Can You Heal From Your Trauma Without Psychotherapy? Part 1

Can you heal from your trauma without therapy? 

Can You Heal From Trauma Without Psychotherapy?

The answer is a qualified yes under certain circumstances.

Since this is a big topic, I'll get discuss some self-help techniques in Part 2 of this topic and the exceptions to healing from trauma on your own.

Barriers to Psychotherapy

First, I want to acknowledge that there can be significant barriers to therapy for many people.

It's understandable that these barriers are some of the reasons why people with unresolved trauma often want to try to heal on their own. 

These barriers include:

Financial and Logistical Barriers

• Shortage of Therapists: Many regions in the US, especially in rural areas, have a shortage of mental health professionals. You can do online therapy with a licensed therapist within your state so you don't have to go to the therapist's office in person, but there still aren't enough therapists for all the people who need therapy. Even if New York City, the demand for therapists is higher than the available therapists. This often means there are long waiting lists or, worse still, people can't access therapy at all.

• Finding An In-Network Therapist on Your Insurance Plan: Even if you have health care insurance, finding an in-network therapist can be difficult--even in New York City where there are hundreds of therapists. If you're trying to use your in-network health insurance, you might discover that the list of therapists from the insurance company is out of date. When I worked as an EAP counselor in New York and I tried to find in-network therapists for clients, I kept coming up against this problem. There were times when I discovered that psychotherapists and psychiatrists listed on the panel were dead for 10 years or more. So, you can't always rely on that information. Then, even if you do find a therapist who is in your network, they are often completely booked up. Another barrier is that, even if you get an appointment with an in-network therapist, they usually see 30-40 clients per week, so you're often getting a therapist who is overworked and underpaid by the insurance company. There is a high percentage of therapist burnout among psychotherapists who take insurance due to the high volume of clients they need to see to make a living and the administrative burdens the insurance company places on them.

• Finding An Out of Network Therapist: You're more likely to find an out of network therapist because highly trained, experienced therapists don't want to deal with the challenges of being an in-network therapist (low insurance reimbursement rates, a lot of paperwork, lengthy waits to get paid by the insurance company and intrusive insurance audits where the insurance company asks for private information about clients' treatment). The problem with a lot of out of network therapy is that it can be expensive and, if you don't have an out of network benefit or a health savings plan, the cost adds up, especially if the therapist doesn't offer reduced fees to qualified clients.

• Time and Schedule Constraints: Balancing therapy, which is usually once a week, can be difficult with work demands, child care issues or other responsibilities.

• Transportation Issues: New York City has a good public transportation system, but in many other areas there isn't reliable transportation to get to a therapist's office.

Cultural and Social Barriers

• Social Stigma: Although going to therapy has less of a stigma than it used to in the past, many people still see going to therapy as a "weakness". So, this stigma can keep many people out of therapy (see my article: Common Myths About Therapy: Going to Therapy Means You're "Weak")

Barriers to Psychotherapy

• Lack of Cultural Competence and Humility: There is a shortage of therapists who understand specific cultural backgrounds, racial realities, LGBTQ+ issues and other related cultural issues. Outside of major cities, like New York City, this can leave people in certain cultural groups feeling underrepresented and misunderstood. 

• Language Barriers: Individuals who speak a language other than English can have a hard time finding therapists who are capable of conducting a therapy session in their language, especially in smaller cities.

• An Emphasis on Self Reliance: As I mentioned in a prior article, certain cultures and generations place a strong emphasis on handling problems on your own. These individuals often view therapy as an unnecessary reliance on strangers.

Emotional and Psychological Barriers

• Fear of Vulnerability: Many people find it difficult to open up to talk about personal problems, unresolved trauma or suppressed emotions with a stranger. For these individuals talking to a therapist brings up anxiety.

Barriers to Psychotherapy 

• Denial About Problems: Many individuals are in denial about their problems or unresolved trauma. Despite the problems they are having in their current life, they convince themselves that their problems aren't serious enough to get help. They might even point to others they think have far worse problems (see my article: The Problem With Comparative Suffering).

• Distrust Due to Bad Experiences From the Past: If a person has had bad experiences within the health care system in the past, they might have difficulty seeking help with emotional issues.

• Fear Problems Will Get Worse in Therapy: Some people avoid therapy because they fear their problems will get worse in therapy. They fear that their unresolved buried trauma will cause them to lose control before they can work through their issues.

