Explore this new cinema-based therapy session in Bandra this Saturday

If yoursquove ever walked out of a sliceoflife movie feeling like a new person ready to conquer life itching to rekindle broken friendships and take all the curveballs life throws at you headon you already know enough about therapist Anupriya Banerjeersquos upcoming cinematherapy sessions in the city This proverbial new person that you feel like for a fleeting few hours after a movie she says might just be your true self ldquoWhat a movie makes you feel the characters you relate to and what it pushes you to act upon says a lot about yourdquo Banerjee statesBanerjee oversees an activity at the Kung Fu Panda screeningLeading up to a session this weekend the Mahimbased therapist gives us a lowdown of the novel concept with a recap of a previous session featuring the movie Kung Fu Panda ldquoJust like the protagonist Po has his herorsquos journey in the movie we are all on our herorsquos journey We discussed how Po tapped into his strengths mdash compassion and community In an activity that followed participants jotted down their obstacles on sticky notes that were placed on the floor and enacted how they want to deal with them when they face themrdquo Banerjee revealsParticipants discuss their learningsWith the Pixar short film Piper lined up for the upcoming session in Bandra the therapist aims to tap into a deeper emotion mdash fear The film follows the journey of a sandpiper who learns what fear is while hunting for food on a beach ldquoWe are all born fearless What is it that instills fear in us thenrdquoBanerjee remarks Participants will seek the answer in the sandpiperrsquos story and later in their own life experiences through open discussions with othersA moment from a dramabased activity during a previous sessionFinding the answer however is a job half done ldquoSimply being aware of what drives your fears does you no good The aim is to frame actionable responses to themrdquo says Banerjee Activities like the empty chair she believes help ldquoWe place an empty chair and assign it an emotion in this case fear Participants take turns to sit face to face and talk to their fearsrdquo she reveals Such an activity the therapist says can help not just the participant but others waiting for their turn too ldquoAt one point during a previous session the participants all joined in to release their suppressed emotions It was a uniquely cathartic experiencerdquo she recallsMuch like a movie the session concludes with resolution ldquoThe experience runs high on emotions and not all of them might be desirable We cool down with an activity where we shake the unwanted emotions off and absorb the right ones before we all head homerdquo reveals BanerjeeThe young sandpiper faces his fear of seas in the short filmAs dramatic as the whole drill might sound cinematherapy is not just for the extroverted or social bunch we learn ldquoLast month I conducted a session for fathers aged 25 to as old as 78 Not the easiest group to work withrdquo Banerjee chuckles adding ldquoThere was a gentleman who was visibly apprehensive He didnrsquot want to act his thoughts out The great part is you donrsquot have to do anything that doesnrsquot come naturally Your body language even if its not as animated as others is enough for a therapist to work withrdquoAnupriya BanerjeeAGE GROUP 16 years and aboveON July 27 6 pmAT Nautilus Candies Pali Hill Bandra WestLOG ON TO doctordramatherapyENTRY Rs 1200