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Bringing Psychotherapy to India: Dear Zindagi

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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