Jonathan here. I want to apologize for my "identify as a farmer" quip towards the end. It was in poor taste and transphobic. I wish I hadn't said it and that I'd had the brains to ask that it not make the final cut. Clearly I'm still working on my own growth. Thank you for holding me accountable. You all help me be a better person and a better therapist.

Fun fact I told my therapist about this KZfaq channel while avoiding speaking about my feelings and now they like your videos

The parents looking at him like he's frightening when he's manic is so accurate. I think the worst thing is when you're hypo manic and you do something that seems perfectly normal to you but someone you love looks at you with fear in their eyes, but because you're hypo you can still recognise it and it's so scary and heart breaking. I hate seeing people look scared, I'm not a scary person I would never hurt anyone, but I forget not everyone knows that about me.

I grew up with men that could not cry or talk about feelings. I have now surrounded myself with men and women who can talk about feelings and cry. It is very healing for me to watch this channel. Thank you.

I was really moved by Mason’s candor (and Alan’s, too) about his diagnoses. He appeared a bit hesitant at first, but then he just laid it out. That’s difficult to do and probably even more so on camera. Being with people like Jonathan and Alan, who won’t judge you for your diagnoses, is certainly helpful (but unfortunately rare).

Wow... “Taking medication to the point where you feel good, then you stop taking it because you think you’re better. But there’s a reason you’re better; it’s because you’re on the medication.” You just outlined my whole cycle.

Having Jonathan say the therapy "thank you" after Alan shares something is so wholesome and heart-warming. We appreciate it too! Thank you for being open and honest!

"We are more than our worst moments, but our worst moments are part of us and we need to own them." J. Deck.

I gotta say I had the opposite reaction to the cold therapist. I grew up a people pleaser, because woe unto the small child that didn’t prioritize her parents’ feelings. So when I got into therapy, I kept picking up on the therapist’s desire to help me feel better, and it became more important to perform wellness than to actually get better. It wasn’t until I found a therapist with a world-class champion poker face - cold grey rock non-responsive blank wall presentation - that I could stop trying to give them what they wanted and focus on what I needed.

Alan mentioned how this movie has almost no score, and it made me realize that that made me feel unsettled when I watched this movie. Thank you for teaching film stuff too!

I would love to see you guys do an episode of Perks of Being a Wallflower and coping with sexual trauma. It’s a movie that messed me up in the best way as I worked through my own trauma

Wait... The psychiatrist played the song on purpose to "see if it was still a trigger"? That's fucked up. Edit. So glad you guys addressed that.

Hey Alan - as someone who's been through a psych hospitalization, no mental health is small mental health :) I've trained myself not to trauma compare - we've all got our stuff, doesn't make each other's any less real or valid. Love you guys!

"There will always be a part of me that are sloppy and dirty, but I like that, along with all the other parts of myself. Can you say the same about yourself? Can you forgive?"

Every time Alan tears up man 😭😭 normalize adult men having feelings! 🙌💜 Love this channel so much! Jonathan has the most beautiful insight! Love you guys!

I am so not used to seeing men analyze and understand emotion- I'm obsessed

As a therapist and a pop culture nerd, this is the PERFECT corner of KZfaq for me. Keep up the amazing work you two ✨✨

This is the only channel I’ve ever gotten this excited about and I’ve been on KZfaq almost my whole life

Me as I watch: "There is something missing..." Me at the end: "WhErE Is tHE pOpCOrN!?"

I would love it if they reacted to "To the Bone" and talked about eating disorders. I don't feel they get enough attention and are definitely misunderstood by a lot of people.

"you've got the look of a woman" *pause* "Well not of a woman, sorry"

I just want to hug Alan😭❤

Oh god, yeah. If a therapist ever played a triggering song as a "test", I would find a new therapist IMMEDIATELY, and I would probably also see if I could sue

“Good Will Hunting” is another great film with a memorable therapist (Robin Williams)!!

This movie brought me so much peace when I was committed. I don't think my diagnosis is correct but I still identify with so many of his behaviours, so to see that there was a space for him in the world made me feel so much better

When your guest spoke about how being medicated and feeling good leads to stopping medication I found myself thinking about this problem by comparing to a refrigerator. You plug it in and it gets up to temp and everything is as it should be. For that it needs to remain plugged in, if you unplug it, things go bad.

