Cinematherapy Coaching

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No where can you discover more creativity and conflict than on a stage, in a great film or book. In addition, most people find creative therapies more enjoyable. Films and books are easily accessible and cost effective.

We focus on Cinematherapy and Change, Cinematherapy and Relationships, (becoming more sociable), Cinematherapy in Marriage and Cinematherapy Inspirational.

Many find it less threatening and more insightful than straight talk therapy. This may be especially true for creative people. Creatives are normally more sensitive souls. In fact, some are hyper-sensitive which will be discussed in later papers.

Cinematherapy is based on a psychologist or creativity coach suggesting pre-selected films based on the clients needs which are discussed in later sessions. Discussions are held in person, over the phone, or Skype.

“Cinematherapy is a method of healing using films as a means of learning and modeling. Specific dramatic and comedy shows are suggested. By helping clients look at situations applicable to their own lives, cinematherapy can help create new options for behavior” Pritzker (p. 110).

Cinematherapy is used much in the same way as bibliotherapy, teletherapy, video making therapy,art therapy, creative journaling therapy. However, Cinematherapy is done with films. Psychologists and Coaches are able to use carefully selected films to reach their client indirectly.

New insights are discussed in later sessions. Cinematherapy has been used effectively with clients that are harder to reach such as aged couples, people suffering from HIV/AIDS, Terminal Illnesses, eating disorders, transgenders issues, and mental changes, substance abuse, family problems, divorce, ethics and values.

According to Pritzker there is not enough evidence to prove which films are actually the most helpful and is dependent on the expertise of the therapist. More research in this area would be useful (p. 121)

We are experts at infusing the correct creative therapies into our coaching sessions. Please note that these are general picks. We do not know you or your personal situation. So please choose at your discretion and with your parents permission if you are under age.

Video Making is another form of psychotherapy. The client makes a video and submits it to the coach or therapist. Then the coaches watch and review with the clients.

We do not show film clips due to copyright laws. We prefer to use easily available and reasonably priced films from Netflix which also offers rating guidelines. We do periodically show clips from You Tube.

This is where we will share our picks for general self help movies and other mediums. We will also provide guidelines for how to get the most insight from a film.

On a personal note: We are not earning any commissions or money for recommending books or films. I wanted visitors to know and trust that these are books and films that we believe are truly life changing and enhance creativity.

Please enjoy my notes from Part 1 of 3 from a Cinematherapy course that I taking from Brigit Wolz. See more about Brigit Wolz at the end of the references. This paper should be useful to students that are deciding whether or not to take Dr. Wolz's Cinematherapy course or simply want to understand what the excitement is about and how it can be used by therapeutic professionals including mental health providers, psychologists, mental health nurses, and psychiatrists.

This paper views Cinema Therapy as an adjunct tool for qualified psychotherapists and discusses using this tool from three psychological perspectives. The target audience is for professionals within mental health services such as psychology and counseling instructors, therapists, students, and researchers.

Cinema therapy is not proper for all clients and therefore should only be utilized under a professional mental health provider at his or her discretion. Cinema therapy is meant for mentally healthy clients that are simply going through changes in their lives and not those with psychotic illnesses. These clients could internalize the wrong message or have trouble distinguishing reality from fantasy.

We will begin this paper with Analytical (Depth) psychology including the integration of dream work and Cinema therapy from Jung and Freud.

Cognitive Cinema therapy is discussed next with examples from Ellis and Burns. Finally yet importantly, we will discuss the integration of cinema therapy and behavior therapy from Skinner and Bandura touching briefly on social modeling and his famous movie experiment.

Keywords: Cinematherapy, cinema therapy, mental health, cinema therapy and behavior therapy, Cinematherapy, cinema therapy, and cognitive therapy, cinema therapy and depth psychology, cinema therapy and dream work.

Cinema Therapy and Mental Health

Cinema therapy is simply the use of an entire film or a film clip of certain movie scenes used as an indirect tool within psychotherapy. The psychotherapist recommends the movie or scene and the client watches it at home or in the office, keeping certain questions in mind, and often journals his or her reactions to certain characters and scenes. Then the client and therapist discuss the experiences in the next session. This tool is referred to as either Cinema Therapy or Cinematherapy. It is an outgrowth of Bibliotherapy and was first mentioned in psychologicalarticles as early as 1990, and in 1993 Marsha Sinetar published the first book that specifically discussed the use of movies as a tool for personal growth: “Reel Power-Spiritual Growth Through Film" (Sinetar, 1993).

