This past week, my husband and I introduced our five-year-old daughter to Inside Out and then took her to the movie theater to see Inside Out 2 (which, let’s be real, we two 40-year-old adults were basically giddy to see on opening weekend!). 

I saw Inside Out back in 2015 when I was a baby associate therapist, and I remember liking it.

But now, nine years later, I’m both a much more seasoned therapist and a five (nearly six) year parenting veteran. With a lot of thoughts, feelings, and insights about these movies and what I noticed in them.

So today’s piece (and my piece in two weeks) are highlights of what the movies made me – as a seasoned trauma therapist and semi-seasoned mom – think about in our one week double viewing. 

For today’s piece, I’m going to share my insights about Inside Out. And then will follow up in two weeks with additional thoughts on Inside Out 2.

A trauma therapist and mom’s thoughts about Inside Out:

• I am someone with a relational trauma history and as a licensed trauma therapist. When I was watching the beginning of Inside Out, I was feeling really disconnected from the character Joy. Joy doesn’t at all feel like the dominant character sitting around my emotional control panel. Not now and certainly not when I was a kid. And I think many from relational trauma backgrounds might relate to that experience. Our early years were likely colored by overwhelm, fear, confusion, and insecure attachments. Indeed, research shows that chronic stress (particularly PTSD) can lead to restricted positive affect access. Aka challenges feeling happy emotions, like Joy. If you come from a relational trauma history and this character felt a little alien to you, too, know that that’s normal! I’ve written before about how, in our later trauma recovery work, finding out what brings us joy is a healing task many of us face.
• Because that was my lived experience, what felt more accurate was to imagine Joy having a minor, supporting character role. And imagining the characters of Anger, Fear, and Sadness really at the helm of my emotional control panel. Indeed, research suggests that anger, sadness, and fear can not only be dominant emotions in childhood colored by trauma. They can also be predictors of dominant affect in adulthood, too. So if you, too, felt like the “Boss” of your own control panel was not Joy, you’re not alone.