pixel

< Return to All Episodes

THERAPISTS on the SILVER SCREEN: fantasy or fact?

Dec 15, 2022

A movie-style male therapist writing in a notebook counsels a male client lying on a therapist's couch, waving his hands expressively.
Illustration Credit: Joseph Lee

In psychoanalysis, a screen memory covers up a deeper, more emotionally charged issue. Similarly, movie and television screens both shield and open us to human complexity through fiction. The opportunity to peer into shadow and secrets from a safe distance is irresistible.

Depictions of psychotherapists and therapy can range from the malevolent Nurse Ratched (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest) to psychic empath Deanna Troi (Star Trek). Most on-screen therapists, however, like their real-world counterparts, are wounded healers doing their best to help despite sometimes substantial fallibilities. Bruce Willis (Sixth Sense) doesn’t realize he’s dead; Jennifer Melfi (The Sopranos) denies her mobster client’s sociopathy, and Kelsey Grammer (Frasier) embodies the mercurial power of humor that grants perspective. Jung understood the value of the analyst’s capacity to suffer as they led the way; he writes, “…it is his own hurt that gives a measure of his power to heal.”

During the painful tumult of the COVID pandemic, growing demand for therapeutic support piqued public curiosity in the mechanisms of psychotherapy, opening the way for Jonah Hill’s vulnerable documentary STUTZ, filmed with his ailing therapist Phil Stutz. It invites the public to witness the wisdom, mutual vulnerabilities, and authentic affection that fuels the healing process. As Freud wrote in a letter to Jung, “…psychoanalysis in essence, is a cure through love.”

HERE’S THE DREAM WE ANALYZE:

“I was attending a drag show, but I put on a costume and began to perform on stage. I was a background performer for someone else, and I was just walking around the stage. I felt like I wasn’t wearing the costume that I wanted to wear. I didn’t feel comfortable or confident. I also felt like I wasn’t getting cheered on by the crowd. I got off the stage and felt unseen. I remember seeing a pill bottle, and not knowing what it was, I took a pill. It was someone’s else’s medication that I stole. I spent the rest of the dream trying to hide in shame from taking someone else’s medicine and anxiously waiting to see what the pill was going to do to me.”

REFERENCES:

Frazier (TV series, 1993-2004). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frasier

In Treatment (TV series, 2009-2021). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Treatment

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (film, 1975). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Flew_Over_the_Cuckoo%27s_Nest_(film)

Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV series, 1987-1994). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek:_The_Next_Generation

STUTZ (Film). (2022); Jonah Hill, Phil Stutz. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKCmefQdplI

The Sixth Sense (Film, 1999). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sixth_Sense

The Sopranos (TV series, 1999-2007). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sopranos

GIVE US A HAND!

Hey folks,

We need your help. Please become our patron and keep This Jungian Life podcast up and running: https://www.patreon.com/ThisJungianLife

JUMP IN THE POOL WITH US – THE WATER’S FINE!

We’ve created Dream School to teach others how to work with their dreams. A vibrant community has constellated around this mission, and we think you’ll love it. Check it out: https://thisjungianlife.com/enroll/

RESOURCES:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThisJungianLife/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisjungianlifepodcast/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisjungianlife/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThisJungianLife

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe8QSBLNlv765pT097FDeLA

Enroll in the Philadelphia Jungian Seminar and start your journey to becoming an analyst: https://www.cgjungphiladelphia.org/seminar.shtml

Learn to work with your own dreams

If This Jungian Life podcast or Dream Wise have spoken to you on a deep level, and you’re feeling ready to learn more about dreamwork and the world of Carl Jung, then our 12-month online program, This Jungian Life Dream School, is for you. Dream School is your opportunity to take the wisdom of Dream Wise even deeper – through a lively community, monthly meetings with Joe, Lisa, and Deb, and optional virtual dream groups. Join us in Dream School for a year-long adventure into the luminous world of your dreams.

Learn More

Want more?

Support Dreams and Depth: Join our Patreon community today
Don’t Miss Out: Submit Your Dream now for a chance to be featured on our podcast
Help Shape Our Show: Your suggestions inspire new discussions. Share your ideas for our next podcast.
Stay inspired every day: Connect and grow with our vibrant community. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube for exclusive updates and engaging discussions on soul growth, empowerment, insight, and creativity.

We’ve published our first book together

In Dream Wise: Unlocking the Meaning of Your Dreams, we present a systematic and comprehensive method for understanding the messages of our dreams, translating C. G. Jung’s brilliant insights into a practical, self-guided method for excavating the hidden wisdom of your dreams.

ORDER NOW