Beyond the Screen: Why We Find Our Healing in Cinematic Worlds

Film series like Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, and Wicked have done more than just dominate the box office; they’ve cultivated "cult" followings that span generations. With incredible cinematography and soaring scores, these films do something rare: they create worlds we imagine ourselves living in.

I recently saw trailers and headlines for the new Harry Potter series and the latest movie in the Hunger Games series. Despite the fact that the original movies premiered well over 10 or 20 years ago, these series never seem to lose forward momentum and keep fans new and old coming back for more. As a fan of both series, I was particularly excited to see new versions of my favorite series coming to life. But what is it about these movies that continue to capture our attention? What causes us to rewatch again and again and mark our calendars with release dates?

Rewatching these stories and returning for every new iteration offers more than just nostalgia; it provides the emotional corrective experience we all crave (link Greta’s post?). However, I believe the connection goes deeper. When we see ourselves in these characters, we aren't just observers—we are participants. We project ourselves into their dilemmas, imagining how we would face their trials and, in turn, how we might be freed from our own demons. Their victories become a blueprint for our own. Across franchises like Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, and Wicked, a consistent theme emerges: the corruption of institutional power. These systems are initially framed as benevolent, protective, or "necessary" for the greater good. Yet, as the narrative unfolds, we witness the profound damage caused by any system permitted to operate without accountability.

These films portray a similar story of trauma that I hear every week in my therapy office. Stories about systems of power, control, and abuse that take advantage of small, helpless victims. The system is too big and powerful to be silenced or stopped, so the victim lives in isolation. The system might be big, like organized religion or government. Or the system might be small, like a toxic family or relationship. In either case, the damage caused by unchecked power and control is damaging.

The definition of trauma is a deeply distressing or disturbing experience that overwhelms an individual’s ability to cope; causing lasting negative effects on their mental, physical, social, or emotional well-being. It’s a physiological and psychological "shattering" of an individual’s sense of safety and affects every aspect of an individual’s life long after the traumatizing event (or events) is over. In my work as a trauma-informed therapist, I see how early experiences of trauma continue to impact individuals well into adulthood. Even though each story is different, there is a common theme of abuse or threat done by someone with more power and influence than themselves. The symptoms that follow include helplessness, anger, loneliness, grief, deep shame, and a quest for justice.

In these films, we have a literal front row seat at the traumatic experiences of the main characters. We get to see how the trauma makes these characters complex, flawed, and in many ways - relatable to our experiences.

The Hero’s Burden: Harry Potter

Harry is the "Chosen One," yet his foundation is built on abuse and neglect by the Dursleys. The Ministry of Magic and Wizarding World celebrate him, using him as a symbol of victory and reverence.  However, they turn on him the moment he exposes the cracks in their system. We see the betrayal and the gaslighting as the system tries to discredit him when he exposes their secrets and deception. We watch as Harry and his friends attempt to fight back. Harry’s impulsivity and temper are relatable because he has no outlet for his grief and anger. His life is full of loss and betrayal, yet he finds the power within himself to overcome his weaknesses and win the battle he never asked to fight.

The “Wicked” Truth: Elphaba

Elphaba lived a life of oppression and racism; excluded and isolated because of the things that made her different and at the hands of her own father. In her story we see a created villain, the one who was labeled “wicked” when she saw behind the literal and proverbial curtain. Her story is captivating because we watch her reclaim her voice, even when the system prevails, making her a symbol for anyone who has been silenced and rejected for speaking the truth.

The Survivor’s Reality: Katniss Everdeen

Katniss Everdeen is perhaps my favorite because we see the raw complexity of her flaws and strengths. We see the impulsivity and temper, the way she pushes people away that try to help her, believing herself so flawed and unloveable she hurts the people that care for her most. In Katniss, we see the true result of a life lived in survival mode. Katniss has no choices and nothing to lose. The Capital attempts to use her as their pawn in their quest to maintain power; we see the uprising of followers that connect with her spirit of justice. Her path to victory is not without setbacks and collateral damage. But we see an example of someone that refuses to be defined by her trauma.

The cinematic arc of a broken, abused child to a hero that defeated the system is similar to the healing process in therapy. The road to healing and victory is messy and, similar to the big screen, the end result doesn’t always look like everything falling perfectly into place. Victory is still full of pain, heartache, and learning to live life in a different way. But the enduring legacy of these films lies in their ability to provide a blueprint for resilience. By watching characters navigate betrayal, isolation, and systemic abuse, viewers find a safe space to process their own "demons." Ultimately, these cinematic worlds suggest that while trauma may be a part of one's origin story, it does not have to be the final word; like the heroes on screen, individuals can reclaim their agency and refuse to be defined solely by the systems that sought to break them.

