Reel Therapy - using films as therapy!
Washington Mind has recently developed an exciting and innovative new group named 'Reel therapy', inspired by the work of Gary Solomon who wrote the book 'The motion picture prescription'. Gary Solomon is an American psychotherapist who uses films as a form of therapy. Solomon will prescribe a film that he believes will reflect the life situation of a client who he is working with. Each film brings a powerful message as what happens to the characters in films can, and often does, happen to us in real life. By watching films we can learn about other's life experiences and empower ourselves to make their own choices and life decisions. Movies can help us to become more in touch with our feelings, they can make us laugh, make us cry and can even make us compare our own life events to those that have been shown in the film. 'The motion picture prescription' explores over 200 different films, highlighting the healing messages to look out for and giving comments about the impact the film may have. For example, Alice and Wonderland may help a person realise there are many different choices in life; that we can find the child within us and that life is a journey. Gary Solomon suggests that, like Alice, we can all feel small when things are closing in on us and that we feel tall when we take action. Another example is the film Beaches; when Hillary is diagnosed with a terminal illness she turns to her best friend C.C. to look after her child. The film shows how deep a relationship can be and how important friendships are. More powerful perhaps is the way that the film shows us how to deal with the death of a loved one and the different stages we can go through when we experience a bereavement, from anger to denial and acceptance.
Washington Mind have used this book to aid the development of a Reel therapy group. The basic concept is the same; we watch films that we feel will benefit the individuals who attend, promoting healing messages and aiding recovery. After watching the film we explore how the film made us feel, the reasons that we feel these emotions and highlight the inspiring, healing messages that are contained within it. We can see how characters have triumphed over adversity or how they have coped with challenging life events and learn from them. We have watched a large variety of films including 'One flew over the cuckoos nest', 'Rain Man', 'Girl, Interrupted', 'The Colour Purple', 'Beaches', 'Flashdance' and 'A Beautiful Mind'. We recognise that all our service users are individual and Reel therapy offers a creative avenue for therapy. As a group we have noticed how relevant films can be to personal life stories with quotes such as "that film could be about me!". The format has enabled individuals who often don't feel comfortable discussing personal experiences within a group setting to open up and share how and why the film had impacted upon them. Individuals are provided with a reel therapy feedback sheet so they can write about the way the film has impacted on them and keep a record of the films that have watched and the healing messages that have been discovered.
See our latest Reel Therapy poster Click here.
This is a quote from a member of the reel therapy group:
"Using films that allow people to see they're not alone or that others have been through similar illnesses and life traumas helps me to be able to talk about issues that I may never otherwise discuss. Watching a film can be therapeutic in that it allows me the chance to express my feelings, fears and talk about stigma around mental health labels. It helps me to be able to laugh, cry, talk about the film as it can often feel like you're the only one. I can watch them at home on my own, but the reel therapy group gives me the chance to watch and discuss the issues and feelings these films have brought up inside me. It also helps to see how others have dealt with and moved on from traumas, life events, and learned to live with the scars and memories. Often the film proves people can overcome things inspite of their problems and you are NOT your illness, it is only a part of you. Watching these films helps me to allow people to see where I am."
"Using films that allow people to see they're not alone or that others have been through similar illnesses and life traumas helps me to be able to talk about issues that I may never otherwise discuss."