What Can Superheroes Teach Us About Therapy?
I don’t know about you, but I am extremely excited to see Thor: Love and Thunder this month. After the events of Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Endgame, and Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, I cannot wait to see what will happen next for our favorite superheroes and supervillains in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Superhero stories have always had a way of engaging us and keeping us hooked. Chloe Zhao, the filmmaking director of Eternals, has referred to superhero stories as our modern mythological tales. Indeed, the similarities between Aquaman and Poseidon, Superman and Zeus, and the Flash and Hermes are apparent. These contemporary tales of gods and monsters are timeless because they follow traditional archetypes: recurring characters and plots that symbolize common themes such as life and death, good and evil, light and dark, etc.
Bringing Superheroes into Therapy
In my line of therapeutic work, I often meet individuals who feel trapped, isolated, and hopeless. They are searching for a direction and guidance in how to overcome their struggles. In order to assist clients in conceptualizing where they are at in their personal development, I often reference the superhero story structure known as the Hero’s journey. The Hero’s journey is a literary framework and humanistic counseling philosophy that outlines the trials and tribulations the protagonist must overcome before becoming their evolved self. For instance, before Bruce Wayne became Batman in Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins, he first had to go on a spiritual journey alone, find his mentor, Ra’s Al Ghul, confront the mafia bosses in Gotham, fall to his lowest point, and ultimately decide to pick himself up, keep fighting, and eventually persevere.
The Hero’s journey provides the client with a framework of where they are at in their own personal story, and where they can eventually advance to in their lives. They see the similarities between when Bruce Wayne fell from grace and their own personal struggles to keep going. They remember Bruce’s determination and conviction to succeed and persevere, despite the odds being stacked against him. And, most importantly, they eventually come to realize that they have the power to thrive and overcome their traumatic experiences in order to create their idealized lives.
Complete Your Heroic Journey
You are the hero of your own story. I understand that things feel overwhelming and exhausting right now. I realize that sometimes you just want to give up and resign yourself to never finding love and happiness. But you can overcome these trials and tribulations. You can find meaning and purpose once again. You can create the life you want to live. That power has always been inside you, waiting to be ignited. As our favorite web-slinger says, “You’re much stronger than you think you are. Trust me.”
Work with me and I will help you complete your heroic journey.
I will show you how to find your inner strength to succeed and move towards a brighter future.
Schedule a free 15-minute consultation to see if I’m the right therapist for you.