Next Article: Can You Heal Your Trauma Without Psychotherapy - Part 2

About Me 

I am a licensed New York psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, EMDR, AEDP, IFS/Works Therapy, EFT for couples, Somatic Experiencing and Certified Sex Therapist.

I have helped many individual adults and couples over the years.

To find out more about me, visit my website: Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

I offer a 10-15 minute free telephone call before setting up a first appointment. 

To set up an appointment, call me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or email me.

How Does Happiness Change With Age?

I have been focusing lately on the topic of happiness (see my articles: What is Happiness? and Why Chasing Happiness Doesn't Work).

In the current article, I'm focusing on how happiness changes with age.

Happiness as a Teenager vs Happiness as an Adult

According to social psychologists, how we experience happiness changes with age.  

When I was a teenager, happiness meant going out on the weekend with my friends to a noisy dance club.

Happiness Changes With Age

These clubs were known as "juice bars" because they served non-alcoholic drinks for teenagers. 

Since we were underage and not interested in alcohol, we didn't care about drinking.  We were there to meet boys our own age and have fun on a noisy dance floor. It didn't matter to us that the music was so loud that, even when we met someone, we had to go outside to talk.

Before the weekend, we spent all week talking to each other about what we would wear and who we hoped to meet at the club. We would visit each other's homes to help each other choose outfits and accessories--all in anticipation of our Saturday night out.

As compared to my teenager self, my experience of happiness today might involve going to a quiet restaurant with friends and loved ones or staying home to read a book or watch a classic movie.

If my teenage self had been told that my adult self would be going to quiet restaurants or reading a book on a Saturday night, she would have been shocked and disappointed. She also would have thought I had become "boring." 

But my current adult self can look back on those dance club nights with nostalgia as having been fun and exciting for the time. I'm glad I did those things at a time when they were new and exciting to me.

When I talk to friends in my age group now, they agree that who they are now and what makes them happy is a lot different from what made them happy as teenagers. 

How Does Happiness Change With Age?

Researchers from Northwestern University have used the term "promotion mindedness" to describe experiences of the young. 

Happiness Changes With Age

It's a time for focusing on hopes and dreams for the future before you have a lot of responsibilities. Even though you know intellectually that you're not immortal, you feel immortal and you hink you can do anything. 

As you get older and you have more responsibilities, these illusions change. Instead of dreaming about endless possibilities, you're trying to maintain what you have worked so hard to achieve, possibly a marriage, children, a house or a career.  So, your priorities change as you get older and what makes you happy also changes.

Teenagers and young adults are typically looking for excitement--like their first experience of sex, finding love and dreaming about a successful career. 

But by the time you become a mature adult, you have achieved many of those things and, aside from maintaining what you have achieved, you want to feel peaceful, relaxed and calm. Dance clubs and raucous parties are probably not high on your list.

What is the U-Shaped Curve of Happiness?

Over the lifespan, happiness follows a u-shaped curve.

Based on psychological and economic studies, the u-shaped curve indicates that happiness tends to be greatest during youth and old age:

• The Youth Peak (early 20s): Young adults typically start with high levels of life satisfaction which is fueled by optimism, fewer responsibilities and freedom to explore.

• The Midlife Low Point (40s to early 50s): Generally, life satisfaction tends to steadily decline, bottoming out at around ages 47 to 49. This slump is usually driven by peak career stress, financial burdens, childcare, caring for elderly parents and unfulfilled youthful expectations.

• The Golden Rise (50s to 70s): After age 50, happiness tends to rebound for most people. Many studies indicate that age 70 is the pinnacle of lifetime satisfaction. Many of these individuals report fewer stressors or career anxiety and greater emotional stability.

Why Do Older Adults Score Higher in Happiness Studies?

According to studies, all other things being equal, emotional well-being thrives in later life for the following reasons:

• The Positivity Effect: According to neurological and psychological studies from institutes like the Stanford Center on Longevity, older brains naturally filter out negative stimuli, choosing instead to focus on positive memories.

Happiness Changes With Age

• Socioemotional Selectivity: Realizing that time horizons are short, older adults tend to let go of superficial social networks and focus more on high-quality, meaningful friendships and family bonds.

• Emotional Regulation: Most older adults have decades of life experience so they usually develop better coping skills as compared to when they were younger. This helps them to handle stress and daily anxieties much better than teenagers or young adults.

All of these findings assume that basic needs like food, shelter, good health and the other necessities of life are taken care of which isn't the case for everyone.  

For instance, these days there are more retirees who are returning to work in order to have the basic necessities of life. 

