Posts by Dr. Sandra E. Cohen
INSIDE OUT 2: Fear Of Being Alone Triggers Old Trauma & Brings On Anxiety
An old trauma trigger – like the fear of being alone – brings on Anxiety. That’s what happens to Riley Anderson in Kelsey Mann’s Inside Out 2. So, it isn’t just the new emotions of puberty, with Anxiety now taking center stage and pushing away Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger, and Disgust into the “Back of…
Read MoreINSIDE OUT: Why Sadness Matters, Especially After Trauma
Sadness matters. Especially after trauma. Every feeling matters—all the time. Feelings are normal and human. We all have them. Yet, do you – Fight them? Hide them? Feel Shame about them? Want to crawl under a table if they show? Peter Doctor’s Inside Out isn’t just a children’s movie. It’s for everyone who struggles with…
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EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE
ALL AT ONCE
Breaking Out Of Someone Else’s Box
Who chooses what’s “right” for you? In the best of worlds, you do. But, if you’re afraid to trust your own voice, it can be very hard to believe that. Especially when there are people in your life, and other voices inside, who tell you they know the right answers. And, so, in Everything Everywhere…
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NOMADLAND
A Lonely Nomad’s Land of Loss
Loss can feel like a nowhere land of moving aimlessly from feeling to feeling, from place to place, inside your mind. Loss can make you feel like a lonely nomad. You’ve lost the home you know, with a person that you love. There is sadness, anger, and memories – as you grapple with the challenges…
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THE POWER OF THE DOG
Phil Burbank’s Cruelty
What He Hates in Himself
Jane Campion’s chilling new film, The Power of the Dog, has much to say about the adage that what we hate in others is what we can’t accept in ourselves. And, wow, does the character of Phil Burbank spell that axiom out in spades. Sure, he embodies everything there is about toxic masculinity. Yet, what…
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CODA
You’re Entitled to Your Own Life
(Even If Someone Needs You)
CODA, written and directed by Sian Heder, is a beautiful, heartwarming coming-of-age film with a happy ending. Not all difficult stories about trying to have your own life in the face of someone who needs you (read: your parents) end with so much understanding, acceptance, and support. It’s hard to break away and be yourself…
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