Pixar's Inside Out as a Dialectical Behavior Therapy-Informed Intervention for Adults

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is an empirically validated treatment for chronic, difficult-to-treat, life-threatening mental health conditions. DBT can be challenging to implement and maintain in managed care systems because of the need for substantial infrastructure and intensive clinician training. As a result, most clients receive components of DBT, known as DBT-informed care. This model is valuable in its own right, including for individuals with less severe clinical symptoms. Additionally, clinicians who provide DBT experience professional benefit. Cinematherapy, the incorporation of film in therapy, uses psychodynamic and social-cognitive mechanisms of change based on the premise that movies can provide catharsis and validation, enhance self-exploration, and support new learning. This article offers guidance for using the movie Inside Out as a DBT-informed therapy intervention for adults. The film demonstrates the value of accepting, before changing, emotions and of the crucial role of validation in psychosocial development and therapeutic healing.