Resources:

SAMHSA’s Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma (Book by Bessel van der Kolk, M.D.)

The Clinical Blur: Distinguishing Between Relatable Content and Real ADHD

If you’ve spent any time on TikTok or Instagram lately, you’ve likely seen a video that looks like this: a creator points to a list of "relatable" quirks—like losing your keys, liking coffee, having twenty browser tabs open, or my most recent favorite, showering backwards—and ends with the caption: “Did you know this was a sign of ADHD?”

While these videos help reduce stigma and build community, they’ve also created a clinical blur. By rebranding universal human experiences as symptoms, they often minimize the actual impact of the disorder. This leaves many wondering if their struggles are a legitimate neurodevelopmental issue or just a trendy list of relatable habits.

Real ADHD is far more than a collection of quirks; it is a life-altering condition. If you’ve scrolled past these videos and felt confused about your own symptoms—or if you're considering an evaluation—this blog will help clear up the misconceptions between "social media ADHD" and the clinical reality.

Relatability vs. Impairment

The primary difference between social media "symptoms" and a clinical diagnosis is the threshold of impairment.

• Social Media ADHD: ADHD is presented as a collection of relatable behaviors - forgetting why you walked into a room; losing your keys or phone and running late to work; forgetting to send the Venmo; getting really excited about a new hobby. These videos go viral because they are universally relatable, providing a sense of community for everyone who occasionally feels scattered.

• Clinical ADHD: For those with ADHD, it isn’t just about occasionally forgetting, or remembering to do the thing; it’s about how often the thing happens and how much it ruins your day/week/month/life. To meet the clinical criteria (DSM-5-TR), symptoms must significantly interfere with your ability to function in two or more settings (like work and home). So, it’s not just "losing your keys"; it’s losing your keys so often you’ve been late to work four times this month and are facing disciplinary action. It’s not realizing you’ve forgotten why you walked into the room until several minutes or hours later because you got distracted by something else. This cycle of distraction leads to lost time, a mountain of unfinished tasks, and a demoralizing shame spiral.

The "Superpower" Myth

On social media, hyperfocus is often rebranded as a productivity hack or a "superpower" in that it allows for long, sustained periods of attention and focus; allowing individuals with ADHD to accomplish big, creative projects.

• Social Media ADHD: Presents hyperfocus as an on-demand productivity hack where you suddenly become a genius at a new hobby or deep clean your house in a few hours. Relatability comes into play here as well because who hasn’t gotten super excited about a new interest or hobby; stayed up way too late finishing a book; or felt a surge of motivation to complete a boring task or chore. Hyperfocus is clinically different from high interest or motivation.

• Real ADHD: Hyperfocus is actually dysregulated attention. The brain gets "locked in" on a task and cannot easily stop or transition. While it can be productive, it is rarely a choice. You might spend six hours researching Victorian wallpaper while forgetting to eat, missing a doctor’s appointment, or letting laundry mildew. It isn’t a superpower if you can't control it; it’s an involuntary "lock-in" that is often more draining than helpful.

The Source of the Symptom

Social media often misattributes "common struggles" like distractibility and burnout to ADHD, ignoring the underlying why. While stress and lack of sleep can mimic ADHD, the root of true ADHD is biological, not lifestyle-driven or due to a lack of willpower.

ADHD primarily affects Executive Function—the brain’s "command center" for logic, planning, and impulse control. This dysfunction is driven by a chronic shortage or misuse of two key neurotransmitters:

• Dopamine (The Reward Signal): Associated with motivation and pleasure. Low dopamine makes it nearly impossible to start "boring" tasks (like taxes or dishes). The brain instead "hunts" for high-stimulation activities like social media or food to compensate.

• Norepinephrine (The Clarity Signal): Responsible for alertness and prioritization. Without it, the brain cannot filter out "noise"—whether that’s a literal sound or an intrusive thought. This leads to the hallmark disorganization and "inability to do the thing."

The Critical Difference: Everyone experiences occasional impulsivity or procrastination. However, while lifestyle changes (better sleep, less stress) can fix "digital burnout," they do not "cure" the chronic, lifelong neurological hurdles of an ADHD brain.

Why This Matters

Simplifying ADHD into "quirks" risks minimization and misdiagnosis. Procrastinating on taxes or being bored in a meeting is often just a human reaction to a high-pressure world. Clinical ADHD, however, is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition; treating it as a trend discounts the actual suffering of those living with it.

Overgeneralizing symptoms in short videos misses the root of the struggle, leading people to self-diagnose or avoid professional help. This is problematic because anxiety, burnout, and chronic stress can all mimic ADHD but require very different treatments.

