Recently, I was asked what I do when a player is emotionally triggered by improv. My response was, “It doesn’t.” Or, at least, I haven’t experienced a player being triggered.
The Key to Not Triggering Players
This question is important. It brings to light a barrier or hesitation people may feel about playing or applying improv, namely a worry about how facilitation may affect feelings of emotional safety. Reflecting on my answer, I realized there is a reason why I have not experienced emotional meltdowns during an improv session. I am careful about how I teach and facilitate improv; I know it works, and I know it’s important to protect the patterns within games that foster reciprocity, validation, safety, and connection.
Oftentimes, however, it is the particular way improv is facilitated that creates problems, rather than an inherent quality of improv games themselves. This means that careful facilitation, using specific strategies in choosing and leading games, can reduce the possibility of triggering players.
How Not to Trigger Players
Here are three strategies you can use to avoid triggering players when playing improv.
- Yes, And. Make sure everyone is concentrating on “Yes, And”-ing. This keeps players focused on the present and attuning to each other, instead of digging into past experiences and emotions. This simple act of “Yes, and”-ing also eliminates any fighting, conflict, or invalidating and dismissive behavior between players.
- Facilitate with intention. When one game ends, quickly move on to the next game. This prevents players from getting stuck inside their heads. Instead of judging or worrying about how they did, they will be encouraged to focus on the next game. This also prevents side conversations and potentially emotionally harmful social interaction between players outside of the confines of the game, as these interactions, rather than game play, could be the source of a triggering experience.
- Set clear boundaries from the start. I recommend keeping offers “G-rated.” This act alone avoids many topics and scenarios that could potentially create an emotionally upsetting response. Be sure to address any physical boundaries as well. For example: If physical contact is allowed, clarify that each person is in control of their own body, and that any contact is to be made respectfully, with full permission of the other person. And specifically define what permissible contact might look like. For example: Is touching one’s shoulder and hand permissible, but not hugging? Make it clear that pushing, dragging, pulling, etc are always off-limits.
While it is, of course, not impossible that even when following these guidelines, a player might be triggered, the commitment to ensuring that gameplay is set up as a truly safe space, centering on validation and boundaries, is a vital step in reducing the risk of a triggering situation and response.
Growing Emotional Safety
We’re learning, also, that well-facilitated improv can also be an intervention that creates new access points for healing—new possibilities for growing emotional safety—as it increases functional connectivity of the brain and allows players to practice reciprocal support and care.
My recent feature in Fostering Families Magazine, “Getting the Traumatized Brain Online for Healing,” discusses neurobiological research I co-authored, which shows there are observable changes in the brain fostered by improv. This means that when facilitators follow the strategies above, creating an environment for safe engagement with improv games, a deeply meaningful opportunity for healing is created.
To learn more about how you can create a safe space for improv, visit oneruleimprov.com and sign-up for our mailing list to recieve more tips on how to keep improv feeling safe and accessible. To learn how to bring improv and all it offers into your life, check out our training options or reach out to me today at mary@oneruleimprov.com!