My mom has bipolar disorder. I was 12 when I was old enough to comprehend her actions, at the time I just didn't know that what she was saying and doing wasn't "right". She was convinced my dad was trying to kill her, my siblings, and myself. She told me so many times before one day she enacted a plan. My dad was gone for the day and she entrusted our neighbor, whom we were close to, to drop us off at the airport with nothing but the clothes on our back. We flew from Illinois to California where my mom's family is. She had managed to convince not just our neighbor but her family that what she said about my dad was true (I won't go into detail about the other things she accused him of). This wasn't the first time she had an episode but was surprises me to this day is how normal she seemed. She was coherent and smart enough not only to get my siblings and me to California but also managed to convince everyone around her that what she claimed was true. Just last September she had a relapse, and it was nothing compared to her other episodes. It was devastating to me emotionally, mentally, and physically. She had strong hallucinations, voices in her head, and unbearable anxiety. I'm the oldest and a college student. My dad couldn't take off from work to help as much as he wished, and she didn't trust him at all. I was very lucky to have two of my aunt's help but either way, I was left to deal with all of the housework, reassuring my siblings, keeping an eye on her constantly, and work and school. She would describe to me what she saw and heard. Even with help from the rest of my adult family, we realized after just 4 days that we couldn't do it. We had to take her to the hospital, she was there for almost three weeks. She then spent another 2 weeks upon release with my aunt where she had space to walk around and a backyard. She's still in the process of recovering because she entered a strong depression afterward. She did things and said things she regrets, no one holds it against her and I think that's what makes it even more painful for her. The relapse she had when I was 12 took her 2 years for her to feel herself again. Whenever I see depictions of mental illness in the media, especially portrayed so skillfully, it always makes me fall apart. I recognize the pain. I'm not gonna lie, I'm very afraid of people who don't have mental clarity. They can be going through a mental crisis or have developmental issues. Even if they are no threat to me or it's clear they are not trying to hurt me I get extremely anxious and want to get as far away as possible. I hate feeling this way because it's not fair to them. I'm sorry for the long rant. Seeing this video made me want to take all of this off my chest.

The guy saw his wife with with another man in their shower while their wedding song was playing. And the bastard has the audacity to say "You should go." I dont blame the guy for snapping.

As a therapist in-training... I just love how honest Johnathan is... I am learning so much from these videos... Thanks guys...

The guy who’s in Hallmark loves Silver linings... the world makes more sense now!

"Perks of Being a Wallflower" has probably the most accurate depiction of a person having anxiety. Amazing movie. Please do that next.

as someone with bipolar i really appreciated the depiction of mania/hypomania that is agitated, aggressive, and uncomfortable in this film, because so many people think it's just feeling happy/energetic/euphoric

"You figure out how to handle life" this! My therapist has confirmed to me that I have a damaged nervous system and I suspect that I have a CPTSD, and it took me a long time but I created an environment where I can say that I have my own safe 'normal' life. And I've been told that what I have DOESN'T go away, but that's fine, because life is beautiful and love my friends and family.

I got diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder when I was 19, I'm at a really good place in my life now but this pandemic has brought me to the edge again and this channel really has helped me keep it together so I can stay at the healthy point I've gotten too. You guys are doing a great thing and I love this channel.

I'm bipolar, and I swear the conversation between the two of them talking about what meds they've taken/ currently is so on point. As those with mental illness are prone to do, I have quite a few friends that deal with some type of mood disorder, and we swap stories about what we're on all the time.

I've started a little routine. On Thursday night I see what movie is in your premiere, and if I haven't seen it, I seek it out and watch it Thursday night so I can enjoy your video on Friday. So far I've watched Runaway Bride and Silver Linings Playbook because of this channel, and both really moved me. Thank you for introducing me to some beautiful films.

I'm gonna be real with you, I forgot this movie had anything to do with bipolar and haven't so much as thought about it since I got diagnosed so this one hit a little bit harder than expected but the meds discussion is so real. My brother in law, sister in law, AND two best friends are all bipolar and we talk meds like kids swapping lunch in the cafeteria. Edit: Also the way he admits to experiencing a delusion is very on brand, it's like pulling teeth because it means I'm not doing "good enough."

I love stories (be it films or books) with mentally ill people being loved (and respected!) for who they are. Not the 'falling in love cures my anxiety/depression/hole in my head' tropes, but the realistic 'you fell in love with this messed up person, let's be weird together' story. Acceptance really warms the heart.

I wish you guys talked about the breakdown he had at night, with his parents. I'm not bipolar, but I've lived with someone who is and that part shook me to my core. So incredibly real.

