 It's a bird, it's a plane, it's superhero therapy, written by Paul Daniel Torres. Today we're going to be talking about the benefits of superhero therapy, specifically through the story of Dr. Janina Scarlett, a licensed clinical psychologist who survived Chernobyl radiation and immigrated to the US when she was 12. As a child, she grew up in the Ukraine. When she was three years old, she and her family were exposed to high degrees of radiation from the Chernobyl disaster. Her health had been changed forever by this. Her body is now incredibly sensitive to changes in weather, like rain and changes in radiation, like meteor showers. These leave her extremely ill, in some instances so ill it's life-threatening. When she got to America, she was bullied by other kids for being radioactive. This is when her love affair with superheroes began. As she watched the first X-Men film, she saw how Storm's power was connected to the weather, just like how she was. Storm quickly became her favorite superhero. She saw just as the X-Men, she was a survivor, and like them, she can take control of her destiny instead of being controlled by her past. The reason the superhero genre is so important is that it is based on the fact that we all dream of having powers at one point or another, whether it's super speed to get to school on time or super strength to stand up to the school bully. Because of these desires, we connect to those characters with powers. Since humans are social creatures, they want to be understood and supported, but it's hard to open up to other people, especially when it comes to mental health. Through finding something to connect with, for example, a superhero, we're given that understanding and support, which will hopefully serve as a vehicle for healing. Dr. Scarlett hopes that by connecting to superheroes, it gets rid of the stigma around mental illness. People will stop seeing themselves as mutants and instead see themselves as the heroes they really are. This is the basis of superhero therapy. Dr. Scarlett says it involves using pop culture in evidence-based therapy in order to help people deal with or recover from different mental illnesses. By connecting to their hero, they connect with their core senses and values. Many people feel held back by their circumstances, such as poverty, physical disability, or mental struggles. Sometimes they also have a hard time connecting to things they care about. For example, creative work, family, and friends. This therapy is designed to help people not only better manage their struggles, but to become their own version of a superhero using the skills and abilities they might already have or are able to learn along the way. The therapy is also trans-diagnostic, which means it can be applied to any mental disorder. As well, people don't have to be veteran comic book readers. It can vary from characters like Harry Potter to Rambo. Personally, my favorite superhero is Spider-Man, particularly Peter Parker. Peter is the fruit of his environment, given a strong moral backbone as a child, but constantly bullied, feeling like he wasn't good enough because of the loss of his parents. This is only strengthened by him causing his uncle Ben's death. Spider-Man is plagued by constant anxiety and self-doubt. He's always asking himself if he's good enough or if he can achieve it. He always wonders if he is worthy or good enough to be a hero. Sometimes we don't know if Peter is driven by his inherently good heart, following the example of his uncle Ben or his own guilt. But despite all his self-doubt, despite all his anxiety, he always reminds himself of the countless times he overcame them. So when Push comes to shove, he knows he has to get things done because failure isn't an option. People's lives depend on him. Spidey shows us that it's okay to have self-doubt and anxiety, and that it's possible to not just survive, but to do amazing and spectacular things. In superhero therapy, I might learn that even though I have some of the same issues, I also have some of the same values, bravery, perseverance, and the capacity to do spectacular things. Who's your favorite superhero? Comment below and don't forget to subscribe!