The first question that may come to mind, are people affected by cinema viewing. Well, let us look at Bandura's famous movie experiment with a doll. An example was the classic Bandura experiment with Bobo doll that showed how imitation on a screen is powerful in changing behavior. 88% of the children, who watched a video where a model would aggressively hit a doll, subsequently imitated the aggressive behavior. Eight months later, 40% of the same children reproduced the violent behavior observed in this behavior. (Bandura, 1973, p. 72 & Weiten, W. (2008).)

It has been scientifically agreed upon that cinema, more than any other artistic medium, affects change and this why, the content not the medium, endures the lion's share of criticism over books, TV, or other expressive art forms. Now the question is…Can cinema therapy be a therapeutic catalyst for positive change perhaps, even, positive social change?

This paper assumes that the readers are aware of projection from Freud, Jung, and Gestalt point of views. Projection and projection bias are important concepts within Cinema Therapy however; space limits would not allow information.

Depth Psychology and the Movie Experience

According to Jung (1964), the unconscious communicates its content in symbols. We can become aware of this “communication” through dreams and active imagination, which are “windows” to the unconscious: both convert then invisible forms of the unconscious into images that are perceptible to the conscious mind. Another “window” can be the emotional response to a movie scene or character. Therefore, depth psychologists can use responses to movies,as they use responses to dreams or active imagination. Such a response often indicates that a pathway to the unconscious is activated.

Therapeutic Reasoning for Working with the Unconscious. “As the mind explores the symbol, it is led to ideas that lie beyond the grasp of reason.” (Jung, 1964, p. 35) Our unconscious is often in conflict with our conscious ideas, intentions and goals, introduced by Freud, (Schneider, J., 2010). Inquiring into the symbolism and the effect of a movie can break down the barriers between the two levels of the psyche and set up a genuine flow of communication between them; unconscious material can start to become more conscious. (Jung).

Many films, like dreams, are full of metaphors and symbols. Metaphors and symbols can affect us on a deep level. (Gordon, 1978). Carl Gustav Jung placed the psyche within the evolutionary process. According to his theory, we inherit as part of our humanity, a collective unconscious, the part of our mind that is prefigured by evolution, just as is the body.

Jung also said that mythic stories make up a collective “dream.” The whole of mythology can be taken as a sort of projection of the collective unconscious. (Jung, 1927).

Movies are a significant part of our evolving mythology. The individual is linked to the past of the whole species and the long stretch of evolution of the organism. The patterns of myth are used in many fairy tales, novels, theater plays and screenplays for movies. Therefore,our responses to certain movies demonstrate recognition of these deep layers of our unconscious.

Films, like myths, tap into patterns of the collective unconscious. Their stories have such a powerful effect on us because they speak directly to our heart and spirit, avoiding the resistance of the conscious mind. (Wolz, 2005).

Cognitive Therapy and the Movie Experience According to Ellis, the cognitive model says the following: A situation is a situation. It is how a person thinks about or interprets the situation that determines how he or she feels. Therapists teach the cognitive model to give clients a framework and give them some sense of control over their emotional reactions. (A., Shaughnessy, M., & Mahan, V. 2002). Movies can be a very useful aid in this teaching process. People easily come up with interpretations of what they can see on the screen. If a client watched depressing scene and then asked what negative beliefs the character might hold about himself or herself most likely the client would come up with answers right away (Sinetar, 1993).

Cognitive Psychotherapist David Burns gives clients a list of negative distortions and asks which ones possibly apply to the character. Burns (1989) states that the clients usually enjoy the process because they experience it as a game. After that, Burns turns it back towards the client and asks them about their own cognitive distortions. The result is that they usually feel less alone with their experience and less judgmental about themselves.

Burns states that most depressed clients hold cognitive distortions and tend to be self- loathing. It often helps that the work with movies introduces some lightness (1989).Morty Lefkoe's Decision Maker Process (1977) is based on a combination of psychodynamic and cognitive work. It lends itself very well to the integration of the movie experience.

Cognitive Distortions

Our beliefs can either help us or they can mislead us. Our beliefs are usually formed in childhood, as an adaptive response to our reality at that time. Later in life, these beliefs about ourselves and about people are often not accurate reflections of the current reality.

In other words, they are cognitive distortions. Cognitive distortions can prevent us from developing healthy self-esteem and realizing our goals in life. What clients should keep in mind is what they take to be real is, in fact, a highly edited, thoroughly filtered version of reality. Lefkoe suggests that they think of it as their own personal myth of reality (1977).