Fellow ADHD'er here, and the meds conversation (both "these are messing with me, we need to try something else" and "what does it say about me if I need meds") absolutely hit home for me too

When you get excited about a Cinema Therapy premiere and realise it's to early to be part of it 🙈🙈😭😭😭😭

JONO BETTER BE WEARING THAT FLANNEL NEXT EPISODE! 🐄🐖🐑

I got borderline vibes from Jennifer Lawrence’s character too, I’m so happy you picked up on that (speaking as someone with it)

I would love to see you guys do Black Swan and tell us what’s going on and how it would realistically manifest and how someone suffering could deal with that effectively

That was such a beautiful moment when Alan talked about his family and their support. I am really loving your videos.

I came out as bi to my therapist and he just said "hm" and didn't change his face at all. It was... well I ended up feeling a thousand times more judged than if he had said almost anything else.

The part about the importance of having support really spoke to me. I've been struggling with my mental illness for a long time, I've been in therapy for 3 years and I'm completely alone in this. There's no love in my life. I wish everyone would have at least one person to support them when they're fighting their demons, as I know from experience it's extremely hard and exhausting to be left alone with this.

My amazing phenomenal therapist would also do the nod and "okay" thing whenever I told him something off-the-wall bonkers. But he did something really great and that's that he never diagnosed me. He never told me I was crazy or disordered, I just had disordered thinking, which was a heck of a lot easier to fix than telling me I had a disorder because he knew that I would self-identify as that disorder. He was phenomenal

When Alan swears you know this vids gonna be a doozy! This channel is my therapy session, since I can't afford therapy. Lol

Bringing on guests that are open about their struggles is amazing! Keep these coming. They are normalizing the mental health conversation and give people (me) hope and growth.

I love the honesty and the "realness" of this channel, please don't stop making videos like this, we all need videos like this, it helps me feel so normal to see that everybody is struggling with something, and whatever it is I'm dealing with is normal, and I can overcome it. Love this channel guys

I think it would be really cool if you reacted to The perks of being a wallflower. I thought it was a really beautiful movie and it would be interesting to see a therapist's take on a it

I do counseling for PWDs and once this mom told me she was going to put bleach up her baby's butt to cure autism. I did that "hmm, okay" thing but was freaking out internally. So we started looking at what bleach does and how it's used and she realised that would be a very bad move. I cried after she left coz... WTF!!!??

Had a co-worker who made her fiancé go to sessions with her therapist before she would agree to marry him. She wanted him to understand what he was getting into.

I would love to see you guys watch Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

As a kid I had to go to a few school therapists for my "anger issues" and 100% they were the type of cold (in my case harsh as well) ones you were talking about. They somehow not only increased my paranoia in therapy but also to people in general. I really wish there were kinder therapists out there especially in childrens' schools.

Mason's gorgeous hair

I’m listening to this as I work and was like: “why do I hear Rocket Raccoon? “ Then it dawned on me

This movie will always hold a special place in my heart, because it's what helped me realize that the crap I've been dealing with most my life was undiagnosed bipolar disorder. Its portrayal was just... so real and accurate, and I saw so much of my own life in it. From the shame of realizing you just got so caught up in your own head that you've done something horrible, right down to having a bipolar dad who doesn't think he's bipolar. The explosive fight they have over nothing? Where they come to blows over a book? That hit wayyy too close to home for me. It was so dang identical to my reality that like... it was impossible to ignore it or pretend everything was okay anymore. Seeing this movie in theaters marked a huge turning point in my life and got me to seek the help I needed to get myself on the right track. I'm incredibly grateful for that; the difference has been night and day. So... thank you, Silver Linings Playbook!

“Tray-za-done” for whatever reason, that pronunciation ran all over me.

UGH IM SO EXCITED THIS IS MY FAVORITE ROM-COM-DRAMEDY 😭

could you guys do a reaction/analysis of the father/son/single parent/child dynamic in a goofy movie? it’s probably one of the healthiest dynamics in all of disney and the movie is just so wholesome

As someone with a sister with bipolar, a twin with bpd and a mother with Schizophrenia I found myself recognizing their behaviour and actions in the characters, especially Jenefer's, they didn't mention in the movie what she had but it was exactly like bpd to. me.

22:28 when raw emotions come out and the others just listen and are support and say thank you ... is so pure and I love seeing men not judge each other for having feelings

The french title for this movie is "Happiness therapy" actually (french is my mother tongue). Found that interesting. Saw this movie when it came out, never thought just a few years later i'll relate to the pills jokes … But I found this movie really refreshing and calming (?) personnally

Someone mentioned reviewing Joker in the comments. I definitely agree with that movie. Also Whiplash. That movie really hit me emotionally since I had an abusive mentor for 2 and 1/2 years.

