Reel Therapy

Unraveling the mind through film

Jeremy Clyman Psy.D.

Expecting Amy: A Documentary of Resiliency

A new documentary chronicles Amy Schumer's recent pregnancy and offers not just high doses of humor, but some vivid insights as well.

Coping With Corona

How can we best cope with a uniquely contagious and deadly virus, and thread the need of safety and risk?

How "Booksmart" Is Cinematherapeutic

“Booksmart” offers not just entertainment but takeaways for healthy living.

Tully: A Movie About Parental Stress

Read on to discover the ways this captivating new movie discusses parenting, depression, and an increasingly prevalent and complex concern, known as caretaker burnout.

Split: Horror with a Side of Split Personality

Read on to learn how the split personality phenomenon can be considered at the unhealthy end of the identity spectrum.

The Protest of "Me Before You"

"Me Before You" seems to be about disability, makes a comment on patient assisted suicide, and shows how depressed characters can dampen entertainment quality in cinema...

Is "The Revenant" Psychologically Harmful?

"The Revenant" has already garnered lots of awards for its quality. But a psychological warning should be attached to this film.

Concussion: Psychotherapy for Football

This movie lays out the crisis in football. What is this threat and how can it be psychologically adapted to?

Spotlight: The Trauma Crimes

Understand the full depth of anger behind this story of abuse.

Inside Out: A Psychologist's Take

Why is the new animated film "Inside Out" so popular? It might have something to do with how the characters, which are a young girl's emotional states, are actually so much more....

Cancer on Reality TV

How to adapt resiliently to cancer and cancer relapses? Having a quick "trigger finger" is an important and overlooked facet of treatment resiliency.

American Sniper

Understand the story of PTSD within this excellent and tragic film.

The Drop: A Discussion of Dangerousness

Read further to learn about a high-quality film and some thoughts on the psycho-legal concept of dangerousness, and the factors that promote/predict violent behavior.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

The movie could have been about peace; instead it is about war. Post-traumatic Stress Disorder sheds some light on why the story took this tragic turn...

The Americans: Psychological Weapons of War

The skill set underlying an effective spy is varied. The mission for the Jennings' involves sophisticated psychological skills more than the traditional model of spy strengths like running, jumping and shooting...

The Temporary Psychosis of Divorce

Like the show "True Detective," the divorce process can be horrifying. This blog entry, through a discussion of the hit-HBO series, illustrates the horrifying nature of divorce and what can be done to side-step the otherwise inevitable wave of misery.

Monuments Men: A Vehicle for Positive Emotions

This movie proves its entertainment value with injections of happiness. It's a perfect illustration of the psychological function of positive emotions in movies.

The Double-Edged Sword of Narcissism

The Wolf of Wall Street! This movie is outstanding - not just because it’s so well made but because it follows such an interesting (obviously and amusingly narcissistic) character, Jordan Belfort (played in outstanding fashion by Leonardo DiCaprio).

Out of the Furnace

Three reasons for why you should watch "Out of the Furnace" even though it'll be sure to make you cry...

What Makes the Film 'Gravity' So Scary?

I list three reasons (of many) that explain why the critically acclaimed 'Gravity,' is efficient and powerful as a vehicle to induce a psychological state of fear/scared-ness in us as viewers. If we're going to watch a very good movie (as this is) and feel fear than it seems useful to understand the cause...

The Heat: It's All About Connection

Below the laugh-out-loud plot line is a story about positive connectedness. And since the notion of meaningful friendship is as fundamental to psychological health as anything, this comedy proves surprisingly relevant to the topic of health and well-being.

After Earth: Mining the Sci-Fi Film for Psychological Gold

Applying my model of movie-watching to the recently-released "After Earth," a movie that has much more to say about psychologically healthy living than you'd think....

A Model for Therapeutic Movie-Watching

Using the new movie "Mud" - a film worth seeing - to examine a proposed model for therapeutically efficient and effective movie watching

A Place Beyond the Pines: Resolving Guilt

Some films are entertaining. Other films are entertaining AND have something valuable to say about important psychological processes. "A Place Beyond the Pines" is the rare sort of film to fall in the latter category....

Cinematherapy: A Useful Tool in Group Therapy

If you've heard of the term, cinematherapy, but want to actually know what it looks and feels like in action and how it can be beneficial....then you've come to the right blog post.

Django Unchained: A Cathartic Experience

Tarantino's new film not only entertains, as evidenced by all the golden globe nominations, but it also reflects the therapy process in action as it summons up and addresses a range of hidden, negative emotions

The Psychological Challenges of 'The Challenge'

We all know how the reality-television celebrities of 'The Challenge' performed physically...but how about psychologically? How did the handle the adversity, and work as a team, and overcome the dips in mood, etc. etc.....read on to find out!

The Challenge: Someone's In Need of Therapy

A recent blow-up on MTV's hottest reality television show depicts the downfall of a single cast member due to a distinctly maladaptive pattern of handling emotions and relationships.

Lincoln: A History Lesson in Healthy Goals

What this recently released film tells us about how the 16th president achieved the abolition of slavery, and why he embodied the kind of effective, healthy behavior that clinicians teach their clients.

Flight: Why Heros are Drug Addicts Too

Flight is a superior film, with a once-in-a-decade performance from movie star Denzel Washington. It sparks an important dialogue about drug addiction, including the ways in which amazingly brave heroes can suffer devastating drug addictions.

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