After 12 sessions, Jan Hesley, ACSW, had made little progress with her patient Beth. It had been years since Beth, who was raped by her father when she was a little girl, was able to feel pain or cry about her childhood experiences. She began therapy with her husband's full support because she had begun to worry, based on her own trauma, that he might sexually abuse their children.
Hesley asked Beth to think about watching Bastard Out of Carolina, a movie about a girl who had a similarly traumatic childhood, and she told her the story line in great detail. Hesley shared her own emotional responses to the character's pain, and made sure Beth knew she could call her if she wanted as she viewed the film.
Beth chose to watch the movie in small clips and invited her husband to watch it with her since she was scared to relive the agony she knew lay ahead in the plot. Beth later shared that she tried not to feel or cry but finally let go.
The 13th session saw more progress than all 12 sessions in the previous three months, with Beth finally discussing her abuse in emotional detail.
An increasing number of therapists are relying on movies to move people toward breakthroughs faster. In this age of managed care, time has become precious: using movies allows patients to grow in their own "free" time.
In fact, it was standing-room-only at the movie therapy workshop one marriage and family therapy's annual meeting. In a survey of the attendees, an overwhelming majority said they routinely discuss movies in psychotherapy. An increasing number of professors are also using films to teach graduate students about personality types and emotional disorders, and are encouraging them to assign movies to clients. The growing number of therapist-authored film critiques on the Web and the onslaught of related academic and journalistic articles illustrate the impact film therapy is rapidly making on the field.
Although people might be surprised when a therapist recommends a movie, using fiction as a clinical tool is not actually new. Since the 1930s, when a doctor named William C. Menninger first assigned fiction to psychiatric patients, therapists have introduced literature—novels, short stories and poetry—into the therapeutic process. Movies are simply the latest, most accessible and time-saving addition to what has become known as bibliotherapy.
Movies connect a client's world to the characters and plots—furnishing role models, providing inspiration and hope, and offering new solutions to old problems. They assure clients that they are not alone, that others have experienced hardship and triumphed.
Clinicians have found movies particularly effective in couples therapy.
Richard, a 51-year-old father, was worried about his sexual performance and his relationship with his wife of 23 years. He believed that she avoided him by watching TV each night while doing paperwork. He said he went to bed early and expected her to notice that he was staying awake, waiting for her to join him. When she didn't, he became grumpy and demanding, and told her he resented her evening habit.
Hesley, co-author of Rent Two Films and Let's Talk in the Morning, recommended that they watch Bridges of Madison County together, and that he observe how the protagonist, played by Clint Eastwood, treats his on-screen lover, played by Meryl Streep. According to Hesley, this film helps men learn what women value in a romantic and sexual relationship. Eastwood helps peel carrots, brings Streep a beer, reflects on his day and expresses interest in her life and dreams. He values her experiences, though they are quite workaday compared to his. He lights candles and makes love by the fireplace.
On the way home from work that day John rented the movie, and his wife was pleased that he asked her to watch it with him. After both enjoyed the film, she commented that he had been nicer to her than usual that evening. She asked him to join her another night in watching an old romantic movie that she particularly enjoyed.
At his next visit, John happily reported that he and his wife were spending more time together, that he had helped her with her paperwork and that their intimate time together had improved. John asked for other movie suggestions.
Therapists also use films to help clients develop the courage to surprise themselves, to fundamentally change their lives.
For some time, Karen, a client of therapist David Cambronne, had been struggling against a "way of living" that she found unfulfilling, saying she was bound by a form of "golden handcuffs." She wanted to leave her husband because he was financially irresponsible, emotionally cold and distant and, at times, verbally abusive. But her husband was sociable and popular at his small business in town, and Karen was afraid no one in her community or family would support her if she divorced him. Cambronne encouraged Karen to watch Titanic, to look specifically at how the character Rose learned to break free of her social constraints. Karen identified several characters who unexpectedly stood by Rose during her arduous transformation, and began to identify people in her own life who would offer unconditional love. Karen soon gained the confidence to make the changes she needed, and, to her surprise, many people remained supportive of her.
