Self-Medication vs. Healing
Cinema Therapy presented at Ignite Phoenix 2 in 2008
May 11, 2015
You may think of movies as a source of entertainment. But did you know that in the right hands, a movie takes on therapeutic properties? Movies address the issues of our times, and within the cinematic library, you can find the cure for whatever ails you. Learn how both allopathic (Western) medicine and homeopathic medicine work together to find the perfect movie prescription for your career challenge, your romantic obstacles, your confusion over life’s curve balls, and whatever else stands between you and the life you dream.
Charlene Kingston is a writer, artist, entrepreneur, and movie buff who surrendered her dreams of being a screen writer but can still prove that the glass is half full (thanks to some non-Euclidean geometry).
Charlene Kingston is a writer, artist, entrepreneur, and movie buff who surrendered her dreams of being a screen writer but can still prove that the glass is half full (thanks to some non-Euclidean geometry).
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Transcript
Self-Medication vs. Healing
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Human beings are self-medicating animals. We feel some pain in our lives, and we find something to distract us or cover up the pain. Some of the things we choose are not so healthy, so we have interventions and create 12-step programs to bring us back into a place where we can feel the pain again.
Self-Medication vs. Healing
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so we have interventions and create 12-step programs to bring us back into a place where we can feel the pain again. What I’m proposing today is a way (not to self-medicate through movies) but to actually heal our pain through movies. They are cheap, easily available, and apart from the cancer concerns over breathing in the fake butter flavoring on the popcorn, perfectly safe.
Don’t Smell The Popcorn!
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They are cheap, easily available, and apart from the cancer concerns over breathing in the fake butter flavoring on the popcorn, perfectly safe. What I want to share with you today is a technology that you can learn and apply to the personal challenges you face in your life.
Depth Psychology & Jung
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What I want to share with you today is a technology that you can learn and apply to the personal challenges you face in your life. It’s based on the findings of depth psychology, which is founded on the work of Carl Jung. The engine of this technology is metaphor, a powerful tool for personal transformation.
Relationship Challenge
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The engine of this technology is metaphor, a powerful tool for personal transformation. Let’s take a life challenge and work it through as an example. Let’s say that your normally great relationship is in a not-so-great place. You are going through a rough patch. How do you address this? You watch a movie that illustrates a great relationship.
Find A Movie Antidote
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You watch a movie that illustrates a great relationship. For example: My favorite married couple in the movies is Nick and Nora Charles from The Thin Man series. These movies came out in the 1930-40, during the great depression.
The Thin Man
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The Thin Man series. These movies came out in the 1930-40, during the great depression. The couple is rich, very much in love, and they resolve their conflicts with a sense of humor (and a drink). If that example is a little bit over the top for you, if you like your relationship with a little bit more grit, I recommend any Katharine Hepburn/Spencer Tracy movie,
The Thin Man
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If that example is a little bit over the top for you, if you like your relationship with a little bit more grit, I recommend any Katharine Hepburn/Spencer Tracy movie, but especially Adam’s Rib. In this, they play attorneys. He’s the prosecutor and she’s the defense attorney on the same trial. Their fight in the courtroom spills out into their marriage, but in the end, it all gets worked out.
Adam’s Rib
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with a little bit more grit, I recommend any Katharine Hepburn/Spencer Tracy movie, but especially Adam’s Rib. In this, they play attorneys. He’s the prosecutor and she’s the defense attorney on the same trial. Their fight in the courtroom spills out into their marriage, but in the end, it all gets worked out.
Adam’s Rib
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What do you do if that example is too much? Sometimes, you are too angry to jump right in with a good example. At those times, I recommend that you pick a movie you can relate to, in this case, Mr and Mrs. Smith. They have a total sham marriage, and when it gets rough, they pull out the guns. But in the end, they fall in love and live happily ever after (and have a huge tribe of kids).
Mr. and Mrs. Smith
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a movie you can relate to, in this case, Mr and Mrs. Smith. They have a total sham marriage, and when it gets rough, they pull out the guns. But in the end, they fall in love and live happily ever after (and have a huge tribe of kids).
Medicine Traditions๏ Allopathic (Western) medicine
- Antidote the life challenge
๏ Homeopathic medicine- “Drain the pus” approach
๏ Goal: antidote- Start when you are, end with the antidote
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In this example, I’ve used two different medical traditions. First, we started off by picking movies that are antidotes to the life challenge. This is the allopathic (or western) medicine tradition. But when you aren’t ready (or willing) to take the antidote, try the homeopathic solution, but don’t stop there. After you drain the puss a little, move on to the antidote.
Drain The Pus, Move On
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try the homeopathic solution, but don’t stop there. After you drain the pus a little, move on to the antidote. Now, let’s roll through some examples quickly. But before I start, let me explain that you can pick movies from any genre you like. I may use a comedy, but an action flick or a drama would work just as well. Also, the same movie can be used to address many different life challenges. It’s all about what YOU get from the movie.
It’s Your Choice
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from any genre you like. I may use a comedy, but an action flick or a drama would work just as well. Also, the same movie can be used to address many different life challenges. It’s all about what YOU get from the movie.
Feel The Posse Love
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Are you feeling unappreciated in your friendships? Try Ocean’s 11, where everyone is appreciated for his contribution. Or, the homeopathic choice would be The Usual Suspects, where one of your friends is really out to kill you.
Be Whom You Want To Be
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One of the greatest challenges you face in life is being who you want to be in the face of pressure from the outside to be who everyone else wants you to be. When you choose who you want to be, your course of action is obvious.
Get The Job Done
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Are you facing the puzzle that you can’t solve at work? In Inside Man, Denzel Washington never does figure out the details of the crime, but he manages to get a promotion by following his gut one step at a time.
Get The (Hard to Get) Girl
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You single guys… do you have your eyes on a single woman who seems to have it all together and the thought of telling her how you feel is terrifying? In No Reservations, Aaron Eckhart’s characters writes the book on how to win that girl.
Take The High Road
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Do you feel like your best efforts are not good enough, and that your faults are holding you back in spite of your good intentions? Batman is the only superhero who is totally human. Batman shows how to take the high road, to fight for justice, and live a life of self-control.
It’s A Wrap!
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Now you are ready to take on any life challenges. Pick a genre, pick a medicine tradition, and GO TO THE MOVIES!
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