The Clinical Implications of Ice Cream

“I like ice cream a whole lot/it tastes good when days are hot/on a cone or in a dish/this will be my only wish.” Recognize this one? It’s the most perfect “Ode to Ice Cream,” as written by the character Vada in the classic movie "My Girl." This will be my only wish. Do you remember what happened next in the scene? Vada’s teacher offers her the suggestion to write about something with greater significance, and a classmate comes to her defense, “It’s about desire!” In my many years of working as a licensed psychotherapist, I too can argue that ice cream holds great emotional significance for most. Let me explain...

Food is a deeply emotional and personal part of every living creature’s existence. We all need it, we all have memories tied to it, and we all have a unique and complex relationship with it. I have come to find that above all other foods, ice cream most unanimously holds significant emotional power in people's lives. Over thirteen years in practice, there is no other food I have witnessed hold as much weight so universally amongst my clients. There have even been days where across multiple sessions, multiple clients bring up the subject, by total coincidence. I couldn’t help but notice this synchronicity, and started paying closer attention to what people had to say about it.

For so many people, ice cream is a great comfort. I read recently that there is some data defending its health benefits, at least on an emotional level, so long as it’s eaten in moderation. I’ve lost count of how many times I have ended a therapy session with someone and they have proclaimed they would be treating themselves to a scoop from a pint waiting for them in their freezer. I’ve seen couples bond over it — choosing to go on a date after session to get cones and decompress together. I’ve heard many clients confess to their overindulgence as a reaction to something terrible happening to them during their week. But why ice cream? There are so many sweet treats out there guaranteed to “light up” your brain - there has to be a reason this is the universal choice.

I will cut to the chase... a study was done once that revealed brains being scanned "lit up" with a brain response when on sugar greater than when on cocaine. The combination of addictive sugar and creamy fats just does the trick when we need a pick-me-up or something to comfort us.

I remember not too long ago, a good friend of mine who also happens to be a therapist and a Mom too, shared with me that one of her children became very upset as she watched her ice cream melt before they could get the toppings on. Can you imagine it? Your perfect delight, your moment of respite from the stress of the world, falling apart before your very eyes. A tiny heartbreak. It’s because we rely so much on these things for comfort, it’s hard when the bedrock of that vice is shaken. 

So if there’s so many sugary options out there, why is ice cream the chosen one? When I think it over I find that it must be the dairy factor. Creamy milk. It’s the first thing we consume as mammals and it soothes our wailing cries as infants. Perhaps the marriage of milk and sugar is why ice cream holds so much power over us. It’s made of two highly powerful substances - and comes in more flavors than we can even count. I mean really? What other food in the grocery store has an entire aisle for itself? 

Maybe it’s so broadly beloved because there is literally something for everybody! There’s your standard chocolate or vanilla. There’s nut flavors, fruit flavors, baked goods and candy infusions, mints and coffees and even flavors that mimic other desserts. I am not sure if there is any food in the world with as much variety in flavors as ice cream. No one is left behind with this dessert. There’s soft serve, traditional, cold stone and liquid nitrogen... even little Dippin’ Dots! Forget all of the flavors.. the array of toppings to choose from is so vast it’s nearly unfathomable. With so much to choose from, each time can be a totally different experience than the last. I mean really - is any food quite this varied? And of course for all of the non-dairy eaters, there is also an entire fleet of vegan ice creams. 

We have two parts of the equation identified - sugar and milk. But there is one other factor - of course - it’s frozen. When considering sensory based coping - one thing I know is high on the list of effective interventions is “cold” type stimuli. Ice cream’s got that going for it too. Maybe that’s why when it starts to melt, we rush to eat it. But what about the joy in melted ice cream? I think of the feeling of racing to keep your melty summer cone controlled, to avoid a sticky hand or worse: losing even one lick of your special treat to the ground below. The tactile experience of ice cream is a sensory dream: the taste, the color, the smell, the feel and the sound (the crunch of that cone is the perfect contrast!). Maybe your sensory diet requires a cleaner, more controlled means of enjoying your dessert, though. Milkshakes are a great alternative! You can even get it with whipped cream, what more could a person ask for? Ice cream is truly a celebration, each and every time. 

Now, it’s impossible to explore this topic without pausing to appreciate how the melodies and memories of ice cream trucks have become forever etched in our minds. I will never forget how gutting it felt to just miss the ice cream truck driving by as a child, after I scrambled as quickly as I could to break into my piggy bank, gather enough change and run like the wind towards the sounds of a music box projecting the notes of "Pop! Goes the weasel," or "Do your ears hang low?" Oh, the pain! Or worse.. sitting on the side of the street all day, clenching a dollar bill in hand, to never be met with those melodies approaching signaling my dreams were about to come true. But, alas. Sometimes we got lucky, and we made it in time. What was your favorite selection from an ice cream truck? Mine was always a Pink Panther pop - the one with the bubblegum eyes.

Whether nailing the timing of an ice cream truck driving by, walking up to a farm stand at a Connecticut creamery, or sitting in a Bee Bee Dairy, or Friendly's, it never mattered to me. I just always was so delighted to have this universally beloved treat. Where do you remember getting ice cream from in your life? My current go-to is a place in Sedona, Arizona called Rocky Road Ice Cream Co. - their Mexican Coffee flavor is to die for.

What I have learned is to listen when I hear a client mention ice cream in their session. It's an indication that they are touching on a moment - a feeling - a memory - that is deeply rooted in something significant that isn't to be minimized or overlooked. It's worth taking a pause to dissect the information more carefully — because it could be the key to accessing something much more meaningful than the dessert itself.

A final thought.. a dear client recently shared with me it is her grandmother’s tradition that a person should take themselves out for a cone on Valentine’s Day - a heartfelt little gesture of self-love. So whatever day you do it, take in all of its glory — and savor every bite. It’s really got a magic to it, I think.