LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — On a Wednesday night at Mom’s Basement Theater, an improv comedy class was underway.

The instructors, Natalie Sullivan and Ryan Neufeld of Vegas Improv Power led participants in a game where you use your body to create letters of the alphabet.

The full body experience requiring flexibility and fun—byproducts of the spontaneity, creativity, and perhaps some vulnerability that can come from improv comedy training.

“Whatever is going on in their life, and whether that’s serious or whether we know about it or not, we hope we can facilitate what they’re going through, and people get out of it as much as they put into it so that’s the fun part,” says Neufeld when asked about the therapeutic elements of improv comedy.

Sullivan, who studied psychology in college, adds, “When else do we talk about your fears, anxieties? How it is to take this class together? Even though we’re not talking about it directly, it makes us feel good, at least.”

Participants Spencer Brown, Tyler Lemke, and Grayson Bell tell News 3’s Marie Mortera their experiences with mental health and what brought them to the class.

Spencer: It’s easy to lose track of how your anxiety gets.

Tyler: I suffer with a lot of anxiety. I realized your mental health can go down day to day, and over the pandemic, it deteriorated over time. I realized I’m in a bad spot, and how do I change this?

Grayson: I was officially diagnosed with PTSD at the end of 2020 when everything came crashing down. So I was like, ok, when I have a name for what I’ve been going through, now I can get over that and cope with that.

To learn more about Vegas Improv Power, visit vegasimprov.com.