Our Inner Movies

Metaphors are useful in helping clients understand how questioning their perceptions can lead to growth and healing. “Our eyes and ears can be linked to the camera and microphone, through which we see and hear the world (McKay & Fanning, 2000, p. 152-158). Instead of actually witnessing reality directly, we watch and inner movie, on a screen inside our heads. And this screen, it turns out, is often unreliable.

Our inner movie plays the story that we tell ourselves about the world around us and about who we are. The “plot” of our inner movie often tells a story about the world and ourselves that is based on early life experiences.

Several factors can determine what shows up on our screen: Habits and coping mechanisms, emotional states, previous emotionally traumatic experiences, personal philosophies, prejudices, values, ethics, etc. Not only are our inner movies impacted by these mental, physical, and emotional factors, but our inner movies themselves, in turn, affect our perception of ourselves, the world, and, subsequently, our behavior. Undesired inner movies can produce a chain reaction (Sinetar, 1993).

A 4 Step Process

An example of Cognitive- Cinema Therapy is identifying an “Old Home Movie” A client would close his or her eyes; imagine sitting in front of the television at home and watching a film on a DVD. The therapist asks the client to imagine a scene where the father is being critical.

Now the client is asked to imagine that taking the remote control and rewinding his or her old home movie and playing it again. This time, looking specifically at the events that led to your negative belief. The client is asked to try watching as an objective observer. Is it possible that there could be a second interpretation? Perhaps, instead of the cause being "There's something wrong with me‟ it is possible that your father's behavior could have a number of different meanings, each as valid as your original interpretation? For example, "My father thought that being critical would motivate me to excel. Or "My father had inadequate parenting skills.‟ Step three is to ask the client to play a different inner movie. Burns (1989).

An example would be to ask the client to watch film “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” (2002) as Wolz provided a vivid example. In this film, one or several characters achieve the self-respect that the therapist would want for his or her client. The therapist would provide a list of cognitive distortions by David Burns and ask the client to watch the movie and notice which kinds of cognitive distortions the main character displayed and if he or she recognized her own struggle with similar distortions.

Hopefully the client would internalize these distortions. If the movie did, it's “magic.” By watching Toula's transformation, the client would become inspired to “model” the character's healing experience into her own inner movie screen and at the same time “erase” her old, undesired inner film. Step 4 involves the client to write her new, healthy belief on several pieces of paper or cards, and to place these notes at prominent places in her house so that she could see them frequently throughout the day (1989).

Behavioral Therapy and Cinema therapy

Behavioral Therapy techniques introduced by B.F. Skinner integrates with Cinema Therapy. Using Overt modeling techniques have been used to train assertion skills. First, clients are shown examples of appropriate assertive behavior. Then they are asked to imitate the behavior, called behavioral rehearsal.

Showing movies or movie clips can very well serve as an example. Covert modeling requires the person to imagine making assertive responses. The therapist provides suggestions about what to include in the scene. This imagination can draw from characters in films the client has seen. Clayton, M. (2008).

Systematic desensitization is based on counter-conditioning, and involves the attempt to replace the fear response to phobic stimuli with a new response that is incompatible with fear.

Clients are initially given relaxation training. Movie images such as a safe place or inner guide can support relaxation.

Flooding and implosion are anxiety-induction therapies for phobias in order to extinguish the phobic response. During flooding, the client is exposed to the feared object without chance to escape or avoidance. Implosive therapy requires the client to imagine unrealistic, exaggerated,or unlikely harmful events that are associated with the phobic reaction. Since anxiety is encouraged during these treatments, the clients need to access inner courage and strength... Remembering and identifying with movie characters that model strength in the face of adversity can be very helpful in this work. Clayton, M. (2008).

The predominantly and most successfully used treatment modality of OCD is Exposure with Response Prevention. Clients are exposed to a particular feared situation, the triggers of the obsessions or compulsive rituals, such as sources of contamination. They fully interact with the fearful stimuli, like touching doorknobs, the floor, toilet seats.

At this point the clients feel their fear arising. Response prevention means that they must block any rituals used to prevent the harm that they anticipate as a consequence of the exposure, such as hand washing. They agree to tolerate the discomfort associated with not performing the ritual until they are habituated to the stimulus.

To help tolerate the fear, accessing inner courage and strength through identification with film situations is very helpful. Clayton, M. (2008). Preparing Aversion Therapy and Covert Sensitization The same strength building support through movies applies to this method. Both aversion therapy and covert sensitization teach clients to associate negative consequences with a stimulus, like smoking or drinking for example.

During covert sensitization, clients only imagine behaviors associated with particular consequences while they experience them in aversion therapy. Clayton, M. (2008).