In addition, if you live in an expensive city, like New York City or San Francisco and you weren't a high earner, your life satisfaction will be different from people who are more financially secure.

Conclusion

Happiness changes with age and, for most people, it tends to develop in a u-shaped curve with happiness being at its highest levels in youth and old age.

So, if you're young, enjoy the excitement and time of new discovery during this phase in your life. If you're older, you can still be open to new experiences and approach life with a sense of wonder and curiosity, but your interests might be different from when you were younger.

About Me

I am a licensed New York psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, EMDR, AEDP, EFT couples therapist, IFS, Somatic Experiencing and Certified Sex Therapist.

I have helped many individual adults and couples of all ages over the years.

To find out more about me, visit my website: Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

To set up a consultation, call me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or email me.

Also See My Articles:

Why Are Close Friends Important? 

How to Develop a Healthy Relationship to Joy and Pleasure

How to Develop a Curious Mindset 

Striving to Be a Lifelong Learner

Seeing Small Wonders All Around Us If We Take the Time to Notice

Why Chasing Happiness Doesn't Work

People often feel discouraged in their pursuit of happiness because the more they chase it, the more elusive it feels.  

Chasing Happiness Doesn't Work

Chasing happiness creates an emotional paradox which often pushes true well-being away. 

Psychological research reveals that transforming happiness into a rigid, primary goal often creates stress, disappointment and exhaustion instead of fulfillment.

The Illusion of a Final Destination to Happiness

• The Hedonic Treadmill: People often assume there is a fixed finish line--like achieving a specific career rank or purchasing a luxury item. But the truth is that once this kind of goal is achieved, the brain quickly adapts to the new baseline. This, in turn, can spark never-ending desires in the hopes of achieving happiness.

• Time Scarcity: Actively working toward a vague goal of "being happy" makes people extremely aware of time. This causes people to feel they never have enough time in the day which can cause panic and dissatisfaction.

• The Perfection Standard: Treating positive emotions, like happiness, as the default sets unrealistic and unmanageable expectations. When life inevitably brings real challenges, an "expectation gap" forms leading to severe disappointment and discouragement (see my article: Coping With Life's Inevitable Ups and Downs).

Flawed Emotional Management

• Constant Self-Monitoring: Chasing happiness forces people into a constant state of internal evaluation. Constantly asking, "Am I happy yet?" pulls people out of possible immersive, joyful experiences--also known as a flow state (see my article: What is a Flow State?).

Chasing Happiness Doesn't Work

• Suppression of Reality: People often mistakenly try to push negative emotions under the rug. But natural human experiences, like grief, sadness and frustration, are meant to be felt. Trying to suppress these feelings creates an unstable, exhausting psychological foundation.

• The Achievement Deficit: High achievers frequently replace true life enjoyment with strict struggles to achieve success. They treat hobbies or relaxation as a waste of time, which leaves them feeling empty.

Evolutionary Hurdles

• Survival Over Satisfaction: From an evolutionary standpoint, the human brain didn't evolve to be constantly happy. It evolved to survive, reproduce and scan the environment for threats.

• An Inability to Predict What Will Create Happiness: Researchers have discovered that humans have an inability to accurately predict what will make them feel fulfilled in the long run.

A Shift in Focus
To reduce a sense of discouragement, shift your focus away from direct happiness. Instead aim your focus on meaning, resilience, gratitude and deep emotional connection which can allow contentment to happen naturally.

About Me

I am a licensed New York psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, EMDR, AEDP, EFT (for couples), IFS, Somatic Experiencing and Certified Sex Therapist.

I have helped many individual adults and couples over the years.

To find out more about me, visit my website: Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

To set up a consultation call me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or email me.

Also See My Articles:

What Are Peak Experiences?  

A "Happy Life" vs a Meaningful Life 

Becoming Your True Self 

What Are the Psychological Benefits of Play For Adults?

When was the last time you played as an adult just for the fun of it--without a goal or an agenda?

The Benefits of Play For Adults

For most adults, play is usually low on their list of priorities. The older they get, the less playful they become. They are too busy contending with never-ending to do lists and, as adults get older, productivity becomes more important than play. From that perspective, play becomes a "waste of time".

Societal pressures, biological shifts and cognitive changes reshape how they view time and behavior. In addition, the adult brain prioritizes efficiency and survival over exploration and the modern world conditions adults to experience being "unproductive" with guilt.

What Are the Psychological Benefits of Play For Adults?

