in life. I suggest that the steps described in the theory of “rapid tele-psychotherapy” (Situmorang Reference Situmorang2022a, Reference Situmorang2022b, Reference Situmorang2022c, Reference Situmorang2022d) can also be integrated with the provision of humor therapy interventions, especially in the working stage. Patients can be invited to watch their favorite humor videos or even patients can be invited to joke together to create humor that makes them happy.
Acknowledgments
The author wishes to express their gratitude to the Creative Counseling Center, Indonesia, for supporting this manuscript.
Conflicts of interest
The author declares no conflict of interest.
