Improv as Therapy: Why Saying ‘Yes, And’ Can Help You Heal

Salma Soliman
Jul 10
3 min read

You Don’t Have to Be an Actor to Heal Like One

What if therapy could be more playful? What if the path to emotional growth involved laughter, connection, and saying yes, and to yourself and others?

Welcome to Improv Therapy—a group therapy practice that uses the foundational principles of improvisational theater as a platform for healing. It’s not about being funny or quick-witted. It’s not about performing. It’s about exploring the parts of ourselves that often stay hidden—and finding freedom in expression, connection, and spontaneity.

What Is Improv Therapy, Really?

Improv Therapy is a structured group therapy experience rooted in improvisational exercises. It shares similarities with drama therapy, but focuses specifically on the core tenets of improv: presence, trust, spontaneity, and embracing failure. In this space, we turn the improv stage into a therapeutic playground—where the stakes are low, but the transformation is high.

Group therapy can offer what individual therapy sometimes can’t: the powerful validation that comes from sharing space with others on similar paths. Many clients find that hearing someone else express what they've felt inside for years can be more healing than any advice. Group therapy offers connection, community, and experiential learning. It moves us beyond the intellectual—because healing isn’t just something we think about. We feel it. We live it. We embody it.

That’s why I created Improv Therapy, a group experience designed for people looking to deepen their healing through movement, voice, vulnerability, and play. Using my own curriculum, we combine improv games with therapeutic themes like communication, emotional regulation, shame resilience, and authenticity—all in a space where laughter and imperfection are not just welcomed but encouraged!

The Core Principles of Improv—and Why They Matter in Therapy

Presence: Improv forces us to stay in the moment. There’s no script, no time to rehearse. That same skill—being grounded and present—is what helps us navigate stress, anxiety, and rumination in daily life.

Trust: You learn to trust your instincts, your voice, and the people around you. In therapy, trust is fundamental to healing. In improv, it’s practiced moment by moment.

Failure: In improv, “messing up” is actually the point. We celebrate mistakes. This can be revolutionary for people who struggle with perfectionism or fear of failure.

Spontaneity: Improv teaches us to loosen our grip on control. We learn to respond rather than react—to adapt, pivot, and be okay when things don’t go as planned. These are real-life skills for distress tolerance and emotional flexibility.

Emotional Growth Through Laughter and Play

Healing doesn’t always have to be heavy. Laughter, joy, and play are powerful antidotes to pain and trauma. Improv activates the play circuitry in our brains, stimulates mirror neurons that build empathy, and increases dopamine, our brain’s feel-good neurotransmitter. Play has been shown to increase connection, reduce stress, and enhance cognitive flexibility—all of which support emotional resilience.

Who Is This For?

You do not need to be funny, loud, outgoing, or have any experience in theater or improv. This group is for beginners—especially the ones who think they “could never do that.” We guide you every step of the way with structured exercises that ease you in, warm you up, and gently stretch your comfort zone.

All you need is a little curiosity and a willingness to play.

Real-Life Growth in Action

Here are just a few ways I’ve seen improv therapy support clients:

Social Anxiety: Practicing small moments of spontaneous interaction in a safe space builds confidence for the outside world.
Perfectionism: Learning to embrace mistakes (and even laugh at them) helps loosen the grip of rigid self-standards.
Authenticity: Improv helps people reconnect with their voice, take up space, and express themselves without editing or shrinking.

Join the Improv Therapy Group

I offer 8-week therapy groups and 2-day intensives throughout the year. Groups are limited to 10–12 clients to create a more intimate, connected experience. Together, we’ll explore improv exercises alongside themes like:

Emotional expression and regulation
Effective communication
Self-acceptance and vulnerability
Building confidence and taking up space

Whether you’ve been in therapy before or this is your first group experience, improv therapy invites you to discover a new way of relating—with yourself and others.

Final Thoughts

Therapy doesn’t always have to happen on the couch. Healing doesn’t have to look serious to be real. Improv therapy lets you explore the messiness of being human—in community, in motion, and with a whole lot of laughter.