06 - Finding Nemo and The Hidden Therapeutic Gems It Holds.
I be you never expected I would write a blog post on this topic! For those of me who really know me would say “Why did it take so long.” This movie is chucked full of some therapeutic gems follow the link to see what some of them are.
To this day I still have a very vivid memory of seeing Finding Nemo in theaters. It was May 2003 and I was enamored by ocean life. This movie is a staple in my household, of view when I want something easy and relaxing to watch. Even watching the DVD home selection page is truly wonderful.
Throughout the years as a therapist, I frequently quote movies or pull from scenes or iconic characters in session. I am a visual learner and sometimes it can be helpful to have a shared image with my client. Plus, why not do that through the media of film and television? However, one of my most quoted movies I bring to the session is, Finding Nemo, you guessed it!
Today I will be going over 4 themes that I find to have some therapeutic value. I hope this gets you thinking and brings you some joy. Heck, if anything put on the movie and see it for yourself!
Just Keep Swimming
The first time we hear this now infamous quote is after Dory and Marlin escape from Bruce and the shipyard explodes. Additionally, this divers mask, with vital information possibly were to find Nemo, is now lost in the dark depths of the sea. Marlin is frustrated and possibly feels that his lead to finding his son is now lost. However, with Dory’s enthusiasm, she persists forward.
As Dory says, “What do we do when life gets you down?” we keep swimming. Perseverance in the face of difficult things, like an ominous trench, can sometimes be the hardest thing we ever do. I can think of many times I have wanted to give up and sometimes have! But reminding yourself of your strength, your ability to get through difficult situations, or even seeing the finish line can be all you need to keep swimming.
Now there are times when we need to stop and not continue forward. If we are faced with danger of course this would not be good advice to keep going. But in most day-to-day cases taking that deep breath and moving forward can be the best thing we do.
“Nice Trench” - Swim through it, not over it!
In this scene, Dory is told when they reach a trench on their journey to go through it, not over it. Marlin misses this information. When the two fish reach the trench Dory no longer remembers that keep piece of information, but feels like they should go through it. Marlin being his character who thinks he always knows best dismisses Dory and encourages them to go over the trench as it would be easier.
I like to think in this situation that Marlin saw the trench and went “Wow, that’s scary, hum, it will be easier to go over it.” All the time we are faced with what I like to call “a trench moment.” This is a moment, feeling, or situation, where we go “That’s too big and scary I don’t want to deal with that, let me keep doing what I have always done.” However, doing what you have always done, going over the trench, will only lead you through the same jellyfish swarm that leaves you hurt and bruised. When people enter therapy they fear that they will have to swim through that trench alone. Sometimes we need a Dory, therapist/friend/spiritual leader/etc, who can hold our hand and say, “I know this is terrifying for you, but I will walk alongside you.” Plus, swimming through the trench is typically a lot faster than going over it.
DORY: “Well, you can't never let anything happen to him. Then nothing would ever happen to him. Not much fun for little Harpo”
At this point in the movie, Marlin is feeling defeated as he and Dory are now inside a whale’s mouth. He is fearful that he and Dory will be eating and he will never find his son. He goes on to tell Dory that he promised Nemo that he would never let anything happen to him. Dory usually comes in with a great line. It doesn’t appear to make much sense but when you really think about it she does have a point.
What I take from this is that we need to learn from our failures. We are forged from these moments and grow. When working with parents and their teens like to remind them of this scene in the movie. Being a new parent I get it now, you never want anything to happen to this little person, but you have to remember that they can do it. They might not do it perfectly, and they may get their ego bruised, but it’s our job as parents to put up the scaffolding so that they can fail in a safe and supportive way. When we don’t allow others around us to experience life we are taking away their independence, critical thinking, and the chance to learn from their failures. This can be a gift.
DORY: “He says it's time to let go! Everything's gonna be all right!”
MARLIN: “How do you know?! How do you know something bad isn't gonna happen?!”
DORY: “I don’t!”
Toward the end of this scene, we are given our last gem. Marlin is holding on to Dory’s fin as the whale tongue is lifting to get them to go to the back of its throat. Marlin looks to Dory in fear and wants to know how she can be so sure of herself and she does not have an answer for him.
Trust your gut! Throughout the movie we have seen Dory consistently try to trust her gut but Marlin’s overthinking and intellectualizing causes them to get hurt or be led astray. In the book “The Gift of Fear” by Gavin de Becker he talks about the importance and sometimes the life-saving intuition of trusting your gut. I can not recommend this book more! If you have been given safe chances to fail earlier in your life, learned common sense, and are a good critical thinker, trusting your gut and truly be life-saving. Sometimes we don’t know why, but if we follow that primal intuition it can sometimes be the best thing we do for ourselves and others.
I hope you found this post entertaining and insightful. I am curious to hear if you liked this post and would like for me to do more like it. If you thought Finding Nemo was deeply therapeutic, don’t get me started on the movie Inside Out.