Characters on the Couch
Film & Television Blog
by Dr. Sandra Cohen
STAGE FRIGHT
If You’re Terrified To Perform
There’s An Answer
Joan Acocella’s comprehensive New Yorker piece (August 3, 2015) “I Can’t Go On!” concludes: “There seems to be no cure for stage fright.” That’s not true. For stage fright to be cured or at the very least tolerably minimized, a deeply personal understanding must be found for each person’s fears. I’m a psychoanalyst who treats…
AMY
Finding The Real Amy Winehouse
Amy Winehouse tragically became the brunt of cruel jokes by comics the likes of Jay Leno. Every symptom of her psychological suffering was up for grabs: her bulimia, drug addiction, and her state of mind: “She’s like a mad person.” It’s not that simple. Amy, the sensitive, sad, and revealing documentary by Asif Kapadia, sets…
THE IRRATIONAL MAN
If I’d Been The Script Therapist
For Abe Lucas
Woody Allen’s new film, The Irrational Man, gives us a troubled philosophy professor, Abe Lucas (Joaquin Phoenix), in an existential crisis. Although Abe is an expert in Existentialism, he can’t live its system of belief. He’d have to find meaning in his life and live it to its fullest, in spite of its limits (or…