Despite personal and societal pressures, we now know, based on psychological and neurobiological research, that play and playfulness are beneficial for adults.

The Benefits of Play For Adults

Contemporary studies from organizations, like the National Institute for Play, indicate that adults play is a neurological necessity for optimal cognitive function, stress resilience and optimal well-being.

The key psychological benefits of adult play include:

• Stress Reduction and Better Coping: Research indicates that highly playful adults experience lower levels of perceived stress because play triggers the release of endorphins and dopamine while actively regulating cortisol. Playful adults utilize healthier, adaptive coping mechanisms, including positive reframing, rather than avoidant behaviors.

The Benefits of Play

• Enhanced Emotional Intelligence and Resilience: Research has revealed that play directly enhances emotional intelligence and strengthens personal resilience. It can provide a psychological buffer which allows adults to bounce back from adversity and workplace burnout.

• Cognitive Flexibility and Flow States: Play can act as a cognitive refresh by removing pressure and goal-driven thinking. According to research on adult playfulness, engaging in unstructured or mentally challenging play (e.g., puzzles or strategic games) stimulates creative thinking and problem solving. This makes it easier to enter into deeply satisfying flow states (see my article: What is a Flow State?).

• Social Connectedness: Group play, cooperative games and shared laughter foster empathy, trust and intimacy. In addition, structured social play significantly reduces loneliness and social isolation.

How Do Adults Play?

Researchers categorize most adult play into the following categories:

• Active forms - like recreational sports
• Digital play - like video games
• Unstructured hobbies - like painting, playing music or trying a new craft just for the fun of it

How Can You Be More Playful as an Adult?

To reclaim play in your adult life:

• Start By Giving Yourself Permission: For most adults, the biggest barrier is internal. Remind yourself that play isn't frivolous so you can overcome your inner critic who might judge you for "wasting time."

• Start Small: You don't have to go out and join a sports team--unless you want to. You can start small by dancing to your favorite music or coloring in a coloring book. An initial low commitment reduces pressure.

• Get Curious: Find out what you like:
• Do you like games with winners and losers? 
• Do you enjoy making things?
• Do you prefer laughter and silliness?
• Do you like play that involves movement and physical awareness?

• Notice Play in Your Daily Life: Playfulness is a mindset so begin to notice common everyday examples:
• Doodling
• Improvisational cooking
• Daydreaming about fictional scenarios
• Exploring nature
  

Conclusion

When you include play in your life, you realize that life isn't all about being productive or enduring day-to-day challenges. It's also about experiencing joy.

About Me

I am a licensed New York psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, EMDR, AEDP, IFS, EFT (for couples), Somatic Experiencing and Certified Sex Therapist.

I have helped many individual adults and couples over the years.

To find out more about me, visit my website: Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

To set up a consultation, call me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or email me.

Also See My Articles:

The Joy of Being More Playful 

The Benefits of Laughter For Your Health and Mental Health 

Being Open to New Experiences

11 Ways to Be a More Creative Person 

The Power of Storytelling 

How is Therapy With a Psychotherapist Different From Using Artificial Intelligence?

In the last several years some people have been relying on Artificial Intelligence (AI) for their mental health issues instead of seeing a licensed mental health professional.  

Psychotherapy With a Live Therapist vs Using A.I.

Although AI can be useful in terms of understanding certain mental health issues, it's not a substitute for working with a psychotherapist. 

How is Therapy With a Psychotherapist Different From Using AI?

Psychotherapy and AI are fundamentally different:

The primary distinctions between AI and psychotherapy include:

The Therapeutic Relationship: 

• Psychotherapy: The therapeutic relationship between a client and therapist is central to psychotherapy. Healing occurs through a felt, trusted human relationship. In addition to what is said, therapists are attuned to non-verbal cues like voice tone, micro-expressions, posture and silences. Many psychotherapists who are trained to work in a psychodynamic way also tune into the client's conscious and unconscious gestures.  When psychotherapists and clients work together, whether it is online or in person, there is a right-brain-to-right brain attunement between therapist and client which enhances the client's healing.

Psychotherapy With a Live Therapist vs Using A.I.

• AI: AI operates on textual inputs. It cannot form a relational bond or therapeutic alliance with a client. Although it can mimic validation, it generates language statistically rather than experiencing an emotional connection with the client. 

