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

What good are superpowers if you don’t use them to sit at the top of Mount Everest to reflect and take in the view?

We finally joined forces with Team JVS! Keeden’s podcast and YouTube worlds collide for a review of Invincible. We focus on the psychology of Mark Grayson, a teenager who must learn to manage his superpowers while also dealing with the knowledge that his father is not who Mark thought he was. Sources : Invincible Seasons 1 & 2 (episodes 1-4)

Keeden and Emilia got to hang out in-person this holiday season! To celebrate, we answered your questions. Listen in if you want to hear our thoughts on the future of superheroes, best holiday superhero episodes, and Dick Grayson’s mullet.

As you steel yourself for battle, you practice your martial arts fighting skills with your aunt. But she surprises you. When you tense up to spar, she walks over to you and flattens out your fists. She invites you to flow with the energy around you rather than fighting against it.

Clinical psychologist and fellow Batman enthusiast Dr. Jack Tsan is Program Director of the Multicultural Counseling Institute and the host of the People of Color in Psychology Podcast. He joins us as we talk about grief, the experience of eternal life, and how in holding too tightly to what we have lost we can lose everything else we care about. We also talk about what it is like to see under-rep...

It’s your favorite time of day. You have on your Robin uniform, and you are ready to get on your motorcycle and drive out of the Batcave into Gotham. Let’s take in the moment.

The original Robin, the child who took Batman from solo superhero to Dynamic Duo. Their similar childhood traumas form a unique bond that helps Dick Grayson see beyond Bruce Wayne’s stubborn and stoic exterior. Source: Batman TAS: Robin’s Reckoning

You are Marie Moreau and you can manipulate blood. But then Senator Neuman wants you to do something strange – she wants you to tell her something about herself by sensing her blood. Unsure of what to do but determined to expand your powers, you use mindfulness as your guide.

A college full of superpowered teenagers/young adults…what could go wrong? There are so many interesting tidbits – we talk about eating disorders, inflexible beliefs and odd perceptual experiences of psychosis, the conflict within generation v on how to react to the betrayal of adults they thought they could trust, and so much more.

It is hard to believe we’re already at Season 5! We chat about our plans for Heroes in Training and discuss our thoughts on what makes someone a sidekick. And please chat with us on Discord – we would love to hear from our listeners!

Here is a behind the scenes look at what happens after the recording stops. If you like this content, in Season 5, we'll be adding more of these behind the scenes episodes for our Patreon Supporters! Check out: https://www.patreon.com/battherapy for more information and to support us so we can keep bringing you great content!

Here is a behind the scenes look at what happens after the recording stops. If you like this content, in Season 5, we'll be adding more of these behind the scenes episodes for our Patreon Supporters! Check out: https://www.patreon.com/battherapy for more information and to support us so we can keep bringing you great content!

With the end of the season here, we give out superlatives to the Gotham Rogues Gallery villains. Most likely to succeed at villainy, most popular, best tasting (when Killer Croc is feeling peckish) and more!

Use those spidey senses and fully take in the moment of slinging Spiderman’s web.

Keeden finally gets to talk about Spiderman’s villains! What happens when the “evil villain” isn’t some unknown person, but instead they are your teacher, your mentor, your best friend’s dad? Hear about this and our thoughts on what would happen if Spiderman swapped places with the Dark Knight.

Set your intention and take a break from superheroics to take a mindful run around the world as The Flash.

Keeden finally gets his wish – we talk Eobard Thawne and his obsessive focus on The Flash / Barry Allen. We explore how his anger and persistent vendetta keep him from finding a place he can call home.

Keeden immediately comes up with a Loki-style illusion he can practice conjuring for this Mindful Nerd Moment: making the Statue of Liberty disappear on the 4th of July.

Loki is a great example of how intelligence and wit can be used to deflect from a person’s true self. Loki begins with a hunt for power and domination in order to chase away the fear of not being enough. But it is only when he is forced to let go of the distractions that he can find what he truly wants. Sources : TV show Loki ; MCU films including The Avengers , Thor

This week’s guest, Juan Lopez (owner of the oldest bookstore in the Carolinas – Nostalgia Newsstand), joins us to look, feel, listen, and smell comic books. See what memories and feelings come to you when you take the time to stop and smell the comics.

Juan Lopez is the owner of Nostalgia Newsstand, North Carolina’s oldest comic bookstore located in Greenville, NC. We take advantage of his wealth of knowledge to talk about the history of Hispanic representation in comics, including George Perez’s impact and the power of taking characters beyond the stereotypes. Sources: Check out https://www.facebook.com/NostalgiaNewsstandNC/

Even small decisions can be overwhelming. What is Arnold Wesker to do the first time he is ordering a pizza for the first time without Scarface? Use mindfulness, of course!

Arnold Wesker struggles to separate himself from Scarface, caught in a uniquely toxic relationship that makes him wonder: Who is a ventriloquist without his dummy? We explore this as well as what Arnold Wesker’s mental health diagnosis might be and what it is like to be one of Scarface’s henchmen. Sources: Batman TAS: Read My Lips, Cat Walk, Double Talk

“Cut off one head, two more shall take its place.” Rather than using Hydra’s mantra to bring about world domination, we use this imagery to build confidence and resilience in the face of adversity.

How does a secret, world-dominating organization take over S.H.I.E.L.D. from the inside? We cover this and other topics including how trauma (and being a professional spy) can affect someone’s ability to trust other people. Sources: films Captain America: The First Avenger, Captain America: Winter Soldier