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Continuing Education Committee Updates

CONTINUING EDUCATION

BY: Mary Mulvihill, Ph.D.   
DATE: 8/7/17

SUPER HERO THERAPY


SDPA member, author and developer of Superhero Therapy, Dr. Janina Scarlet, fresh from Comic Con, gave an engaging and informative workshop at the SDPA office, August 5, on how to use Superheroes in therapy. Forty people attended, with enthusiastic participation.

Superheroes have appealed to people since the days of Greek mythology, likely before. They have value in transformational work, as that is basically what they are all about – changing themselves and their world, helping others.  One of the main things they offer to clients is Connection – to values or traits they resonate with, to a part of themselves that is  human & whole, and to a part of the world where they can belong. In this way, they serve to offset shame, a core element of so many mental health issues.

Clients choose the Superhero, they Identify with – most people have one or two already, no matter their age.  Most Superheroes are flawed, even exaggeratedly so, yet heroic, characters, who rise above their adversity.  They are appealing and very useful in therapy, which is all about positive transformation.  Yet many clients lack a language or a hook that they can relate to, to conceptualize, talk about or commit to positive changes.  Superheroes are the door into the realm of change.

One interesting aspect to be aware of are the Superhero Origin stories – most heroes have one – and this very informed group of attendees knew many of them.  It’s a valuable exercise to examine the turning points in life, the difficult challenges you faced which made you who you are.  Both for our clients and ourselves –it is interesting to see how our greatest adversity likely had many positive benefits and may have given us skillful means we would not have acquired otherwise – our “super powers”.  Fleshing this out is a form of values clarification.  Superheroes can also inspire clients to behavioral activation – In your situation, what would Batman do?  Finding the answer and acting on it can be empowering to clients.

A barrier for therapists in using Superhero Therapy can be not feeling very well informed about different Superheroes, but in this realm, the client can be the expert, and lead the therapist to what is important for them.  There is also therapeutic value for the full Discovery process to be done together, which strengthens the alliance.  Superheroes are a novel way to communicate with hard to reach clients.  Superheroes also add humor, and may open a gateway to self-compassion.

Dr. Scarlet has extensive experience using Superhero Therapy with teen and military clients. Veterans like them so much that they have her come to speak at their self-organized conferences.  Many vets feel like failed Superheroes or even characters that have passed over to the dark side.  Greek figures exposed to violence, such as Ajax, Star Wars figures, and the Hulk are resonant to vets.  Hulk is very useful, as he must learn to modulate his super strength through anger management and restraint.  She was commissioned by DARPA to do a comic book series addressing mental health issues based on Superhero popularity with veterans.

There are a wide variety of different Superheroes from comics, movies, TV, and books – Batgirl, Veronica Mars, Ron from Star Wars (he has lots of fears), Dr. Who.  Some clients may be attracted to anti-heroes like the Joker, who may offer something they feel they lack or need.  Used therapeutically, Superheroes are integrated with evidence-based approaches – typically CBT, ACT, but can be incorporated with many.  They help foster acceptance, recognition of issues and challenge limiting beliefs.  The wayward oracle from Harry Potter, Professor Trelawney, who is always full of catastrophic, mostly wildly wrong predictions, is perfect for use in CBT.  Others can be resources used as part of exposure.

Using Superheroes adds a visual/poetic dimension to therapy, bringing imagination and possibility into the work, where this might spur posttraumatic growth.  There is much humor, as their exaggerated depictions, which touches on the tragicomic side of the human condition.  We all, as therapists, are privileged to hear stories of traumatic things which have happened to our clients, yet see how many, clients to go on, thrive, even help others.  Use of Superheroes validates the everyday courage of clients on their healing journey.  At every turn, self-compassion is accessed and reinforced.

Dr. Scarlet demonstrated that through Guided imagery, a visit from a Superhero for advice can be very useful and comforting– Dumbledore often shows up to impart his wisdom. One attendee pointed out that Faith-based clients may have their own set of Superheroes– from Jesus to Buddha, Blessed Mother to Kwan Yin, and extending to various saints, spirits, angels or sages. A part of the magical realm of Superheroes is the concept of a defusion charm, which can offset destructive forces, such as shame or bullying. This highlights the need for inner resources & their symbols.

Finally, the world of Fandom was discussed as a rich and interesting social system, now widely available on line, and in virtual communities.  In keeping with the Fun factor – the passion of clients attracted to Superheroes may–extend into role-play, Cosplay, & games. Many clients are isolated and don’t have sufficient recreation, even just for the stress relief it offers.  Fandom is a way to belong and a way to interact on a social path.  This is especially helpful to clients on the autistic spectrum since it offers structured activities around a common interest they feel passionately about and can talk about more easily. 

Fan-fiction in which a client may write a new chapter for a Superhero they love and identify with, opens new possibilities for creativity and social interaction.  They may post this online or share with the fan community, where their contribution may be, widely appreciated.  A central question in therapy is:  What kind of character do you want to be?  And Who can relate to and appreciate me with my flaws and gifts?  Using similar skills, clients can become empowered to write a new chapter for their own life.

Overall, this was an interesting and enjoyable training, full of natural humor, which toured through pop culture as it fleshed out this playful and creative modality applied to psychotherapy.

The workshop wrapped up with SPDA presenting Dr. Scarlet with a colorful “Batgirl” ice cream cake – Congratulations Superhero! to celebrate the launch of her new book, Superhero Therapy. The book sold out at the workshop, where Dr. Scarlet signed copies, but you can pick it up easily from Amazon.  It’s also a great read for clients and teens.

Stay tuned:

Dr. Scarlet’s Upcoming Books:

Harry Potter Therapy – This is a self-help book, ideal for clients.  The Harry Potter series offers some of the most realistic and nuanced characters for dealing with loss, grief and trauma. This book will be available in September 2017 on Amazon.com.  

Therapy Quest – This is a fictionalized account of the incorporation of gaming into therapy.

 Save the Date –By popular demand, Dr. Scarlet agreed to come back February 17, 2018 for a Therapy Quest workshop– the use of gaming in therapy (her book on this will come out the week prior, so will be hot off the press!) Join us for a fun-filled Saturday and get some novel ideas about how to use games to extend or amplify your therapeutic work!

Further Resources

To access Dr. Scarlet’s Defense Department Comic books –

Paths for recovery for Military Sexual Trauma

and

Family Support for Military Sexual Trauma

To access Dr. Scarlet’s Superhero Therapy Blog – keep up with new developments in characters and games and read her many insightful analyses of popular characters and games, click HERE.



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