Discover the power of film therapy with Jenny Hamilton

what is it about film that makes it such a powerful tool for reflection?

Well, I think it's, firstly, it's very accessible.

You know, it's something that many people can engage with and relate to.

And it offers a unique blend of kind of story, image, sound and emotion.

So it's this kind of multimedia experience that engages all of the senses.

You know, we engage cognitively, emotionally and physically.

We might have... physical reactions and it offers people like a bit of metaphorical distance so because if you're watching fiction especially it maybe allows people to explore difficult emotions but with less intensity and a bit more safety gives them a bit of a once removed feel from the story while still engaging with it emotionally.

um and the music imagery and the sort of character arcs and you know the stories can um evoke kind of emotional resonance and um you know bring up deep feelings kind of bypassing um you know intellectual um intellectualization really and just you know engaging emotionally um and um there's also movies can mirror people's own stories and cultural narratives and help people to kind of reflect on their own relationships and their own journey um and um people can watch characters kind of navigate challenges, how they cope with different issues and enable them to kind of reflect on that in relation to how they might take things forward.

It kind of goes back to Aristotle, really, who he first noticed viewers, audiences in the big amphitheatres of the Greek tragedies, the plays that they put on, seemed to go through this process of emotional purging that was kind of seemed to help them to release emotions and feel better, that he first identified as this process of catharsis.

And I think that sort of then plays out all through things like drama therapy as well.

But when we engage with movies and things like that, it's a similar process going on.

It's

such a unique approach.

What kind of results and feedback do you get from clients who experience this type of counselling?

Well, I think it's really, you know, people find it very accessible and, you know, engaging because we're talking about a movie.

Usually, sometimes the client will introduce the movie or TV show to talk about.

Or, you know, if...

I recommend one as the therapist, then I would think about one that, you know, really might fit with the type of thing they already watch or engage with, because it's got to be something they're going to be interested in and, you know, how it might work.

bring any insight or into into their own issues and and yeah so I think people really like it as an accessible way to connect with therapy and to explore things when I use it in teaching what you notice is that the noise in the room you know because if I get the students in to talk about you know the movies and reflecting small groups you just hear so much noise in the room which as a teacher indicates that you know it's going over well people you know people are really engaging with it um and so yeah i mean i've got a lot of positive feedback from using it in teaching as well um And, you know, from using it to help therapists reflect on their practice and issues and, you know, and the work with their clients, they found it a really useful way as well.