Superheroes and Villains as Therapeutic Techniques
The fields of psychology and comic books have had allegorical overlaps since the early days of superhero media with therapists namechecking Superman’s strength of character when discussing role models with clients. But it took until the 1960s before mental health practitioners began intentionally integrating superhero media into dedicated interventions, often focusing on youth empowerment. As comic characters and stories became more psychologically complex, so too have the clinical frameworks utilizing this pop culture phenomenon expanded to wider demographic programs.
Purpose
Superhero media offers perfectly packaged metaphors. Each character’s explicit powers or weaknesses represent strengths or flaws recognizable in us all at times. Exploring a client’s connections with various characters builds insight and normalizes struggles. Similarly, deconstructing the dichotomous morals of hero/villain storylines allows for non-judgmental unpacking of ethical shades of gray applicable to real life. Additionally, superhero media integrates easily into play therapy techniques for younger clients who may find traditional talk therapy overwhelming initially.
Growth
As superhero media has exploded over the past decades through both comic issue volume and representation on the big screen, the clinical spaces exploring psychology through this pop culture lens have multiplied exponentially too (see Geek Therapy). Conferences now center on technique panels like “Spiderman and Anxiety.” Support groups leverage cosplay for collective empowerment. Numerous mental health pursuits unite “geeks” in their fandom and needs.
Interested in integrating superheroes and villains into therapy for your clients? Here are some concrete examples of techniques to try out:
- Have clients “adopt” a superhero strength during session like Superman’s bravery then process applying those attributes to their goals.
- Utilize villains like Loki to unpack concepts like trauma breeding further harm when hurt people hurt others.
- Help clients map their support system into an “Avengers”-style team lifting them up during treatment struggles.
- Rework a fictional character’s origin story with a client to metaphorize their personal rebirth and growth process.
The options for integrating superhero media creatively into sessions are endless once you know both the psychoemotional material and a client’s existing fandom interests. So crack open some comic books or watch a few Marvel or DC movies or tv shows!
