Emotional truths.
I'm loving my second viewing of Inside Out.
I think it's full of emotional truths.
Joy starts out with the dominant hand in the psyche of Riley, the main character. After all, joy and happiness are approved of by us all.
However, when a genuinely life- changing situation thrusts itself upon Riley, Joy is no longer able to be the dominant feeling. Sadness rises up. Quite authentically. After all, life changes bring us all grief, distress and sadness.
The majority of the film explores the psychological meltdown that is caused when Sadness unseats Joy. Sadness is unfamiliar to the psyche of the main character and it takes time for Riley's inner landscape to adjust to the presence of Sadness.
Actually, in the past, Sadness has been used to being marginalised and gently, or not so gently, bullied by Joy into taking a submissive role.
The cure is finally achieved when Joy learns to appreciate the genuine strengths that Sadness brings to Riley, the main character.
While there is much in the film that appropriately appeals to a younger audience, adults can view it as a metaphor of the inner life we all have.
We can all struggle to incorporate and value emotions that we're not familiar with. Anger in others can trigger anger in us. And life changing moments can impact our core identity.
Why not nurture both our Inner Child and our Adult understanding of what makes us tick? Snuggle into viewing Inside Out.
I'd love to hear your spin on it!
Arohanui.
Contact me: Lorraine Dodd: Counsellor in Howick, Auckland 0221 874 057, through the contact section http://lorrainedodd.wix.com/lorraine-dodd by email nurturinghope@gmail.com or Private Message me through Facebook