Therapeutic Empathy:

• Psychotherapy: Therapeutic empathy is an essential part of healing in psychotherapy. Therapists are trained to develop empathy for clients and help clients to develop empathy and self compassion  (see my article: Why Is Empathy Important in Psychotherapy?).

Psychotherapy With a Live Therapist vs Using A.I.

• AI: An AI chatbot can adjust its responses based on sentiment analysis and learning algorithms, but lack the emotional bandwidth which is found with human psychotherapists. It can mimic empathy, but it cannot feel it. It could possibly guide, but it can't witness. 

Clinical Judgment vs Pattern Recognition

• Psychotherapy: Psychotherapists spend years training to diagnose conditions, assess complex safety risks and change treatment based on clients' responses.

Psychotherapy With a Licensed Therapist vs Using A.I.

• AI: AI evaluates texts based on probability and patterns from their training data. It struggles with deeply complex content and cannot make nuanced clinical choices.

Crisis Management and Safety

• Psychotherapy: Psychotherapists are legally bound to intervene during a crisis. Therapists actively build therapeutic plans for conditions such panic attacks or psychological trauma.

Psychotherapy With a Licensed Therapist vs A.I.

• AI: Chatbots cannot manage a crisis and often default to crisis-line referrals. If they fail to read the situation appropriately, they can provide inappropriate and stigmatizing advice.

Accountability and Ethics

• Psychotherapy: Mental health practitioners operate under strict state boards, ethical codes and HIPAA privacy laws.

Psychotherapy With a Licensed Therapist vs Using A.I.

• AI.: Chatbot platforms are corporate products not medical entities. Data privacy rules can vary widely which raises the risk regarding how sensitive personal information is stored and shared.

Intended Outcomes

• Psychotherapy: Psychotherapy is designed to foster psychological breakthroughs, process deep-seated trauma and build long term, structural psychological changes.

Psychotherapy With a Licensed Therapist vs Using A.I.

• AI: AI cannot foster psychological breakthroughs. It is best suited as an adjunct to therapy for accessing certain behavioral tools like reflection prompts, mood tracking or breathing exercises between psychotherapy sessions. 

Conclusion

The future of mental health will not be a choice between working with a human psychotherapist versus texting a chatbot.

In moments of crisis where psychotherapy is unavailable, like in a war-torn country, AI can provide information, but it has limitations.  

In terms of psychological healing, the human-to-human contact that available in psychotherapy is essential and irreplaceable for psychological healing.

About Me

I am a licensed New York psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, EMDR, AEDP, EFT (for couples), Parts Work (IFS and Ego States Therapy), Somatic Experiencing and Certified Sex Therapist.

I have helped many individual adults and couples over the years.

To find out more about me, visit my website: Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

To set up a consultation, call me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or email me.

Also See My Articles:

Why is Empathy Important For Healing in Psychotherapy?

The Psychotherapy Session: A Unique Intersubjective Experience 

The Creation of the Holding Environment in Psychotherapy 

Psychotherapy as a Co-created Process Between Client and Therapist 

 

Cinema Therapy: How Can Watching Movies Improve Your Mental Health?

Watching movies with complex characters can be beneficial to your mental health. The practice known as cinema therapy (also known as movie therapy) is a growing therapeutic technique which uses the narrative arc and depth of films to foster psychological growth.

Cinematherapy Can Improve Your Mental Health

When you engage in multi-layered, three-dimensional characters, rather than flat, predictable archetypes, it stimulates specific cognitive and emotional processes that can directly support well being.

Watching complex characters can benefit your mental health through several key mechanisms:

Safe Emotional Distance and Projection

Discussing or processing your own personal pain can sometimes make you feel vulnerable  under certain circumstances. In cinema therapy complex characters in a movie provide an emotional buffer that includes:

• Safe Exploration: You can project your own fears, unvoiced struggles or internal conflicts onto a character.

Cinematherapy Can Improve Your Mental Health

• Objective Detachment: This allows you to process intense themes, including grief, trauma or confusion, with enough distance to evaluate them objectively without flooding your nervous system.

Catharsis and Emotional Regulation
Bottled up feelings can lead to anxiety and pent up stress.  Complex stories act as an emotional pressure valve:

• Controlled Release: Watching a character face existential dilemmas or deep emotional pain provides a structured container that invites you to laugh, cry or feel anger in a safe way.

• Neurochemical Reset: This cathartic release can trigger a drop in cortisol and an increase in dopamine which can lower physical and emotional tension.

