Hello everyone,
I wanted to start a thread exploring movies and how narratives, scenes, and characters can be useful in healing from past abuse.
I think for me, movies have helped me understand and begin to heal from narcissistic abuse. My mother has created an enmeshment with me and so in therapy, when my T points out how she is abusive, I get extreme dissonance. I always grew up thinking she was the best mother ever and that I am "helpless with out her."
She has always given me these messages.
So, I just watched Lady Bird. I loved this movie and identified with the main character.
The mother could be charming and could be caring, but then would just cut her daughter down.
My mother was way worse, but it helped me to see a character that would go back and forth and I felt like I could think about my mother easier and the idea of verbal abuse.
Another movie I liked was "What Maisie Knew" which featured highly narcissistic patents. What was interesting is how charming they could be and would win her over, but it was all about them and they were always subtly abandoning Maisie.
Another movie I liked was Short Term 12 because the main character survived a lot of abuse and then was amazing and wanted to help others. I loved how it showed her destressing in the shower, and that is what I do. I take really long showers.
My therapist brought up Mommy Dearest which does describe my mother, but I can remember watching that movie with my mother, and she was like, "Well, I am not as bad as her!"
Which I thought was an interesting comment because she was in many ways.
What movies help you to understand and make sense of your trauma?
What movies really shed light on the experience of trauma?
I wanted to start a thread exploring movies and how narratives, scenes, and characters can be useful in healing from past abuse.
I think for me, movies have helped me understand and begin to heal from narcissistic abuse. My mother has created an enmeshment with me and so in therapy, when my T points out how she is abusive, I get extreme dissonance. I always grew up thinking she was the best mother ever and that I am "helpless with out her."
She has always given me these messages.
So, I just watched Lady Bird. I loved this movie and identified with the main character.
The mother could be charming and could be caring, but then would just cut her daughter down.
My mother was way worse, but it helped me to see a character that would go back and forth and I felt like I could think about my mother easier and the idea of verbal abuse.
Another movie I liked was "What Maisie Knew" which featured highly narcissistic patents. What was interesting is how charming they could be and would win her over, but it was all about them and they were always subtly abandoning Maisie.
Another movie I liked was Short Term 12 because the main character survived a lot of abuse and then was amazing and wanted to help others. I loved how it showed her destressing in the shower, and that is what I do. I take really long showers.
My therapist brought up Mommy Dearest which does describe my mother, but I can remember watching that movie with my mother, and she was like, "Well, I am not as bad as her!"
Which I thought was an interesting comment because she was in many ways.
What movies help you to understand and make sense of your trauma?
What movies really shed light on the experience of trauma?
