Explore this new cinema-based therapy session in Bandra this Saturday

Piper (right) presents a fresh catch to its mother in the concluding scene of the film. Pics courtesy/Youtube

If you've ever walked out of a slice-of-life movie feeling like a new person ready to conquer life, itching to rekindle broken friendships and take all the curveballs life throws at you head-on, you already know enough about therapist Anupriya Banerjee's upcoming cinematherapy sessions in the city. This proverbial new person that you feel like for a fleeting few hours after a movie, she says, might just be your true self. "What a movie makes you feel, the characters you relate to, and what it pushes you to act upon says a lot about you," Banerjee states.

Banerjee oversees an activity at the Kung Fu Panda screening

Leading up to a session this weekend, the Mahim-based therapist gives us a lowdown of the novel concept with a recap of a previous session featuring the movie Kung Fu Panda. "Just like the protagonist Po has his hero's journey in the movie, we are all on our hero's journey. We discussed how Po tapped into his strengths - compassion and community. In an activity that followed, participants jotted down their obstacles on sticky notes that were placed on the floor, and enacted how they want to deal with them when they face them," Banerjee reveals.

Participants discuss their learnings

With the Pixar short film Piper lined up for the upcoming session in Bandra, the therapist aims to tap into a deeper emotion - fear. The film follows the journey of a sandpiper who learns what fear is while hunting for food on a beach. "We are all born fearless. What is it that instills fear in us then?" Banerjee remarks. Participants will seek the answer in the sandpiper's story, and later in their own life experiences, through open discussions with others.

A moment from a drama-based activity during a previous session

Finding the answer, however, is a job half done. "Simply being aware of what drives your fears does you no good. The aim is to frame actionable responses to them," says Banerjee. Activities like the empty chair, she believes, help. "We place an empty chair and assign it an emotion; in this case, fear. Participants take turns to sit face to face and talk to their fears," she reveals. Such an activity, the therapist says, can help not just the participant, but others waiting for their turn too. "At one point during a previous session, the participants all joined in to release their suppressed emotions. It was a uniquely cathartic experience," she recalls.

Much like a movie, the session concludes with resolution. "The experience runs high on emotions and not all of them might be desirable. We cool down with an activity where we shake the unwanted emotions off, and absorb the right ones before we all head home," reveals Banerjee.

The young sandpiper faces his fear of seas in the short film

As dramatic as the whole drill might sound, cinematherapy is not just for the extroverted or social bunch, we learn. "Last month, I conducted a session for fathers aged 25 to as old as 78. Not the easiest group to work with," Banerjee chuckles, adding, "There was a gentleman who was visibly apprehensive. He didn't want to act his thoughts out. The great part is, you don't have to do anything that doesn't come naturally. Your body language, even if it's not as animated as others, is enough for a therapist to work with."

Anupriya Banerjee

AGE GROUP 16 years and above
ON July 27; 6 pm
AT Nautilus, Candies, Pali Hill, Bandra West.
LOG ON TO @doctordramatherapy
ENTRY Rs 1,200