Ending where we began I would like to briefly mention Bandura's social modeling and Cinema Therapy. Observational learning occurs when a client is being conditioned indirectly by observing a model. Weiten, W. (2008) & Bandura, A. (1973). In Cinema Therapy, this happens as the client views the characters and begins modeling his or her behaviors. I believe that Cinema therapy can be a catalyst for positive social and individual change it just depends on what we are watching and with whom we are modeling.

References Psychoanalytic Jung, Carl G. (1927). The structure of the Psyche. Coll. Works Vol. 8. Presented in “The portable Jung”, edited by Joseph Campbell. New York: Penguin Books. Jung, Carl G. (1964). Man and his symbols. New York: Dell. Jung, Carl, Carl Jung and Jungian analytical psychology. Provided by an Instructor in a former counseling course. Schneider, J. (2010). From Freud's dream-work to Bion's work of dreaming: The changing conception of dreaming in psychoanalytic theory. The International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 91(3), 521-540. doi:10.1111/j.1745-8315.2010.00263.x. Cognitive From: Burns, David D., MD. (1989). The feeling good handbook. New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc. Ellis, A., Shaughnessy, M., & Mahan, V. (2002). An interview with Albert Ellis about rational emotive behavior therapy. North American Journal of Psychology, 4(3), 355-366. Retrieved from Academic Search Alumni Edition database. Lefkoe, Morty (1997). Re-create your life: Transforming yourself and your world with the decision maker process. Kansas City, MO: Andrews and McMeel, a Universal Press Syndicated Company. Behavioral Bandura, A. (1973). Aggression: A social learning Analysis. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice- Hall. Clayton, M. (2008). Review of 'The psychology of B. F. Skinner'. The Psychological Record, 58(2), 319-321. Retrieved from PsycINFO database. References Text Books Continued Corey, Gerald., (2009). Theory and practice of counseling psychotherapy (Eight ed.) Richards, Ruth., (2007). Everyday creativity and new views of human nature; Psychological, social, and spiritual perspectives. Washington, D.C. American Psychological Association. Weiten, W. (2008). Briefer version psychology themes and variations (Seventh ed.). Belmont, CA Wadsworth Cengage Learning Cinema Therapy Books Bandler, Richard & Grinder, John (1975). Patterns of the hypnotic techniques of Milton Erickson, M.D. Capitola, CA: Meta Publications. Bergman, Ingmar (1988). The Magic Lantern. New York: Viking Press. Campbell, Joseph (1988). The power of myth. New York: Doubleday. Gardner, Howard (1993). Frames of mind: The theory of multiple intelligences. New York: Basic Books. Gardner, Howard (1993). Multiple intelligences: The theory in practice. New York : Basic Books. Final Project, Page 13 McKay, Mathew & Fanning, Patrick (2000). Self-Esteem: A proven program of cognitive techniques for assessing, improving, and maintaining, your self-esteem (p. 152-158). Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications. Mellon, Nancy (2003). Storytelling and the art of imagination. Cambridge, MA: Yellow Moon Press. Merriam –Webster‟s (2010) Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster. Sinetar, Marsha (1993). Reel power & spiritual growth through film. Ligouri, MO: Triumph Books. Sturdevant, Cathie Glenn (1988). The laugh & cry movie guide: Using movies to help yourself through life’s changes. Larkspur, CA: Lightspheres. Ulus, Faut (2003) Movie therapy, moving therapy: The healing power of film clips in the therapeutic setting: Victoria, B.. Canada, Trafford Publishing. Wedding, Danny, M. Boyd, Mary Ann & Niemiec, Ryan M. (2005). Movies & mental illness: Using films to understand psychopathology (2nd revised and edited edition). Ashland, OH: Hogrefe & Huber. Wolz, Brigit (2005) E-motion picture magic: A movie lover’s guide to healing and transformation. Centennial, Colorado: Glenbridge.

Cinematherapy Guide

Motivational Movies

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Films

The Power of Conflict Resolution Films


Courage to Change Films


Inspirational Documentaries


Forgiveness Films

BIBLIOTHERAPY

Bibliotherapy





Creative Therapy Scholarly Papers

If you are interested in online training in cinematherapy check out Birgit Wolz, Ph.D., MFT.

Birgit has worked as a psychotherapist, hypnotherapist and grief counselor with individuals, couples, and groups since 1991. Her practice is based in Oakland, CA.

She facilitates cinema therapy groups and workshops for personal and spiritual growth. Birgit also offers trainings and online courses for therapists and nurses. Cinematherapy Training


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