The central theme of the movie Bhool Bhulaiya is the portrayal of Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). While Freud's theories of "childhood trauma" and "dissociation" as coping mechanisms with reality are justified, the film's inaccurate projection of a "ghost" in the palace and the simultaneous misfortunes in the plot undermine the logic. The therapist is shown as a comical figure who attempts to diagnose the problem and cure it further through "unethical tactics." The psychiatrist, who is a friend of the patient's spouse, moves in with the family and develops a close relationship with the client's associates. The character is successful in symptomatically portraying memory lapses and a disintegrating identity, but the exaggeration caused by the use of "occult" and "hypnosis" to treat her illness utterly detracts from the realism. It gives the idea that the protagonist was possessed by a "spirit" that left her body after the psychiatrist treated her using "hypnosis" since there is an excessive emphasis on "supernatural forces" and "ghastly incidents" in the palace rather than on the scientific basis of the disease.
We often find people around us fearing that a therapist can read an individual's mind. It's a common belief that professionals in the field possess magical abilities that purportedly cure patients. The psychiatrist is also referred to as "jadugar" by characters in the film, and one character claims that the psychologist's work was miraculous in the closing monologue. The psychiatrist, however, is not a magician in any sense; rather, he is a person with appropriate training to operate in a range of contexts who has had professional training in one or more branches or subfields of psychology.
The movie time and again emphasizes on the use of hypnosis. People often link psychology to the reading of the mind, people think that going to therapy means undergoing the process of hypnosis. However, hypnosis is not a form of psychotherapy. Additionally, it is not a therapy in and of itself; rather, it is a technique that can be applied to support many therapies and treatments. In accordance with the American Psychological Association's Division 30 (Society of Psychological Hypnosis), hypnosis is a method or a state brought on by a technique in which suggestion is used to elicit changes in sensation, perception, cognition, emotion, or control over motor behavior (American Psychological Association & American Psychological Association, 1992). To different extents, subjects seem open to instructions to act, feel, and behave differently than they would normally while awake. While the psychologist in the movie has used the method of "hypnotherapy". Hypnotherapy refers to the use of hypnosis in psychological treatment; it can refer to either short-term psychotherapy focused on symptom relief and behavior pattern modification or long-term reconstructive psychotherapy focused on personality adaptation or transformation(American Psychological Association & American Psychological Association, 1992) . Only qualified and licensed health care practitioners (such as psychologists) who have received training in the use of hypnosis and who are acting within the scope of their professional knowledge can perform clinical hypnosis. Hypnosis is rather a tool while hypnotherapy is the process of using that tool.
A client and psychologist are frequently portrayed in the media as being quite casual, amiable, and affectionate. A fairly sketchy representation of the psychiatrist and psychotherapy is made in the film. There are many ethical questions raised by the therapy's informality. The patient's psychiatrist is a well-known acquaintance and has a close relationship with the patient, which is against the ethics rule. When an organization's demands conflict with this ethics code, psychologists should explain the nature of the conflict, publicly state their commitment to the ethics code, and take reasonable action to resolve the conflict in accordance with the general principles and ethical standards of the organization, which clearly lacks in the movie (American Psychological Association & American Psychological Association, 1992).
Even when the therapy is complete, the psychiatrist never actually confronts the patient about her condition, which is equally unethical. He also never tells her the diagnosis. With the exception of situations where doing so is required by law, governmental regulation, or as otherwise specified in this Ethics Code, psychologists must obtain the informed consent of the person or persons before conducting research or offering assessment, therapy, counseling, or consulting services in person, via electronic transmission, or in any other form of communication (American Psychological Association & American Psychological Association, 1992). The movie shows no form of consent from the client, thus misrepresenting the ethical conducts used in real life psychotherapy.
He only observes the patient to make the diagnosis. He never engages the patient in conversation regarding anything pertaining to her. In fact, he examines the patient's background without her knowledge. He elaborates that the approach he may be adopting is risky in one of his conversations about the therapy with the client's husband. In actuality, though, psychologists work to advance the study, teaching, and application of psychology in a manner that is accurate, honest, and true. In these actions, psychologists do not steal, cheat, commit fraud, use deception, or purposefully misrepresent the truth (American Psychological Association & American Psychological Association, 1992). Psychologists work hard to maintain their word and steer away from risky or ambiguous commitments (American Psychological Association & American Psychological Association, 1992).
To conclude, despite the fact that the film completely undermines realism, at least it acknowledged the existence of a mental health condition, in contrast to other media that portray false and unrealistic stories and spread more myths and misconceptions about mental health and psychology in general.
References
American Psychological Association & American Psychological Association. (1992). Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct. American Psychological Association.
Barabasz, A. F., & Barabasz, M. (2015, April 7). The New APA Definition of Hypnosis: Spontaneous Hypnosis MIA. American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, 57(4), 459–463. https://doi.org/10.1080/00029157.2015.1011507
Bhool Bhulaiya. (2007).
Ed., V. G. R. (2015, May 9). APA Dictionary of Clinical Psychology. American Psychological Association (APA).
Shah, N. (2021, December 21). Common Myths and Misconceptions about Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy. ICHARS. Retrieved October 18, 2022, from https://instituteofclinicalhypnosis.com/hypnosis/common-myths-hypnosis/
Torem M. S. (1992). Hypnosis: lingering myths and established facts. Psychiatric medicine, 10(1), 1–11.
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Zimmerman, I. (1997, May). Portrayal of stuttering in movies and on television. Journal of Fluency Disorders, 22(2), 156. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0094-730x(97)89337-0
Zimberoff, D. (n.d.). What Is the Difference Between Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy? How does hypnotherapy work? Retrieved October 18, 2022, from https://web.wellness-institute.org/blog/bid/256330/what-is-the-difference-between-hypnosis-and-hypnotherapy
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