Hey prairie dog, being able to play with you here really helped me appreciate and like you! When I discovered your Steven Wright sense of humor I knew we had something in common, and that helped me become more tolerant and accepting of our differences. But don't worry, you'll never get any push-button hugs from me because I hate the hug button. And besides, you're already getting enough subtle pressure from us attachment fiends. I'd hate to be responsible for pushing you over the edge and forcing you to retreat to a hermitage for the rest of your life. I do, however, like the smilies so be prepared.
I don't come here for the kinds of support that many others need because I am further along in healing from the past, and my relationship with my therapist is very stable now and has been for quite awhile. On the rare occasions when he and I have a conflict we resolve it in my therapy sessions. What I find supportive here is the fact that I "know" people here, and when there are stressful things going on in my life I can come here and feel connected because of our shared experiences in therapy. I can let go of my own issues for a little while by offering support to others, and I feel supported indirectly here by offering my own therapy experiences to members who are new to therapy or who have been harmed by unethical or even well-meaning therapists who made huge mistakes.
Humor has been as integral to my healing as seriousness, and I enjoy the lighthearted exchanges between members even when I am not posting. In all seriousness I'm not sure I would have gotten through some events in my life if I hadn't been able to find something to laugh about at the time. I think humor is demeaning when it's used as a way to ridicule someone, and I did see some of that here recently when one or two atheists mocked a couple of Christians, even using "haha" in a post, but other than that I really can't recall anyone using humor in a degrading or minimizing way. Some people connect to others easier by being very serious. Some connect easier through humor. Both, I think, are essential in life and in therapy.
Here are the smilies I promised you, sun dog.
By the way, for those who didn't know this -- we can only use 12 images in a message. The 35 smilies I had originally tried posting were denied.