Payal Somani
For years, Psychotherapy and related
mental health treatments have been something of a stigma in India, where people
who seek such treatment are considered nothing short of ‘mad’. With time, this
mentality has gradually started to change, although seeking a therapist is
still not close to being seen as entirely normal by most people. There is little
portrayal of mental health treatment in Indian mainstream media as well, but it
seems like that it also starting to change. Dear Zindagi, a 2016 film by Gauri
Shinde, explores psychotherapy in India and in this paper, I will look at the
methods adopted in the psychotherapy sessions shown in the movie and analyze
their effectiveness.
The movie revolves around the life of
Kaira, a cinematographer who shifts to Goa to stay at her parents’ house after
being asked to vacate her apartment in Mumbai. She decides to seek a therapist,
Dr. Jehangir Khan AKA Jug, after a bad break-up that leaves her suffering from
insomnia.
The first therapy session shows us
that Jug creates a very cozy environment for his patients in his office. There
are plush couches, plants and artworks, sunlight streaming in, and slow music
playing on the recorder. Although these may seem like minuscule details, the
atmosphere that is created for the patients can go a long way in “making them
feel calmer and more refreshed, which is important because therapy can be a
rigorous mental and emotional process” (Tori DeAngelis, 2017). It also makes
them “feel better about the office and the therapist” (Devlin, Ann Sloan, Nasar
& Jack L., 2012). The use of large sofas is seen in Jug’s office which is
also useful in therapy offices since it “allows the patient to adjust the
distance between them and the therapist, hence making them more comfortable”
(Tori DeAngelis, 2017).
Jug builds an initial level of comfort
with Kaira by commenting on her joking abilities and breaking the ice. He then
goes on to ask the reason for her coming to see him, and whether she has faced
any major life changes recently. When she starts to talk about her breakup in
the pretense that it happened to her friend, Jug listens patiently and does not
probe her to reveal the truth despite having a hunch that she was talking about
herself. Instead, he shares some advice with her in the form of a story, which
encourages her to reveal the truth herself and discuss her breakup further. His
manner is unobtrusive, which gives his patients the space to present their problems
in their own time and with comfort.
Jug uses a very open-ended method for
his sessions. He does not ask specific questions and instead tries to extract
information from Kaira from the conversations he has with her. This is
effective since open-ended questions allow patients to elaborate more on their
answers than specific or leading questions do (Waldinger, Jacobson, 2001). He
at times asks her to elaborate on some things as she speaks to give her a
directionality. In this manner, he helps Kaira realize it herself that her fear
of commitment in romantic relationships is a result of being abandoned by her
parents in childhood.
He also assigns homework to Kaira.
Research by Kazantzis and colleagues (2010) shows that patients who were given
homework in psychotherapy reported better outcomes than those who were not.
These simple homework such as talking to her parents for 10 minutes each helps
her in reflection, which is an essential and effective tool of
cognitive-behavioral therapy (Bennet-Levy, Thwaites, Chaddock & Davis,
2009).
Instead of restricting the therapy
sessions to the four walls of the office, Jug also conducts outdoor sessions,
wherein he takes Kaira to the beach or cycling, and they have their
conversations. This method is unconventional but highly effective as it helps
Kaira open up to him. In fact, research shows that “indoor spaces can sometimes
be jarring to a patient’s sense of self and moving outdoors helps in their
sense of well-being” (Bondi & Fewell, 2003).
Dear Zindagi is probably the first
film in Indian cinema that talks about psychotherapy and does a tremendous job
at it. The various methods Dr. Jehangir Khan uses gives the majority of Indian
audience a glimpse, perhaps for the first time, on what therapy sessions are
like and how they are not always conducted in the medical settings people
associate them with. If more films like these are made that portray
psychotherapy in a good light, maybe people will finally learn to see this
field as it is.
References:
Bennett-Levy, J., Thwaites, R., Chaddock, A. and Davis, M. (2009). Reflective Practice in
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy:
The Engine of Lifelong Learning. Reflection
in Psychotherapy and Counselling.
Bondi,
L., & Fewell, J. (2003). Unlocking the Cage Door: The Spatiality of Counselling.
Social and Cultural Geography, 4(4), 527–547.
DeAngelis, T. (2017, March). Healing by
Design. American Psychological Association,
48(3), 56.
Devlin, A. S., & Nasar, J. L.
(2012). Impressions of Psychotherapists' Offices: Do therapists
and Clients Agree? Professional
Psychology: Research and Practice, 43(2), 118-122.
Kazantzis, N., Whittington, C., & Dattilio,
F. (2010). Meta-analysis of Homework Effects in
Cognitive and
Behavioral Therapy: A Replication and Extension. Clinical Psychology: Science
and Practice, 17(2), 144-156
Waldinger, R., & Jacobson, A. (2001). The Initial Psychiatric
Interview. Psychiatric secrets
(2nd ed.).
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