Picture this!
Our Sunday discussion this week focused on ‘Movies’ that have had a big impact on us, leaving an everlasting impression in our lives.
Movies can be a powerful catalyst for healing and growth. In fact, for anybody who is open to learning how movies affect us, movies allow us to use the effect of imagery, plot, music, etc. inspiring us in so many different ways.
While movies have been thought as therapeutic and sometimes are prescribed by therapists, this is often self-administered. Movies have the power to change the way we think, feel, and ultimately deal with life’s ups and downs. As such, they're invaluable and enjoyable.
So how can watching movies that mirror our own struggles or experiences help us?
Watching movies encourages emotional release. Some of us often have trouble expressing our emotions and might find ourselves laughing or crying during a film. The release of emotions can have a cathartic effect and also make it easier for us to become more comfortable in expressing our emotions, which is can be invaluable during counselling as well as in “real life.”
Sad films have the ability to make us happier, whilst might seem counter-intuitive, many of us can relate to this. After watching a particularly sad or distressing film, we can feel thankful for our own life and we can be more appreciative of everything good in our own lives.
Watching movies can help us make sense of our own lives., for many years, knowledge and wisdom have been passed down through the art of story-telling. Stories offer us different perspectives and help us understand and make sense of the world, so in our eyes movies are stories, which gives us a break from whatever is currently bothering us and we can for the moment be transported to a different time and place and can focus on the ‘now’ for a short time, this gives our brains a much-needed rest from “the usual”. Movies bring us a huge sense of relief, even if they stress us out at first, watching something full of suspense releases cortisol (the stress hormone) in the brain, followed by dopamine, which produces feelings of pleasure.
Some of us choose movies that relate to our cancer journey, sometimes the stories relate to other personal experiences and encourage us to live life to the full.
Our members have enjoyed watching the same movie(s) many times, as it gives us the much-needed relief and lets us loose ourselves for a short time, away from the day to day challenges.
Attached is a list of movies that our members have enjoyed watching, each movie means something special to us. It may remind us of a particular time or a special achievement, maybe a certain event that we can relate to with a mixture of emotions, i.e. crying, laughing, fun and feeling good about ourselves.
We are worth it!
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