Reel Therapy

Unraveling the mind through film.

by Jeremy Clyman, M.A.

Diagnosing "Awake"

There is a new hit-show on NBC called "Awake." The protagonist is afflicted with an exceedingly strange and disturbing set of psychological circumstances. He lives in two alternating, parallel realities...read more on this premise and what 'real-world' disorders might explain this. Read More

Friends With Kids: Laughing at Parenting With Parents

Many parents experience distress throughout the process of parenting, and for good reason. To learn more about a fun comedy that may also help to alleviate parent-related distress, read further... Read More

Mad Men: The New Don Draper, Explained

With good reason, "Mad Men" is one of the most popular shows on television. Entering into its fifth season Don Draper has changes in ways that television protagonists rarely do. To understand why, and what it means for the future of the show please read further... Read More

A Babysitter's Worst Nightmare

"The Sitter" uses a familiar plot line—the goofy babysitter who gets overwhelmed by the kids from hell—to achieve fresh comedic commentary and even provide a few lessons in family therapy. Read More

Young Adult: The New Borderline Personality Disorder in Cinema

"Fatal Attraction" was cinema's initiation into the discourse on Borderline Personality Disorder, one of the most challenging and complex personality disorders on record. Read for more on why the recently released "Young Adult" updates and improves the discussion... Read More

Battle of the Exes: Clinical Couples and Conflict Galore

One of MTV's hottest reality shows, Battle of the Exes, showcases clinical couples—partners who fight and are likely to break-up. To understand why this is and what can be done about it please read on... Read More

Wanderlust: Laughter With a Dash of Light Intellectualism

Movies have many different functions. Read on for an examination of newer, more precise 'genres' and movie categories, and to learn where the newly released "Wanderlust" fits in.... Read More

The Psychological Skillset of George Clooney - Part II

Want to know why George Clooney is as successful as he is? Want to learn the lessons that his life story has to teach us? Please read on for the answers... Read More

The Psychological Skillset of George Clooney

Want to know why George Clooney is as successful as he is? Want to learn the lessons that his life story has to teach us? Please read on for the answers... Read More

The Grey: A Metaphor for Pathology

"The Grey" is a new survival-adventure film that offers a look not just into the world of our ancestors, but the world to which a severely anxious and depressed mind can be transported. For more on how this film offers insight into the mechanisms of such mental illness and effective ways of 'surviving' please proceed... Read More

On the Couch: MTV's Battle of the Exes

"Battle of the Exes," a reality television series of competitions and prizes, pairs ex-couples together. Sorting out which couples have a chance to succeed and why is the short-term mission of this blog. Read More

The Seismic Shift on the Jersey Shore

What is happening at the Jersey Shore? Distress is spreading through the reality television cast like the plague. Well, that's a little melodramatic, but something is definitely up! Read More

"Sherlock Holmes" and the Science of Play

Playfulness is the predisposition to engage in playful activities and interactions. It's an emerging science, and the new Sherlock Holmes sequel provides a vivid illustration of this construct. Read More

"Warrior" and Willpower

"Warrior" is about two blue-collar brothers, Brendan and Tommy, who ascend to fame and success in the world of Ultimate Fighting (UFC).But below the grotesque veneer of intense hand to hand combat, this is a movie about willpower. Read More

Reality TV Star As Case Study for Dialectical Behavior Therapy

Frank, from the Real World San Diego (2011), is an interesting case, clinically speaking. It's striking how miserable he is, and it's clear that his misery is, to a large extent, psychological or self-imposed in nature. How can he be helped by therapy, and which form of therapy might be must helpful? Read More

The Multiple Profiles of Aggression

The literature on aggression distinguishes between two different profiles - reactive or "hot-headed" aggression and proactive or "cold-blooded" aggression. Read More

A Review: A Dangerous Method

If you are a fan of psychology you should see "A Dangerous Method." If you work in the field you don't have a choice, it's a must-see. After all, throughout the history of cinema rarely has a filmmaker as esteemed as David Cronenberg produced a story as central to the field of psychology as the birth of psychoanalysis. Read More

J. Edgar Hoover: Pathology and the FBI

We all know of J. Edgar Hoover—founder and first director of the FBI. With "J. Edgar," the well-reviewed, Oscar-buzzing film directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, audiences can start to get a better sense of the man behind the institution. Read More

Parenthood: The Treatment of Forgiveness

NBC's Parenthood chronicles the intimacy and conflict of an extended family. In recent episodes a major conflict has resurfaced, and that is the relational friction between Crosby and Jasmine. A description of this conflict, and the way that couples can escape its pitfalls and ascent to a happier and healthier relationship is what follows. Read More

Family Theory Explains Dexter's Darkness

Dexter, for those of you who are unaware, is a Showtime series about a compelling, relatable figure who lives two lives. He is a brilliant blood splatter analyst by day, and serial killer of murderers and vermin by night. Read on to find out why he does what he does... Read More

Housewives of NJ: Triangulation

For most of the current season the "Housewives of NJ" a boiling interpersonal feud has taken center stage. It's too bad it has taken the whole season to figure out why the feud happened in the first place. Read More

Housewives of NJ: Family Therapy for Enmeshed Boundaries

One of the families on the reality-television show "Housewives of NJ" - the Jacqueline, Chris and Ashley system - exhibit particularly painful family problems. The conflicts are never well-defined and rarely understood despite the fact that they are ongoing and disruptive. Perhaps a little family therapy can help. Read More

Video Game Violence: Part 2

Explanations

So if video game violence leads to aggression, the next question is, why? Read More

Video Game Violence: Part I

Video games cause violent behavior. For a while now this idea has circulated in the public mainstream, wreaking havoc on the minds of protective parents and, indeed, their video game consuming children. Read More

Moneyball: An Idea that Revolutionized Baseball and Therapy

"Moneyball" is about a new idea. It's an idea that has come to revolutionize the way that general managers think about baseball players and the way that therapists treat their patients. Read More

Cinema Portrait of Gay Stigma and Grief

'A Single Man' is an important film. It is about a man, George (played by an outstanding Colin Firth), who is in tremendous psychic distress. On a scale of 1 - 10, with 10 being so much pain that you want to jump out of your skin, he's at an 11. Read More