For six Fridays, from mid-November through Dec. 20, we met online to look at clips of classic Christmas movies through the lens of the Hero’s Journey. Joseph Campbell is credited with creating the form that helps us understand how our stories all fit together into what he called the monomyth. Regardless of culture, language, time period or geography, as a species, humans are hardwired to understand and seek out stories to help us feel more connected to others.
Christmas, regardless of whether or not you celebrate its religious elements, is omnipresent in the U.S. and many other parts of the world. For all of its joyful representations, it is also a time of deep sadness, regret, anxiety and isolation.
I decided to run this program to offer joy, acceptance and kindness at a time that can be difficult for some and to show the power of Cinema Therapy. In short, movies' potent form of storytelling has more to offer than just what we see when we sit back and let the movie happen to us. The films we love most often reflect pieces of ourselves - sometimes deeply held pieces we don’t reveal to anyone else.
The 12 stages of the hero’s journey are as follows:
What we found in watching clips from movies that dated as far back as 1946 (It’s a Wonderful Life) to as recent as 2017 (Daddy’s Home 2) showed both diversity and universality. Jimmy Stewart and Will Ferrell are very different and yet, somehow, the same in their human desires - to be seen, heard, loved and to matter to those they love. Whether live action or animated (e.g. Charlie Brown, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Nightmare Before Christmas), the elements of the stories remained: The hero wants something. She goes for it and is challenged. All seems to be lost before it is found anew. In that resurrection and transformation, the vital hero revitalizes all of us.
We recorded the second week of the class in case you want to get a flavor for how these sessions work. I find the reactions after the final class to be even more telling:
I hope these sessions provided joy, community, support, fun and a feeling of belonging. These experiences are foundational to who we are as a nonprofit - not just for the Parkinson’s community, but for everyone.
Please consider joining us in the new year. Along with the Michael J Fox hero’s journey on Jan. 10, we will have two new Cinema Therapy sessions starting in January.
The Shawshank Hero’s Journey & Turning Parkinson’s Back to the Future. Again, these courses are open to everyone. Happy Holidays and have a safe and enjoyable new year.
Robert Cochrane, PhD
CEO & Founder, Yes, And…eXercise!
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