Visual Prescriptions
Your treatment will include recommendations or ‘prescriptions’ for movies, television shows or episodes, or carefully chosen comic books or graphic novels to help you gain greater understanding of your struggles, and most importantly, so you know that you are not alone in this fight. Others have struggled with, and overcome, similar issues. Sometimes it is easier to relate to a fictional superhero than to our own lives or the lives of others.
I often have patients watch Pixar’s “Inside Out” to understand how emotions shape experience. The graphic novel “Wolverine: Old Man Logan” excellently portrays attempting to suppress core aspects of one’s identity (spoiler alert: it does not bode well), and issues related to fatherhood. “Torchlight Lullaby” speaks to the impact of trauma, often beyond conscious awareness. “Calvin and Hobbes” touches on issues from ADHD, to loneliness, to bullying, to effective and ineffective parenting, and highlights the importance of play and imagination. “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” narrates the destructive power of anger and greed, while Jonathan Ames’ “The Alcoholic” deals with, you guessed it, depression, alcoholism, and identity. This is only a small sampling of the compendium of comics on my therapy shelf.
Comic Therapy
I am partnering with comic book stores to provide opportunities for purchases of graphic novels or comic materials which would be recommended in treatment. Presently, I encourage you to visit to Anyone Comics, located on Union St. and Nostrand Ave. in Brooklyn, owned by a wonderful man named Dimitrios who I have worked with for several months, and let him know you were sent by Dr. Yoni Sobin, The Nerd Therapist.
Virtual Reality (Digitally Immersive) Treatment
In treating anxieties, it is sometimes hard to simulate in full the experiences one fears. For example, someone may not have easy access to skydiving or a plane to deal with a fear of heights (acrophobia). They may struggle to get themselves close to a shark, spider, or clown. Digitally immersive therapy is one of the ways that a therapist and patient can jointly tackle such an issue. Using accessible technology, we integrate 360° videos into your treatment plan on an as-needed basis. I have used this strategy successfully with issues including:
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Fear of flying and fear of heights
Fears about storms/nature
Animal phobias (spiders, snakes, sharks)