Therapist Reacts to INSIDE OUT

Licensed Therapist Jonathan Decker examines psychology, relationships, family dynamics and more in this deep dive into Pixar's masterpiece: Inside Out.

Jonathan shares his insights from a decade of professional marriage and family therapy to examine the themes and ideas presented in Inside Out, to see what the filmmakers got right, and horribly ruined (not much, really.) Alan says some things too. His insights are of middling quality.

Also, Alan cries.
Like, a lot.

You can also find it on Disney+.

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Cinema Therapy is:
Written by: Megan Seawright, Jonathan Decker and Alan Seawright
Produced by: Jonathan Decker, Megan Seawright & Alan Seawright
Edited by: Alan Seawright
Director of Photography: Bradley Olsen
Russian Transcription by: Alena Petriaeva

[jc-]

“There is a type of love that is only experienced through sadness. There is a type of joy that is only experienced through grief.”
Boy, that hit me hard.

[amberhan]

""You just need to try harder"
Trying isn't the issue"
oh my god how to send this to my mom without sending it to her

[laviniabaricuatro]

“We’re crying but the crew is ugly crying”
that’s me. Im crew.

[astridafklinteberg]

Pixar films are NOT kids films; they’re animated films that are appropriate for kids. They’re engaging on SO many levels.

[nos]

"And I need therapy."
"So, so much."
*Mood*

[Boowaluu]

It always hits me hard when they show that the mother is run by Sadness and the father is run by Anger, yet it's still a happy family. It shows how multi-faceted emotions really are. Sadness doesn't always mean upset, it also means compassion, empathy, understanding. Just like anger isn't always rage, it can be passion, determination, confidence. Goes for the other ones too, Fear can be cautious or strategic, and Disgust is also pride, standards, and morals. You don't need to be happy all the time in order to be whole. Your emotions don't define YOU, it's your perspective that defines your emotions.

[pnar]

"Positivity is a wonderful thing, as long as it's real."
That hit me like a truck...

[thatguy-tyqv]

You guys missed something. One of the things that makes this movie so brilliant is one line that most people miss. When Riley's mom tells her that they need to "put on a happy face" for her dad. That is the seed that causes everything that comes after. What makes this such an important moment is that it's so incredibly accurate to life. One innocuous, seemingly innocent, comment can totally screw a kid up. From this moment on, Riley feels like she's not allowed to be anything but happy. And that's when Joy starts trying to stifle her fellow feelings. Kids take everything to heart and they did an amazing job of showing that. I feel like it's one of the most important moments in the movie and I'm bummed I didn't get to hear you guys talk about it.

[sweesbees]

it’s actually quite clever how easily joyful memories turn to sad ones when touched by sadness, because that’s the nature of memories. you can be happy that you have these memories, but it can easily turn to sadness when you realise that it’s not like that anymore and things have changed as you grow up.

[julienwolf]

I just realised now that joy has blue hair, Sadness's color, she's the only in one among the other emotions to have a hair color not matching her own. A clever visual clue to show that the ending is also Joy accepting that part of herself will always come from sadness.

[Psychwriteify]

This film is a crash course in emotional intelligence.

[SlitherWhisp]

You know a movie maker has talent when the "death" of an imaginary friend makes you cry. RIP Bing Bong. Your passing was a true showing of how parts of our childhood die as we mature.

[juniperberryyyy]

"I'm a therapist, and I love movies."
"I make movies, and I need therapy."
Is this what the yinyang is supposed to represent?

[paolaronquillo]

2 grown men being honest with themselves and to each other while enjoying movies. I'm hooked.

[amk]

"Sure, I cried when I watched the movie but I won't cry in a 27 minute video about the movie, " I thought naïvely

[beingbeckeroni]

Alan’s daughter saying “her memories are yellow and blue now” 😢😭 Now *I’M* ugly crying… art giving children the vocabulary and tools to express themselves ALWAYS gets me. ❤

[heathersanders]

Something that’s also great about this movie is that Riley’s parents actually hear her, when she tells them she wants to go back they don’t say “well we live here now”, they basically say “You’re not alone in mourning and missing Minnesota, we miss it too, with you”. And that’s such an important validation that gets missed in conversations alot

[elizahart]

"All my happy memories of her are colored in blue" and now I'M ugly crying.

[nc]

"we're crying but the crew right now is ugly crying" ITS OKAY CREW IM WITH YOU

[roftherealm]

My sibling is on the autism spectrum and often really struggles to identify and express their emotions. This movie has been a huge help in our communication. It helped my sibling connect with the idea that everyone has emotions inside them, and what those emotions are. Now when they get upset, I'll ask them "what emotion is inside?" And they can tell me.