I have to say, I love the dinner night scene when Pat and Jennifer Lawrence talk about medicines and how much they are enjoying themselves doing it. The whole time before, Pat had been trying to be positive, he was trying to be normal, and he was failing hard because of the overcompensation, making him “the weird man”, and the dinner was a mess and uncomfortable except for that moment he started talking about his medication the way I talk about books or a tv show, and she replied him not with judgement, but with the same enthusiasm, and you see this like the first time he is truly comfortable in a situation, just to suddenly go back to the reality of the family dinner that got creeped out as outsiders. It’s brilliant.

As someone with BPD, yes, she does show some of the 9 traits of BPD. You need to fulfill at least 5 of those to have a positive diagnosis.

Could you make a therapist video to Joker (2019)?

Before seeing a Cinema Therapy video, I didn't know grown men could be so adorable. It's the wholesome content I never knew I needed

"Having a litte kid say 'Hey I understand that, and I still love you' is huge." Yes. :) Thanks for covering this film. Thanks for the visit, Mason.

I probably write this every week, but once again I SO appreciate Alan's moments of emotion and vulnerability. I absolute adore the dynamics in these videos. Speaking about keeping your kids informed about your mental illness struggles, as someone with a mentally ill parent, I wish my mom/parents had told me what she was struggling with, what it looked like and what it meant. I think I could have processed her depressive episodes better AND known what to look for when I inevitably started experiencing my own. I always thought that keeping my own future children informed about our family's mental illness history was to make their experience better, I never even thought about the potential it could have to help me get through tough days. You're our dad too now, Alan, and we see you and love you!

as someone who suffered from an eating disorder since i was 12, i would love to see y’all watch a film that depicts eating disorders. i see so many harmful misconceptions that make me feel awful and misunderstood

WE WOULD LIKE TO HEAR YOUR OPINIONS ABOUT MALCOM AND MARIE!! 🤞🏼💓

A lot of this movie makes sense to me because a difficult emotional situation can launch you into an episode like I told my best friend that I was in love with him and he ghosted me and I went crazy in a psychotic manic episode my friends convinced me to sign myself into a psych ward. I was having hallucinations and everything, it was really hard. Life is hard when you have bipolar 1.

I really enjoyed having Mason in this video. He brought a lot of humility, and vulnerability, and straight up useful information to this discussion.

I live with bipolar and the clips shown here are scarily accurate, from the audio hallucinations to the being slightly abrupt in mannerisms and being a bit off with your therapist / psychologist when talking medication. Interesting that you mentioned about people with mental illness finding each other in one of my previous jobs one of my best work friends also had bipolar and it got to a point our moods ended up bouncing off each other - if one of us was manic the other would end up manic in about 5 minutes 😅

I've got a similar diagnosis as Bradley Cooper in this movie, albeit not quite as extreme, and I haven't been through an infidelity like him, but this movie really gets to me. I swear being bipolar turns movies up to 11. I love your channel, by the way! I discovered it recently and listen to your entire back catalogue and now I have a request. I don't know what sort of therapy you could pull out of it, but my favorite movie of all time is THE MATRIX

My parents would always judge me for crying in front of them and make me feel ashamed of it so it’s such a relief to see people showing emotion like that without making it a big deal or something that isn’t normal or appropriate bc it absolutely is, it’s healthy. So thank you 🙏

Mason is a sweetie and very courageous to be so open and I applaud him. Also Alan and his wife's parenting skills are clearly brilliant. Lil request: for those who're being introduced to therapy through this channel it might be a good idea to mention in a future video that it's worth waiting for the right fit. You brushed on it here, but no therapist can be better than a bad therapist, depending on what you're dealing with of course. Hugs from Ireland :)

Hearing Mason list off the affliction he suffered from makes me look at all those Hallmart movies in a slightly different, slightly darker light.

This has quickly become one of the things I look forward to!

I appreciate how in the film they make it obvious that the community is more accepting of Lawrence's character for a number of reasons that are relatable to female viewers, especially those of us who are outwardly feminine presenting and dealing with mental health issues. First, they are more accepting and protective of her her because they associate her with her husband [she's not herself; she's 'her husband's widow']. That spot on with when people say a woman is 'someone's daughter/mother/wife' as if that's the main reason to feel compassion towards them. Another reason she has more acceptance in the community is because part of her coping was having sex with many men in the community, which some of the men want to take advantage of. Cooper's character is treated far more harshly by locals because he's a a man, therefore independent, and also his outbursts and coping mechanisms don't entertain others and are seen as more threatening. The fact that Lawrence's character is as far into her mental health self-care ad acceptance journey as she is is very impressive considering what she was up against. I'd be very interested to hear your channel talk more about how internalized sexism can negatively affect both men and women dealing with mental health issues.

