Psychoanalysis And New Media

Two messages regarding the benefits of psychodynamic therapy were available to audiences recently, one created and presented by traditional media, in this case, National Public Radio (NPR), while the other is a product of new media.  If you are a regular listener to NPR in the morning, you probably heard the story entitled “Shop for a Therapist to Avoid the Lemons.”If you have a Facebook page and follow the American Association of Psychoanalysis (APsaA), your feed included a link to Dr. Norman Kohn’s new movie entitled “Ask Your Doctor About Psychoanalysis.”  Besides being a persuasive, accessible explanation of what psychoanalysis does, this video is an intriguing example of how non-journalists use new media.The NPR article talked about scientific studies that demonstrate the effectiveness of therapy for certain mental disorders, and contained an interview of a triathlete who sees a psychodynamically trained therapist as part of her treatment for bipolar disorder.  This broadcast story is a product of reporters, editors, and producers.Dr. Kohn, who is a member of APsaA, created his movie using Xtranormal, which is a website that allows anyone to turn their text into an animated video.   Like YouTube, your video is then available to anyone on the Internet and may be shared via email or social networking sites. Do you agree with the creators of Xtranormal, who state that “Movie-making, short and long, online and on-screen, private and public, will be the most important communications process of the 21st century?”