everyone needs to take a bigger emotional risk. Members might
want to try returning their focus to questions like:
Did the movie touch me, positively or negatively?
If the film had a unique message for me, what was it?
What new ideas for new behaviors did the movies intro-
duce?
Did I experience something that connected me with
health and wholeness, my inner wisdom, or higher self as
I watched the film?Because the general mood of the film often reappears as a
feeling among members in the group, the problematic parts in
movies can potentially also surface during the group meeting.
Understanding this influence can be critical for the group.
When members are conscious enough, this offers a wonderful
opportunity to work through the arising difficult group dynam-
ics. Sometimes this process takes some time.
For example, after a group I facilitated had watched
Changing Lanes (2002), a movie about much conflict and rage
(see Movie Preview on page 38), conflict dynamics appeared
in the group as well. Similar to the way the movie characters
projected negativity onto each other, some group members also
were caught in their projections on other participants. For a
while everyone felt uncomfortable. Consciously stepping back
and understanding their projections helped the group to navi-
gate successfully through the crisis. They emerged from this
challenging experience with a sense of increased closeness and
with new insights about themselves.
A group that is not facilitated by a professional therapist
should not include members with severe mental disturbances.
No one would benefit from his or her participation. If the group
organizers are open to all comers, they should have a list of
mental health professionals handy for referrals.
Sometimes people with similar patterns of repression,
denial, and self-deception join together in a group and end up
“You give but little when
you give of your posses-
sions. It is when you give
of yourself that you truly
give.”
Kalhil GibranCreating a Cinema Therapy Group 183