Video or Cinema therapy is the watching of therapeutically relevant videos, movies, or music videos and discussing how the issues or images viewed pertain to the recovery process of the traumatized person. It can be a very helpful addendum to the therapy process.

The images in the videos can describe what you are trying to say: “A picture paints a 1000 words.” For dissociative people with internal worlds, videos and pictures can describe to the support people or the therapist what they see within themselves. Internal worlds are often too layered, too complex, and much too complicated to draw or describe easily or accurately.

Movies have a powerful impact on our societies. They are often seen around the world, and thus can become a means of therapeutic communication. Some movie plots may relate to your particular situation, or may portray your feelings. Sometimes the setting is the relevant piece of information. Movies are often meant to have an impact on their viewers. If that impact relates to the trauma recovery process, then that movie can have deep therapeutic value.

Using the visual arts can be a helpful way to tell without telling, and can be of great assistance to the communication process.