On his first day of consultation, a patient told psychologist Ana Fernández that after watching the movie
Shame
he had realized that he had a sex addiction.
Another decided to treat her obsessive-compulsive disorder after watching
Knock Knock
.
Characters on screen often face the same situations or problems as people in real life.
Experiences like these have led to scientific research into whether cinema can help treat a disorder, process grief, overcome a breakup, or face betrayal by a family member or friend.
Film therapy is the use of films, scenes or short films as a support tool for psychological therapy.
This is how Fernández, who is coordinator of the psychology and audiovisual and performing arts working group at the Official College of Psychology of Madrid, explains it: “Films act as metaphors for life, just like stories, novels, or Theater displays.
But cinema has a greater emotional impact, since it uses many technical resources to capture the viewer in a very powerful way.”
It refers to sound, music, dialogue, natural landscapes, close-ups, and even special effects.
The emotions aroused by films can help the therapist and the patient to reflect together and make analogies about the characters' decisions, emotions, personality or ways of relating.
With someone trying to process grief, Fernández would talk about movies like
Manchester by the Sea
,
Gente Corriente
or
Despedidas
.
While
Marriage Story
would be an alternative for someone trying to get over a breakup,
Secrets and Lies
would be for someone facing betrayal or
Crossed Lives
, for someone who feels alone.
With a victim of bullying, the psychologist would use
Cowards
or
The Land of Fear
.
And with someone who suffers gender violence, she would try
Te dio mis ojos
or the short film
La loca y el feminist
.
More information
The horror paradox: why scary movies can be good for your mental health
A review published in the journal
Frontiers in Psychology
indicates that film therapy can have a positive effect on patients' well-being and help them cope with life's challenges.
“When the technique is applied correctly and the patient can identify with a specific film character, he can talk about her situation without exposing himself: about her life in the third person,” says Elena Sacilotto, one of the authors of the study.
This psychologist and doctor at the University of Pavia affirms that the patient can learn skills from the characters, and be inspired by her own situation, by discussing the film with a professional who guides her.
There are psychologists who use film therapy as a complementary tool to address a wide variety of problems: "From the existential anguish generated by relationship problems to that suffered by children who experience the divorce of their parents, or disorders such as anorexia."
Jenny Hamilton, senior lecturer in counseling and psychological therapy at the University of Lincoln, says research on film therapy shows a range of benefits.
For example, “it can be used as a tool to reduce anxiety and to make therapy more attractive.”
The use of films in group psychotherapy sessions can encourage inpatient psychiatric patients to talk about their beliefs, thoughts, and feelings while discussing the characters and stories.
Furthermore, in front of the big screen, young people with autism can identify their positive strengths and develop resilience, according to research published in the journal
Counseling and Psychotherapy Research
.
Some studies explore the potential of film therapy to reduce parent-adolescent conflict in school counseling or to help, using superhero movies, young people diagnosed with schizophrenia reconceptualize their stories and imagine new possibilities.
The limitations of cinema therapy
Although there are several investigations that support the effectiveness of film therapy, the technique has not yet reached an optimal level of standardization, according to Sacilotto.
The expert highlights that many of the published studies are based on qualitative analysis, which limits the generalization of their results and makes comparison between different investigations difficult.
The review published in
Frontiers in Psychology
concludes that a more standardized methodological approach is needed to accurately measure the effectiveness of these techniques and, thus, be able to promote their clinical use.
“We need to be careful as mental health is complex and differs from person to person,” says Agata Lulkowska, Senior Lecturer in Film Directing and Production at Staffordshire University.
The expert indicates that film therapy can help patients improve their mood, be inspired to face some problems and alleviate isolation by identifying with characters who could experience similar challenges in life.
Still, she points out that it can't be used as the only way to deal with a problem and that not enough studies have been done to understand the long-term effect.
Furthermore, film therapy does not have to be useful for everyone, according to the experts consulted.
“I don't think there is anything that works for everyone,” says Fernández.
The expert considers that there may be viewers who look for a type of film with evasive purposes and who do not delve deeper.
Others may “reject topics that do not fit their basic ideas or only stick with what confirms their opinions.”
To obtain some type of mental health benefit, is it enough to simply watch a movie or do you have to talk about it, do some exercise, or go to therapy with a professional?
“It depends a lot on what you need,” says Lulkowska.
The stories told on the screen can evoke a wide range of emotions: from laughter, sadness, fear or tenderness to a sense of relief.
“Even negative emotions such as fear or sadness can be transformative by providing a feeling of purification once the emotion has been processed,” adds this specialist.
There are many pages on the Internet that organize movies by psychological themes.
Anyone can access them and draw their own conclusions.
But, as Fernández states, "if what you are looking for is to face specific psychological problems or do some personal development work, you need the help of a professional to choose the scenes and the work to be done with them."
A complement to psychological help
Lulkowska takes a position along the same lines, highlighting that watching a good movie and talking to friends about it can lift the mood a little.
But she insists that serious illnesses that require medication and various therapies are a completely different matter: “In the latter case, the supervision of a doctor or psychologist is recommended.”
A psychologist would propose some exercises to the patient.
He could, for example, ask him about his favorite characters and qualities that he values most in them;
or, on the contrary, about those that cause the most rejection and why.
This is indicated by Ana Fernández, who points out that “different forms of communication between characters can also be analyzed to stimulate a better way of relating to our partner or friends.”
Another exercise would consist of analyzing the sequences in which the viewer became emotional, in addition to identifying the emotion and what produced it.
“On many occasions, it is the patients themselves who comment that a film moved them or made them think about something that they brought to therapy or that something we are working on reminds them of a character.
There we would have a clear stimulus to use cinema effectively based on our own impressions,” adds this psychologist.
Another alternative that Fernández proposes is psychological cineforums.
In them, discussions are held with the public based on the films to address psychological topics of common interest.
The Official College of Psychology of Madrid organizes, in collaboration with the Film Academy, cycles under the title Cinema as a mirror and model of our life.
In them, he reflects on films like
Destello braví
.
In this film, Isa talks to herself by leaving messages on her recorder for when she disappears or loses her memory, Cita feels trapped in a marriage in a house full of saints and virgins, and María returns to the town where she was born to face her loneliness.
These three women have something in common: a deep desire for liberating experiences that make them reunite with the place where they were happy or dreamed of being happy.
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