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How Movies Support Healing

and Transformation

When Movies Impact Us

My first inklings about cinema therapy came from stories I
heard. Prior to having encountered the term “cinema therapy,”
and before I thought about the idea of using films therapeuti-
cally, several friends and clients confirmed my own experi-
ences when they told me how films had affected them. Their
reports illustrate how, even without the assistance of a thera-
pist, individuals sometimes utilize movies for their own heal-
ing and growth. The following stories help explain how motion
pictures can effect our psychological well-being in a powerful
way.

Elainefeels bad about herself. A graduate student in her
third year, she has just left her classroom and feels overwhelmed
by the demands of the program. Her immediate problem is a