I love movies, and I try to go to the cinema as often as I can. I love settling into a comfortable seat whilst the lights around me are slowly dimmed into darkness, and then it is just myself and the film that I can immerse myself into. While most of us watch movies mainly for entertainment, it has been recognized that they can also have therapeutic value. I think most of us can recall seeing a film that we found really moving, although sometimes we may not immediately know why. Films can be a great starting point for a conversation about emotions and needs. It creates a safe space in which to talk about what we think, and how we feel, because we are not talking about ourselves, but about the characters in the film.
It can also be a diagnostic tool. When we are watching a movie we are projecting ourselves, our emotions, experience, and knowledge onto the screen. What we give particular attention to says a lot about our own needs. Different people can be affected by the same film in many different ways.
Sometimes we watch a film which can evoke certain feelings and emotions quite unexpectedly. It is good to look at those, and ponder why these particular feelings were brought to the surface for us.
Sometimes a therapist may suggest a particular film to a client, so that it can be used to begin a conversation about some difficult issues.
A film does not have to be an award winning masterpiece in order to have a therapeutic effect. When we are watching a movie, our reality, and the sense of what is real, is temporarily suspended. As viewers, we identify with the characters in the film, and perceive what happens in the film as our own experiences. What is important psychologically is that we tend to process the content of the film on an emotional level, rather than in a cognitive way. This is why it is often much easier to cry over events in a film, than over what happens in real life.
Using films in therapy can be quite useful. Nowadays we have wide access to all sorts of movies old and new, and they are becoming an integral part of our lives and culture. Even if we are not in therapy, we all watch movies, and we may as well allow them to bring some positive changes into our lives. A film can help us to understand the nature of the problem, and give us some ideas of how it can be tackled, and allow some hope for a positive outcome. We can watch the characters choosing ways of dealing with problems, and consider those methods without the risk of undertaking them ourselves. A film can also be a safe way of starting a dialogue. Sometimes, when the problem is difficult, it might be easier for us to look at it as somebody else's dilemma, rather than our own.
Or we can just settle down, relax, and watch a movie for the pure enjoyment of it!
It can also be a diagnostic tool. When we are watching a movie we are projecting ourselves, our emotions, experience, and knowledge onto the screen. What we give particular attention to says a lot about our own needs. Different people can be affected by the same film in many different ways.
Sometimes we watch a film which can evoke certain feelings and emotions quite unexpectedly. It is good to look at those, and ponder why these particular feelings were brought to the surface for us.
Sometimes a therapist may suggest a particular film to a client, so that it can be used to begin a conversation about some difficult issues.
A film does not have to be an award winning masterpiece in order to have a therapeutic effect. When we are watching a movie, our reality, and the sense of what is real, is temporarily suspended. As viewers, we identify with the characters in the film, and perceive what happens in the film as our own experiences. What is important psychologically is that we tend to process the content of the film on an emotional level, rather than in a cognitive way. This is why it is often much easier to cry over events in a film, than over what happens in real life.
Using films in therapy can be quite useful. Nowadays we have wide access to all sorts of movies old and new, and they are becoming an integral part of our lives and culture. Even if we are not in therapy, we all watch movies, and we may as well allow them to bring some positive changes into our lives. A film can help us to understand the nature of the problem, and give us some ideas of how it can be tackled, and allow some hope for a positive outcome. We can watch the characters choosing ways of dealing with problems, and consider those methods without the risk of undertaking them ourselves. A film can also be a safe way of starting a dialogue. Sometimes, when the problem is difficult, it might be easier for us to look at it as somebody else's dilemma, rather than our own.
Or we can just settle down, relax, and watch a movie for the pure enjoyment of it!