Maanya Vasishtha
Consuming and interpreting the complexity of Stranger Things is a wholly unique experience in itself. The show has been marketed as a cross between John Carpenter's and Steven Spielberg's brilliance, although such analogies undersell the show's unique blend of mystery, comedy, horror, and tragedy. It's a show about parenthood, friendship, love, and loyalty, and how they play a role in our recovery from the most devastating parts of our past. Literally, it is a nostalgia-evoking story revolving around the 'strange' disappearance of Will Byers, a child in the fictional town of Hawkins, and the trials and tribulations that follow during and after the disappearance.
Apart from the themes mentioned above, the series also offers insight into how real-life humans deal with childhood trauma and PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) as well as trauma recovery. Childhood trauma refers to “exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence” (De Bellis & Zisk, 2014). PTSD is defined as “a common anxiety disorder that develops after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened” (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, 2019). These are mental health conditions that are not very well-understood by the general populace and aren't always depicted accurately in pop culture but Stranger Things does a good job of portraying the same mainly through two characters- Will Byers and Eleven.
Will and Eleven are kids that belong to the same age group, but they come from different backgrounds and their experiences are distinct for the most part in the show. However, the trigger for their trauma originates from the same place: The Upside Down. The Upside Down is a parallel universe, inhabited by Demogorgons and a shadow monster. Will’s trauma is inflicted by his experience of being abducted by a creature, being thrown into the Upside Down and the time he spent there. Eleven’s trauma is inflicted through the experience of psychologically disturbing experiments that were conducted on her to test her telekinetic abilities, in a lab by government agents, where she also witnessed the Upside Down.
Will, after his near-death exposure in the Upside Down, experiences hallucinations. After his mother takes him to the doctor to get him checked out, he reveals that Will is experiencing ‘the anniversary effect.’ The effect, also known as ‘Anniversary Reaction’, is defined “as a unique set of unsettling feelings, thoughts or memories that occur on the anniversary of a significant experience” (Serani, 2011) and is a common occurrence experienced by people with PTSD. In other words, it is a psychological phenomenon in which negative memories resurface around the anniversary of an event. The show gets this right because, in actuality, a lot of war veterans and soldiers experience the same thing. In an interview with Health Magazine, Dr Yehuda, Director of the traumatic stress studies division at the Icahn School of Medicine, talks about her encounter with this phenomenon while working with veterans and also discusses environmental cues, such as the weather or odours, that tend to prompt a recurrence of the symptoms of this effect (Naftulin, 2017).
There are also scenes where Will experiences flashbacks and is mostly seen to be sad and distraught. Flashbacks, negative thoughts, distorted feelings of guilt or blame and even loss of interest in previously enjoyable activities are all common symptoms of PTSD. According to Dr Yehuda, patients with PTSD frequently experience these emotions, or even emotional numbness, described as “the loss of the ability to feel emotions of any type” (Litz & Gray, 2002) as they cope with the terrible circumstances. These reactions are normal because trauma effects might endure for a long time (Naftulin, 2017).
Eleven, on the other hand, is an emotionally intriguing character as she is not only our medium through which to view the events that led to Will’s vanishing, she is also the poster child for portraying childhood trauma. The neglect and experimentation that she witnessed in her childhood denied her a sense of physical and emotional well-being and recovery from that damage meant she had to learn how to provide those things for herself, instead of a caregiver. The struggle to do so can frequently impair one's capacity to avoid depression and anxiety or to maintain healthy relationships, as well as make them vulnerable to flashbacks, self-blame, and even suicide. “Children who have experienced complex trauma often have difficulty identifying, expressing, and managing emotions, and may have limited language for feeling states. They often internalize and/or externalize stress reactions and as a result may experience significant depression, anxiety, or anger” (Peterson, 2018).
Eleven also suffers from a severe sense of guilt and self-blame. She accounts this to her first encounter with the creature that initially abducted Will. She came to know of it when her experimenters exposed her to it by isolating her in a sensory deprivation chamber in the lab. She used her telekinetic powers to unwittingly open a gate between the real world and the Upside Down, through which she thinks the creature escaped. Although survivors, in general, may realise intellectually that they are not to blame for their trauma, a sense of guilt and self-blame can become deeply ingrained in their lack of self-worth as a way of "mastering" the terror caused by the experience. In a research study, “self-blame was found to be related to symptoms of general anxiety, depression and problems concerning interpersonal sensitivity. In addition, feeling a lot of trauma-related guilt has been connected to the development of PTSD” (Dorresteijn & Gladwin, 2019).
However, Eleven’s internal journey becomes evident as we see her experiencing the simple joys of childhood that she was denied- making friends, dressing up, eating good food. It is evident in the way she gains confidence in the support and trust of those around her, an advantage that she previously didn’t have. She also creates positive associations between her actions and their consequences, ridding herself of negative emotions. This is one of the biggest examples of trauma recovery referenced in the show.
Unfortunately, what does not get referenced is the importance of therapy in treating PTSD and others. Even though Will and Eleven are surrounded by people who love them, talking to them is not enough and an intervention by a mental health professional in the form of therapy is essential. “It is important for anyone with PTSD to be treated by a mental health provider who is experienced with PTSD” (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, 2019). Psychotherapy helps patients learn to respond differently to stressful situations that trigger their PTSD symptoms. “Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which focuses on modifying "the mental patterns that are troubling your life," is a popular strategy for treating PTSD and may include exposure therapy and cognitive restructuring” (Bhandari, 2022). While Eleven does show progress in terms of trauma recovery, Will still suffers from constant flashbacks and other symptoms. Therefore, to avoid them from carrying this trauma into their adulthood, the show could’ve been more effective in highlighting the significance of therapy.
Overall, Stranger Things appropriately and sympathetically addresses PTSD in its attempt to portray mental illness accurately, according to medical standards. Along with that, it also teaches us about the importance of human connection and support.
References
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2019). Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. National Institute of Mental Health. Retrieved March 7, 2022, from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd
De Bellis, M. D., & Zisk, A. (2014, February 16). The biological effects of childhood trauma. Child and adolescent psychiatric clinics of North America. Retrieved March 7, 2022, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3968319/
Serani, D. (2011, May 19). The Anniversary Effect | Psychology Today Australia. Retrieved March 6, 2022, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/two-takes-depression/201105/the-anniversary-effect
Naftulin, J. (2017, November 6). What did 'stranger things 2' get right (and wrong) about PTSD? here's what an expert thinks. Health.com. Retrieved March 7, 2022, from https://www.health.com/condition/ptsd/stranger-things-shadow-monster
Dorresteijn, S., & Gladwin, T. E. (2019, January 14). Childhood trauma and the role of self-blame on psychological well-being after deployment in male veterans. Taylor & Francis. Retrieved March 7, 2022, from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/20008198.2018.1558705
Peterson, S. (2018, June 11). Effects of Childhood Trauma. The National Child Traumatic Stress Network. Retrieved March 7, 2022, from https://www.nctsn.org/what-is-child-trauma/trauma-types/complex-trauma/effects#:~:text=Emotional%20Responses,depression%2C%20anxiety%2C%20or%20anger.
Litz, B. T., & Gray, M. J. (2002, April 1). Hub: Emotional numbing in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Current and Future Research Directions: 10.1046/J.1440-1614.2002.01002.X. Sci-Hub. Retrieved March 7, 2022, from https://sci-hub.hkvisa.net/10.1046/j.1440-1614.2002.01002.x
Bhandari, S. (2022, January 21). 6 common treatments for PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). WebMD. Retrieved March 7, 2022, from https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/what-are-treatments-for-posttraumatic-stress-disorder
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