When I first watched this movie I found the characters to be so relatable and I actually enjoyed the first romcom in an unironically fashion. Fast forward six months I find out I have a mental disorder. Who would’ve thought 🤷🏽‍♀️

I'm excited because I've watched all of their episodes now except two because I haven't seen the movies yet. Oh wait I haven't seen this one either 😱 So I re-watched the twilight ones. Still funny.

Here's a weekly reminder that I appreciate the subtitles 🙃. I'm so happy you reacted to this movie, I love it so much.

I have a potential answer for why Jennifer Lawrence's character behaves the way she does, at least in part. Certain forms of trauma permanently change how people respond to certain situations, particularly stressful ones. While these changes in response may have been necessary for survival, often they make other people uncomfortable because the responses deviate from the socially accepted script for how people should respond. But the person didn't chose to respond that way, can't change how they respond, and literally needed to respond the way they did for survival. So, first the person becomes stigmatized and isolated by whatever happened that traumatized them in the first place, and then again because other people don't like how they coped with that or future trauma/stress. Eventually, it can often get to the point where the person just stops caring what other people think because of it. Not because they're sociopathic or lack empathy, but because other people do not and cannot understand, and because the person has a right to respond the way they do, the way they need to in order to survive.

I have a request for you: a film titled "Speak". It's about a girl who's become emotionally broken due to PTSD from a sexual assault. I would love to hear your take on it.

as someone who struggled with undiagnosed bipolar disorder 2 99% of their life, god does this hit hard. i've been struggling to contact a psychiatrist and get prescriptions because i'm so scared of that "mellowing out," and hearing you guys talk about it made me feel validated, honestly. i've never wanted to watch a movie more than i do after watching this video. thank you for this.

This is one of my favorite movies of all time. I literally had to watch it in bursts because the character of Pat was so real to me.

Alan, thank you for sharing about being a dad with mental health challenges and how the love from your kids is healing. When the recession happened in '08, I remember my dad got overworked and pretty depressed for the next few years. My sister and I were around the age of your oldest, and while we didn't see the whole picture, we knew our dad wasn't his usual self, and we still loved him more than anyone in the world. Your kids will always be better off having you around.

I had counseling trauma so it's really hard for me to open up to therapists or counselors. My first was when a biblical counselor was absolutely adamant that if I was having Panic Attacks, I HAD to be in sin. The second was when a secular therapist that tried to "fix" my anxiety and depression... And then flat out cut me off because I missed a two appointments over the course of three months or so. I finally had a good counselor for three semesters in college... Then I graduated. It is really good for me to see that there are counselors and therapists out there who are awesome!

I am currently binge watching this show while in my depressive episode bc my therapist basically ghosted me and rescheduled like 8 times lmao. Thank you for being my go-to source of compassion.

I love how you guys always upload on Friday. I get so tired during the work days and then I get to have therapy on the start of the weekend.

I love the vulnerability in these men and these conversations are what we need in this world. I subbed right at that moment.

Mason makes me think of Shaggy and Fred if they had a love child 😂 he’s great and I love him 😂 you guys were brilliant, as always 😊

YES! This is such an underrated film. I'm truly excited to see this ❤️🎉😁

When I watched Silver Linings Playbook I was confused whether the ending of them getting together was happy or not.

I am a widow. I watched this movie before I became a widow and watching it now I totally understand it so much better. After my hubby died I didn't give a flying flip about what anyone thought, they had no idea what I was going through so I thibk she wasn't Aspergers I think she was like so many widows/widowers we have gone through this incredible loss and nothing else mattered we don't care what people might think. Sorry for rambling just had to say this. Ya'll are awesome just found this a week ago and love every minute of it.

Just paused this to comment on the whole "my child telling me they still love me is huge." It goes both ways. My dad was undiagnosed a few things when I was a kid, including ADHD. Remembering his diagnosis later in life was one of the things that finally got me to talk to a psychiatrist about whether my diagnosis of anxiety/depression was the entire story. Spoilers: it was not, I am also very ADHD. We just missed it for most of my life bc I've been working so hard at managing it myself...and probably bc I'm a woman, and when I was a kid everyone assumed only boys had that struggle. Anyway, having those conversations with your kids is going to help SO MUCH if they ever start having struggles and aren't sure what's going on.