The Next Step:

If you see yourself in these videos, use them as a starting point—not a diagnosis. If your "quirks" are causing genuine distress, skip the “ADHD Planner” and see a therapist for an evaluation. A professional can separate lifestyle-driven stress from clinical ADHD and provide targeted strategies to improve your executive function.

References

Hallowell, E. M. (2023). ADHD explained: Your toolkit to understanding and thriving. DK Publishing.

The Ache of Invisible Loss: Processing Ambiguous Grief

We tend to understand grief through a familiar script. There is a death, a funeral, a season of mourning, and a community that gathers with casseroles and condolences. It is a loss with a clear beginning, middle, and end—a defined “before” and “after.”

But what happens when what you lose never technically dies?

What do you do with the hollow ache of a loss that has no finish line, no ceremony, and no socially recognized place to land?

This is ambiguous grief—the emotional experience of losing something or someone without clarity or closure. It is the mourning of what is still present but profoundly changed, or what never came to be at all. The loss is real, even if it is invisible.

Because ambiguous grief lacks clear markers, it often goes unrecognized by others. That invisibility can make the pain feel confusing, isolating, and difficult to process. Naming the loss is often the first step toward healing.

Common Experiences of Ambiguous Grief

When a Relationship Ends (But the Person Is Still Alive)

One of the most common forms of ambiguous grief follows the end of a relationship—divorce, estrangement, friendship breakups, or being “ghosted.” The person still exists in the world, but they no longer exist in your life in the way they once did.

You are not only grieving the person—you are grieving the future you imagined together. It is the grief of seeing someone familiar become emotionally unreachable, a stranger you still recognize.

The Death of a Life Season

Life transitions often bring unacknowledged grief. Moving from single life to partnership, from no children to parenting, changing careers, or watching children leave home can all stir ambiguous loss.

Even positive, planned changes come with the loss of predictability and identity. Missing a former version of your life does not mean you regret the present—it means you are human.

The Versions of Yourself That Never Happened

Sometimes grief lives in the gap between who we hoped we would become and where life actually led us. Career paths shift, goals remain unmet, and the imagined future quietly disappears.

Letting go of a hoped‑for version of yourself is a real loss. Accepting that loss often takes time, compassion, and intentional meaning‑making.

The Person Someone Will Never Be

Perhaps the most painful form of ambiguous grief is recognizing that someone you love will never be able to meet your emotional needs. This often involves parents, partners, or caregivers.

Grieving who someone cannot be—even while they remain physically present—can feel deeply lonely. It is a loss without closure, answers, or repair.

Making Space for Ambiguous Grief

Because ambiguous grief does not involve a clear loss, it is often minimized—by others and by ourselves. Yet the body and nervous system frequently respond just as they would to traditional grief. Rumination, anger, sadness, longing, guilt, and emotional exhaustion are common.

People experiencing ambiguous grief may move through familiar emotional processes—bargaining, anger, sadness, acceptance—but not in a linear way. Unlike traditional grief, ambiguous grief often does not “end.” Instead, it becomes something we learn to carry differently over time.

Healing does not mean finding closure. It means learning to live with uncertainty, honoring what was lost, and allowing grief to coexist with meaning and resilience.

By naming ambiguous grief, we give ourselves permission to seek support, validate our pain, and begin healing—even when the loss cannot be neatly defined.

References for Further Reading

Boss, P. (1999). Ambiguous loss: Learning to live with unresolved grief. Harvard University Press.

Boss, P. (2006). Loss, trauma, and resilience: Therapeutic work with ambiguous loss. W. W. Norton & Company.

Boss, P., & Yeats, J. R. (2014). Ambiguous loss: A complicated type of grief when loved ones disappear. Bereavement Care, 33(2), 63–69.

American Psychological Association. (2022). Ambiguous loss and the myth of closure. Speaking of Psychology Podcast.

Mayo Clinic Health System. (2023). Coping with ambiguous loss.

Neimeyer, R. A., Klass, D., & Dennis, M. R. (2014). A social constructionist account of grief: Loss and the narration of meaning. Death Studies, 38(8), 485–498.

The Self‑Care Strategy: Building a Life You Don’t Need to Escape From

Self‑care.
If you’re anything like me, you probably sighed—or rolled your eyes—a little when you read that word.

Over the past few years, self‑care has taken on a life of its own. Social media is flooded with perfectly curated images and ads promoting the latest self‑care trend. Most of them require extra time, extra money, or both—and let’s be honest, who has an abundance of either these days?

