Victor Bloom MD
Why Mumford? In the movie, "Mumford," that was the shrink's name, same as the town he came from. Further, the writer of the screenplay went to Mumford High School in Detroit, where some of the smart kids in Detroit used to hang out.
Regardless of the cryptic title, the movie is entertaining and thought-provoking. The psychotherapist is seen doing unusual things. He throws out of his office a sleazy, greedy lawyer. He breaks professional confidences. He talks about himself. He answers questions. He has a relaxed, mellow manner. Most of all, for those who he allows to visit him on a regular basis, he is a great listener and healer. People confide in him and he turns them into patients and fixes what's wrong.
It turns out he has no special training or credentials. He just decided to do it. He was on the lam from the Feds anyway. Why not stop in a town with the same name as his? He sets up his office, decorated with phony diplomas, and proceeds to do good work. Not limited to the confines of the 'talking-cure,' he acts. He hangs out with the unhappy, frustrated, skate-boarding town billionaire. He gets a lady back to walking, despite the fact that she had no energy. She thought she had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. He falls in love with her and she with him. She gets better.
Just about everybody gets better by virtue of his creative genius. Perhaps successful therapists are born, not made. Perhaps breaking rules is necessary. Perhaps obeying rules mindlessly is overly constraining. The film maker obviously knows his way around psychotherapy and psychopathology. The back and forth between doctor and patient is more or less familiar. The audience gets a glimpse of what real psychotherapy might be like, as the deviations in the film are rather obvious.
Why the deviations? Why the lies and deception? People have their own reasons to do what they do and choose what they choose. The process is not entirely conscious or rational. In fact, our most important decisions are almost always unconsciously determined, the decisions which lead to career choice, the decisions which involve the choosing of a life-partner or love interest.
In one case the movie shows how the erotic fantasies of one man go nowhere, making him miserable and feeling inadequate and unlovable. The therapist suggested turning these fantasies into pulp fiction, and voila!, the man is a bestselling author and happy as a clam. Since he is now rich, the girls don't seem to care much about his looks.
It is also true that in real life, creativity is usually released in successful psychotherapy. The creative urge had been dammed up with repression and other defense mechanisms, and the primitive part of the mind can be buried, the very crucible of creativity. The unconscious is a storehouse of mythic symbols and magic, primitive emotions and urges. It is a source of curiosity, playfulness and spontaneity. Without access to these qualities, life becomes very dull, boring and burdensome. When the unconscious is unduly constrained, the person is among the walking wounded, something like a zombie, half dead.
With an impacted creative drive, the result over time is depression. The sadness is due to a real loss of potential, and a loss of vitality that goes with not being in touch with one's childhood. Adults who are charming and engaging have a certain childlike quality, which we unfailingly observe. If we tend to envy these people, perhaps some essential childhood quality is missing in us. Some people just seem to be having more fun, and it makes no difference if that person is rich or poor, successful or unsuccessful by material standards.
"Mumford" is a playful romp in the world of psychology and psychotherapy, and in case anyone is contemplating checking out this now century-long process in which psychotherapy has evolved, a visit to the theater might just be in order. It is always interesting to compare notes with other viewers about the obvious deviations from accepted technique. The message seems to be, and the traditionalists hate this thought, that training and experience hardly matter when effecting a 'cure'.
What seems to matter the most is a good heart, a facile brain, a glib tongue, and a sincere wish to be of help. It also seems to help to be open and honest, free and spontaneous, calm and relaxed. Then the therapist becomes a role-model of mental health. It magically becomes irrelevant that the so-called professional has no requisite training or experience, and is a fugitive from the law.
Half the patients need to open up and pour out the dark recesses of their souls. The other half is impulsive and disorganized and needs to think things out and develop some constraints. Effective psychotherapists distinguish between these two main types and help their patients exercise controls or exercise their potential for greater freedom of thought and action. Creativity always involves a balance between freedom and control.
Happiness is not just a warm puppy. Happiness comes when there is a unique and adaptive adaptation in the individual to his/her needs for freedom and control. You will see in "Mumford" what happiness means to the various unique characters in the film. See which one(s) you identify with, and check these perceptions out with family and friends. Thoughtful discussion will ensue and important insights will be gained.
Dr Bloom is Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Wayne State University School of Medicine. He is a member of the American Academy of Psychoanalysis and on the editorial board of the Wayne County Medical Society. He welcomes comments at his email address--- vbloom@comcast.net.