Cinema Therapy

Do you love movies? I do, too. It has grown from a fascination to a passion to nearly an obsession for me. As a teen I loved going to the theater. As a student at UCLA I learned how to write screenplays. As a doctor I’ve now learned how to take entire films apart and offer them as therapy. The Day One program was designed to help people with and affected by PD explore, discover and share their narrative about PD. But just as movies aren’t for one segment of the population, neither is this work. The clinical term is Cinema Therapy. 

Here’s a definition from Amanda O’Bryan, PhD: “Cinema therapy uses [a film’s] impact as a catalyst for healing. Clients watch a film with the intention of seeing themselves reflected. They may relate to the characters or find that their experience is quite different. This information can be brought to a therapy session and used to explore the client’s inner world.”

Now here’s a secret about filmmaking: nobody knows anything. That includes the people that create and produce them. Nobody sets out to make a terrible film. But it happens. Almost everyone tries to make a film to appeal to a ton of people. That rarely happens. And when a film does become wildly popular, like The Shawshank Redemption, which has been #1 on IMDB’s top films list for over 16 years, it isn’t always obvious why. As you may know, Shawshank was largely considered a box office dud. Seven Oscar nominations helped its credibility. No wins hurt it again. Its nonstop life on Ted Turner’s network in the late 90’s helped people see it for what it is today. In a way, it was like Andy’s geological approach: pressure and time. 

The larger point with Cinema Therapy is that there’s more to films - especially your favorite films - than you see on the surface. It’s not in a book, podcast or commentary track. What’s in the film is what you see in it - what reflects as true and relatable in your life. Sometimes that means looking at it differently. Sharing moments. Having the hero’s journey in our favorite films reflected against the larger map given to us by Joseph Campbell so we see its universal messaging. 

Nobody’s reinventing the wheel with popular movies. By and large, no matter what people complain about, audiences don’t want something truly original. They want a story that’s truthful, relatable and meaningful. If it were a drink it would be a “what I know” with a twist. It’s a good thing to be funny and have someone fall in love, too. 

What’s missing from the experience, all too often, is your voice in the response. Not a critique of the artistic value - there are plenty of critics. No, your voice as a co-creator is what we’re after. That’s where our Day One / Cinema Therapy program comes in. We have eight diverse, popular films in our offerings now. You can find out more here.

Take a look and ask yourself - why do I love that film? Why do I keep going back to it? Why, when it comes on TV, do I have to drop everything and watch the rest of it? I’d argue it’s because it’s touching something inside of you - and you have something to say in response. We’d love to help you say it.