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Key points
- The therapist depicted in 'The Falcon and the Winter Soldier' may be too eclectic to fit any real-world therapeutic model.
- A search of psychological literature does not indicate empirical support, much less mention, of a soul-gazing exercise as a clinical method.
- Neither psychological professionals nor laypersons surveyed offer any consensus on what type of therapist the program appears to depict.
In the premiere episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe television series on Disney+, the character Bucky Barnes (a.k.a. Winter Soldier, played by Sebastian Stan) must regularly visit with a military therapist as a requirement of a presidential pardon (apparently a conditional pardon) for crimes he committed when previously brainwashed. The character resists divulging much to her and lies at times, to which she indicates that she will report his evasions if he does not start to talk. Played by Amy Aquino, Dr. Raynor takes a confrontational approach in calling him out, a bluntness that may seem at odds with how she has assigned him the task of making amends to a long list of people.
In the second episode, she directs Barnes and Captain America's other previous partner Sam Wilson the Falcon (played by Anthony Mackie) to engage in what she would usually use as couples therapy exercises: the "miracle question" and the "soul-gazing exercise." In reality, the miracle question is one of several questions used in solution-focused (brief) therapy (SFT or SFBT), a goal-directed approach that some social workers developed to facilitate therapeutic change through direct observation of clients' responses to those questions (Dolan & DeShazer, 2010; Lutz, 2013; O'Hanlon, 1989; Pichot & Dolan, 2003). Critics charge that research support for SFT/SFBT may be questionable or scientifically unsound (Gingerich & Eisengart, 2000) and that "there is not a strong evidence basis for solution-focused therapy at this point in time" (Corcoran & Pillai, 2009, pp. 240-241).
A systematic review of SFBT was conducted for its possible role in failing to address problems that led to the death of a child (Woods et al., 2011), after which the investigators deemed, "Although much of the literature has methodological weaknesses, existing research does provide tentative support for the use of SFBT, particularly in relation to internalizing and externalizing child behavior problems" (Bond et al., 2013, p. 707). Regarding the miracle question specifically, it may not be effective with mandated clients who can feel like, "It's not my miracle" (Rosenberg, 2000), though this concern is not unique to this particular method. Court-ordered or other involuntary clients are often less motivated to change and feel less ownership of their own therapeutic progress.
The "soul-gazing exercise" is a puzzle. A PsycINFO search through psychological literature for the term (with or without hyphen) produces only nine results, none of which concern the process presented in the program. Is this something derived from tantric yoga? If so, what does this therapist perceive as the nature of the relationship between these two soldiers, and what exactly is she trying to achieve with this exercise? The men treat it as an excuse for another staring contest until she tells them, "Blink!"
Any clinician could potentially take an eclectic approach in mixing techniques from different therapeutic approaches, and it is also possible that someone working with a client ordered into treatment may have to mix that therapist's standard methods with orders imposed from above (i.e., the amends requirement could possibly, if unlikely, be a pardon requirement, even if it's up to the therapist to determine when the condition has been met). Does Dr. Raynor's methodological mashup match any common form of therapy, or is it idiosyncratic to this counselor's character?
We asked for a view on this topic through social media, drawing from an audience of psychologists, therapists, friends, and fans. To see their answers, visit my Facebook and Twitter pages.
If you have seen the show, what do you think of the therapist who meets with Bucky Barnes? Does she seem like the right counselor for this particular client? What kind of treatment method is that? What are the odds it really will help the Winter Soldier?
Videos: Psychologists and therapists discuss the episodes.
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References
Bond, C., Woods, K., Humphrey, N., & Symes, W. (2013). Practitioner review: The effectiveness of Solution Focused Brief Therapy with children and families: A systematic and critical evaluation of the literature from 1990–2010. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 54(7), 707-723.
Corcoran, J., & Pillai, V. (2009). A review of the research on solution-focused therapy. British Journal of Social Work, 39(2), 234-242.
Dolan, Y., & de Shazer, S. (2007). More than miracles: The state of the art of solution-focused brief therapy. New York, NY: Routledge
Gingerich, W. J., & Eisengart, S. (2000). Solution-focused brief therapy: A review of the outcome research. Family Process, 39(4), 477–498.
Lutz, A. B. (2013). Learning solution-focused therapy: An illustrated guide. Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing.
Pichot, T. & Dolan, Y, T. (2003). Solution-focused brief therapy. New York, NY: Haworth.
O’Hanlon, W. H., and Weiner-Davis, M. (1989). In search of solutions: A new direction in psychotherapy. New York, NY: Norton.
Woods, K., Bond, C., Humphrey, N., & Symes, W. (2011). Systematic review of Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) with children and families [research brief].
Rosenberg, B. (2000). Mandated clients and solution focused therapy: 'It's not my miracle.' Journal of Systemic Therapies, 19(1), 90-99.
