Bat Therapy: Mental Health through the Lens of Comics and Film

Psychologist Dr. Emilia Brown provides her Recruitment Assessment for the Avengers Initiative on The Punisher / Frank Castle. Spoiler Alert: Probably not a good fit. We highly recommend The Punisher: One Last Kill . Excellent from a psychological perspective.

Wait. There’s an MCU team-up with HEALTHY approaches to relationships and team dynamics? Heck yeah there is! We love The Marvels . Watch it. Then watch Ms. Marvel , because Kamala Khan continues to be one of the most delightful characters we have talked about. We have no idea if these characters will be in Avengers: Doomsday , but we hope so.

Psychologist Dr. Emilia Brown provides her Recruitment Assessment for the Avengers Initiative on Scott Lang, the current Ant-Man. Do Scott Lang’s optimism and easy-going nature make him a prime candidate for the Avengers or is he too prone to getting himself caught? Dr. Brown and Keeden may disagree about whether his biggest worth to the Avengers is that he is expendable, but one thing is for sure...

Psychologist Dr. Emilia Brown provides her Recruitment Assessment for the Avengers Initiative on Daredevil / Matt Murdock. Although he might not be in the upcoming movie (we shall see!) , his character could have potential uses for an Avengers team. We discuss the start of season two of Daredevil: Born Again, and Dr. Brown reacts to Dr. Heather Glenn’s unethical use of the MMPI.

With all the death and restructuring of leadership, how will Wakanda show up in Avengers: Doomsday? And what will the combination of Shuri, M’Baku, and Namor look like given what happened in Wakanda Forever? A psychologist weighs in.

We explore the unique experiences of mutants with the x-gene and what helps them create such effective teams. We speculate about how the X-Men will appear in the upcoming Avengers movie.

Psychologist Dr. Emilia Brown provides her Recruitment Assessment for the Avengers Initiative on Thor, God of Thunder. Perhaps the Avenger with the most personal growth in the MCU, how might Thor be different in Avengers: Doomsday? And what is it that makes someone worthy to wield the hammer Mjölnir?

Psychologist Dr. Emilia Brown provides her Recruitment Assessment for the Avengers Initiative on Steve Rogers. What character traits are relevant when considering him for the Avengers? How might his becoming a father affect his ability to self-sacrifice? Can he maintain a sense of identity without being the one called Captain America?

In preparation for Doomsday, we use psychology to explore the team dynamics of the MCU’s Avengers. We look at what makes this team so hard to keep together and why not every superhero is the best teammate. Bonus: hear us argue about whether Tony Stark is Marvel’s version of Bruce Wayne. Psychology Source: https://www.apa.org/news/podcasts/speaking-of-psychology/teamwork

We introduce our season, a series of psychological case studies of the MCU characters who will return in Avengers: Doomsday. Keeden shares what he’s found out about the upcoming movie while Dr. Emilia Brown talks about what a ‘case study’ is and why case studies can help us love the MCU even more.

Journalist Jacob Ward joins us as we use Tony Stark and Ozymandias to explore the psychological dangers of when technology is created and distributed without limits. Bonus: stick around until the end to find out Jake’s perspective on how journalists are portrayed in comics! Jacob Ward has a background in technology journalism and behavioral science with experiences that include 6 years as technolo...

Keeden brings the comic book knowledge and Dr. Emilia Brown brings the psychology research to help us figure out if Bruce Wayne can truly be a superhero when he has so much money. We also explore whether psychology can answer the age-old question: Is Batman’s superpower his wealth? Source: https://www.apa.org/news/podcasts/speaking-of-psychology/wealth-empathy

We use the Fantastic Four’s Mister Fantastic to explore the similarities and differences between high intellect and Autism Spectrum Disorder. Dr. Brown shares information on autism and the importance of finding good sources when trying to self-diagnose. Source: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/autism-spectrum-disorder

This episode has SPOILERS about the newest Fantastic Four movie. We share our thoughts on the movie, including Keeden’s annoyance at enjoying the movie. Dr. Brown explores if people’s reaction to Mister Fantastic’s directness and honesty in this multiverse would be an expected psychological reaction in our own.

For our Halloween episode we went with one of Keeden’s favorites, Van Helsing. We explore how Van Helsing’s personal experiences help to overcome prejudice and the struggle we all have in trying to overcome our initial reactions to a “monster” like Frankenstein’s who may be the most human of them all.

Since the beginning, comics have been a way to explore a variety of social injustices. We talk with Michael Miller, a justice-oriented theological consultant. Michael designed and taught a private high school class called MARVELous Justice that looked at the intersection of comics with social justice. Listen to this episode to find out why the school’s Catholic Sisters approving content on Black P...

We use last week’s episode on the Super/Bat storyline to explore if Batman’s stubborn resolve, attention to details, and perfectionism are part of Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder. Dr. Brown also describes the differences between this personality disorder and OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder). Learn more about OCPD at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK597372/

If you have wanted to see what Batman would be like with Superman’s powers, then we highly recommend this 4-part comic book series, Super/Bat (Superman/Batman Vol 1 #53-56 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superman/Batman ). We provide a psychological breakdown of how getting superpowers may not be as much of a gift for Batman as one might think.

With a background in rehabilitation for mental health disability, Dr. Emilia Brown uses Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood to talk about how hard it can be to recognize and correct ableism in our society. Fullmetal does not shy away from characters who have physical disabilities. Still, creating empowering and respectful representations of disability is complicated - - so how did Fullmetal do?

How can we possibly begin to move on from tragedies like death, war, torture, and loss? Hear a clinical psychologist and her nerdy counterpart explore the ways Edward and Alphonse Elrich, Scar, Colonel Mustang and others try to move on in life after the violence they have experienced and, in some cases, participated in themselves.

In this engaging conversation, Dr. Emilia Brown and Keeden Hopkins explore the complexities of therapy for magic users, discussing the ethical dilemmas, coping mechanisms, and emotional well-being of characters like Agatha, Loki, and Dr. Strange. They delve into how magic influences therapy dynamics, the philosophical implications of using magic in therapy, and the unique challenges therapists fac...

Despite how this movie differs from the comics, it is an enjoyable watch. We explore Constantine’s understandable cynicism and how his focus on what is most important helps to keep him going in the face of going to hell.

How would Dr. Brown adapt psychotherapy for a vampire? We answer the questions you didn’t know you had. Why might a vampire go to therapy? Does a vampire need a therapist who is also a vampire, or are there advantages to finding someone warm-blooded? Would vampires have mental health disorders and, if so, would they be like the human versions? Does vampirism involve its own unique version of moral...

Nothing like using your lifelong resilience in the face of extreme violence and racism to help prepare you for a sudden realization: vampires are real. Is becoming a vampire the solution to life’s problems?

We compare the witches’ road in Agatha All Along to a new therapy being researched for auditory hallucinations called AVATAR that helps people visualize and confront psychosis-related voices. We also discuss ways that technology may change psychotherapy over time. More info on AVATAR Therapy: https://wellcome.org/news/avatar-digital-therapy-could-help-people-who-hear-voices