Cognitive Flexibility and Shattering Binary Thinking

Flat characters teach us to view the world in black-and-white terms (good vs evil). Complex, morally ambiguous characters force your brain to stretch:

• Brain Activation: Neuroimaging studies show that watching complex characters activates the parts of the brain that handle perspective-taking and the management of cognitive conflict.

• Nuanced Realism: Seeing a character who is deeply flawed yet capable of profound kindness helps you to reject harsh, binary judgments about yourself and others, which builds tolerance for life's natural ambiguities.

Building Inner Resources and Resilience
When characters navigate complicated psychological terrain, they model coping mechanisms and self discovery:

• Inner Resources: Watching a character struggle to find their authentic self amidst social pressure or personal crisis can awaken forgotten internal resources and coping skills as well as help to build resilience.

Cinematherapy Can Improve Your Mental Health

• Active Reflection: It inspires post-viewing reflection, which is the mental integration that happens after watching the movie. It can help you to apply the character's breakthroughs and gained wisdom to your own life.

Universal Experiences and Reduced Isolation

A core part of many mental health problems is that you feel alone with your experience and that no one else has ever experienced what is happening to you, so watching movies with complex characters helps you to realize you're not alone:

• Validating the "Hidden Self": Complex cinematic portrayals capture the messy realities of the human condition. An example of this is putting on a happy public persona while struggling on the inside (see my article: Looking Happy on the Outside But Feeling Broken on the Inside).

Cinematherapy Can Improve Your Mental Health

• The Power of Shared Humanity: Seeing those hidden, complicated parts of yourself reflected on the screen helps you to realize that many problems are universal. This can help you to realize that your struggles are a normal part of being a human being.

How Does a Psychotherapist Use Cinema Therapy in Therapy Sessions?

A psychotherapist uses cinema therapy (or movie therapy) as an emotional bridge to help clients to discuss personal issues. 

The therapist uses a structured framework where clients watch the movie, discuss the movie and process their own real-life experiences which are similar to what the characters dealt with in the film.

How Therapists Use Cinematherapy With Clients

Talking about fictional characters can feel less threatening than if clients talk directly about their problems. 

The therapist will often ask questions like, "Why do you think the main character made that choice?" or "What would you have done in this character's place if you had the same dilemma?"

The therapist can also explore with clients what it was like to watch the movie and to realize they aren't the only ones who have these types of problems. 

They also ask questions like "Would you have handled this problem in the same way or in a different way?"

After clients have processed their thoughts and feelings about the movie with the therapist, the therapist can also ask what it was like to discuss the movie with her. This is called metaprocessing.

This can help clients to open up to discuss their own problems and reflect on their therapeutic relationship with the therapist.

What Kind of Movies Can Help to Improve Your Mental Health

There are so many movies that can be beneficial.

Here is one example that can be beneficial for individuals and couples to watch:

The Before Trilogy: The Before Trilogy is a highly acclaimed series of three romantic dramas by Richard Linklater and starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. The three films in the trilogy are:

• Before Sunrise (1995)
• Before Sunset (2004)
• Before Midnight (2013)

The trilogy follows the evolving relationship between an American man named Jesse and a French woman named Celine. This series, which was filmed in real time over several years, is famous for its naturalistic conversation-driven format.

What Can You Learn From Watching the Before Trilogy? (No spoilers)

The Before Trilogy teaches that long term relationships require active continuous choices rather than relying only on romantic fate:

• Love changes over time
• Communication predicts survival of the relationship
• Love requires constant effort
• Time can alter your perspective

When I assign this trilogy to watch over a period of a few weeks, I use the films to help the client reflect on their personal struggles and how the characters in the movie dealt with similar struggles.

If I assign it to a couple, I ask them to watch the movies and discuss it afterward in terms of the characters and the dilemmas the characters faced in an effort to stimulate deeper communication between them and a deeper understanding of their relationship.

Conclusion

Cinema therapy is an expressive therapeutic modality where a mental health professional assigns a certain movies to help clients process emotions, gain new perspectives and heal. Therapists can also use TV programs or other types of videos.

Cinema therapy works by using carefully selected movies as a "third person" tool to mirror real-life struggles, encourage empathy and prompt breakthroughs.

It can be beneficial for individual adult clients or couples.

About Me

I am a licensed New York psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, EMDR, AEDP, EFT (for couples), IFS and Ego States Parts Work, Somatic Experiencing and Certified Sex Therapist

I have helped many individual adults and couples over the years.

To find out more about me, visit my website: Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

To set up a consultation, call me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or email me.