Bat Therapy: Psychology of Batman and other Comic Superheroes Dr. Emilia Brown and Keeden Hopkins

You’re a warrior god over 1,500 years old, but when the losses start, they don’t seem to stop. You retreat into yourself, drinking and playing videogames to escape any chance of losing something or someone else. Some people reach out to support you, but most make jokes and fat shame you, not seeing the depression. In honor of mental health awareness month, we talk about Thor’s struggles and what mental health treatments could help.

Batman, superheroes, comics, nerd content… and mental health? After two years of Bat Therapy, we talk about how the podcast got started and why we love doing this thing. (We also couldn’t resist talking about why we love Batman so much.)

You’re Scott Summers, teenage mutant with uncontrollable energy beams that shoot out of your eyes – life is bound to get complicated. Here you are, at school, surrounded by a bunch of non-mutants, and your protective glasses have fallen off. You aren’t sure what you hit with your energy beams and you don’t know what anyone saw, because you have closed your eyes to avoid doing further damage. As you feel more and more panicked, the heat builds up behind your eyelids and it becomes harder to use your other senses to find your glasses. It is the perfect time for mindfulness.

This show has major nostalgia for us. We talk about how the X-Men going to high school with people who do not have the x-gene could have similar benefits to the concept of community inclusion. And listen in as Emilia and Keeden decide if Professor Xavier is a bit too much like Dumbledore in his approach to supporting teenage mutants.

It is finally time to make this real. You have the right outfit, the right equipment. You open the box and see your new combat boots. They are perfect. You take your time, enjoying the feelings of excitement, power, and (a tiny bit of) fear that they bring you.

We love how Babs comes onto the scene – she is unapologetically herself, just looking for a way to help the city she loves without caring what Batman or her father, Commissioner Gordon, has to say about it. Emilia ends up connecting with Batgirl more than she expected. We also talk about how this comic, much like Cognitive Processing Therapy, explores the complexities of trusting someone.