Despite its trendy reputation, self‑care is essential to our overall well‑being. The problem is that many of us have been sold a version of self‑care that misses the point entirely. It’s not just pedicures, impulse Amazon purchases, or Netflix binges (though those things absolutely have their place). When self‑care gets reduced to occasional treats instead of intentional care, many people end up stuck in a familiar cycle: pushing through exhaustion, burning out, and wondering why they still feel depleted.

Self‑Care: The What (and the What Not)

So what is self‑care, really?

At its core, self‑care simply means caring for yourself. It’s about meeting your needs consistently, not perfectly. Self‑care can be broken down into a few basic areas: physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual. While we all share these categories, what fills them will look different for each person.

I love a good metaphor, so let’s look at self‑care through the lens of caring for a puppy.

• The puppy needs walks and grooming to stay healthy (physical).

• The puppy needs training and challenges to stimulate her mind and build self‑control (mental).

• The puppy needs affection and reassurance that she’s the goodest girl (emotional).

• The puppy needs socialization to learn how to interact with others (social).

Now, what happens if one or two of those needs get ignored?

• Without enough physical activity, the puppy has too much energy and gets into trouble.

• Without mental stimulation, she gets bored and chews things she shouldn’t.

• Without affection, she becomes sad and insecure.

• Without socialization, she struggles with boundaries and relationships.

Sound familiar?

Now Let’s Apply This to You

One of the most common things I hear from people is, “I don’t even know where to start.” That makes sense—our lives are already packed with responsibilities, obligations, and endless to‑do lists.

A helpful place to begin is by creating a Self‑Care Menu. This takes a little upfront effort, but it sets you up for long‑term success.

Start by making a list of activities that fit into each self‑care category (physical, mental, emotional, social, spiritual). Choose things you genuinely enjoy and find life‑giving—not things you feel like you should do.

Next, get realistic about time.

• A walk might take anywhere from 5 to 30+ minutes.

• Many grounding exercises can be done in under 10 minutes.

• Reading, journaling, or working on a puzzle can be flexible.

• Coffee with a friend might take 30–60 minutes.

Once you have your menu, begin weaving these options into your day when small pockets of time appear. Over time, you’ll start to notice which areas need attention and which feel more balanced.

If a puppy has boundless energy, you know she needs a walk. If she won’t stop jumping on the counter, she probably needs some training and structure. The same is true for us. Our stress, irritability, exhaustion, or emotional shutdown are signals—not failures.

The puppy deserves consistent care.
And so do you.

Meet Claire Leech — Now Full‑Time at Summit Family Therapy!

We’re excited to share some great news with our Summit community — Claire Leech, LPC, is officially joining Summit Family Therapy as a full-time therapist! She has passed her LCPC exam and will have her independent license in just a few weeks.

Claire has already been a wonderful part of our clinical community, and we’re thrilled to have her stepping into a full-time role. She brings a calm, compassionate presence and a genuine passion for helping people feel supported, understood, and empowered in their healing journey.

Get to Know Claire

Claire is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor with a Master’s degree in Counseling from Lincoln Christian University and a background in Psychology from Bradley University. She has experience providing outpatient counseling in both private practice and school settings, and she values ongoing learning, collaboration, and thoughtful care for every client she works with.

Her style is grounded, relational, and client-centered — she believes therapy works best when people feel safe, heard, and met right where they are. Many clients appreciate her steady presence and her ability to create a space that feels both supportive and gently challenging when growth is needed.

How Claire Supports Clients

Claire works with adults and couples, helping clients navigate life transitions, emotional challenges, relationship concerns, and personal growth. She is trained in EMDR, Gottman Method (Level I), and attachment- and trauma-informed approaches, and she integrates evidence-based practices with warmth and empathy.

Clients who are looking for a therapist who is attuned, thoughtful, and collaborative often feel especially comfortable with Claire. She takes time to understand each client’s story and works at a pace that feels respectful and empowering, rather than rushed or one-size-fits-all.

She’s also deeply committed to professional growth and collaboration, regularly participating in consultation and continuing education to ensure she’s providing high-quality, ethical care.

Why We’re So Glad She’s Here

Claire’s values align beautifully with Summit’s heart for therapy — connection, collaboration, and care that’s tailored to each individual. Her thoughtful approach and steady presence make her a great fit not only for our team, but for clients who are seeking meaningful, lasting change in a supportive environment.

If you’ve been wondering whether therapy might be a good fit for you — or if you’re looking for a therapist who offers both compassion and clinical depth — Claire may be a wonderful place to start.

Now Seeing Clients

Claire is now scheduling full-time openings beginning April 7th and is welcoming adults and couples who are looking for a supportive, encouraging space to work toward healing and meaningful change.

We’re so glad to have her on board — please help us give Claire a warm Summit welcome!