A Relational Exploration of Captain Marvel as A Therapeutic Tool to Understand Gaslighting

ABSTRACT

The story in the film Captain Marvel beautifully captures the construct of gaslighting and provides a visual representation of the journey victims experience from being unaware to being fully aware and free from further abuse. As such, viewing this film may grant victims of gaslighting a reference to better articulate this experience. In this manuscript, the authors use a Relational-Cultural Theory (RCT) framework to explore and define the concept of gaslighting, discuss the portrayal of gaslighting in the film Captain Marvel, and finally examine how therapists may help clients understand gaslighting and feel empowered to break free from the relationship or relationships involved. Clinical and training implications are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Gaslighting
• Relational-Cultural theory
• Captain Marvel
• manipulation
• creativity in counseling

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.