Both film and fiction have the power to do much more than simply entertain. They can also educate, as is the case with Stephen Chbosky’s young adult novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower (which was also made into a film starring Harry Potter alum Emma Watson). This book is about Charlie, a high school freshman who becomes friends with a group of seniors who show him a good time, but unconsciously help him confront his trauma. That sounds like a happy ending for the fictional Charlie, but what can The Perks of Being a Wallflower show young and adult readers about trauma and how to survive it? First, let’s look at the different types of trauma we see in this story.
Relational Trauma
You don’t need to be a treatment professional to recognize that Charlie is struggling with some mental health issues and displaying clear symptoms of trauma. For starters, his best friend commits suicide, leading him down a spiral of depression. As a result, he withdraws from social activities and makes no effort to find new friends. That isolation, a common response to trauma, only makes things worse.
Family Trauma
Charlie has had blackouts where he does things and has no memory of them happening. We see a series of flashbacks about his admired Aunt Helen who died in a car crash on his seventh birthday. What Charlie does not realize until the end of the book is that his Aunt Helen molested him when he was a child.
Sexual Abuse
We also find out that Charlie’s Aunt Helen was molested by a family friend a long time ago. Because she never resolved her own abuse, she let that cycle of abuse continue and became an abuser herself.
Physical Abuse
Abuse shows up in other ways in the story, too. Even though Charlie’s sister, Candace, has never been sexually abused, she was in a physically abusive relationship with her boyfriend. He hit her, but she consistently made excuses for him and stayed with him because she felt like she deserved it and that men were known to be dominant. This shows how people accept abuse when they feel like they deserve it, ultimately perpetuating the vicious cycle.
Trauma Triggers
Charlie used friendship as a way to cope with his negative feelings. He was starting to feel like he was fitting in with a group of people who accepted him. He used that as a life vest for when things got tough. He saw that all of his new friends were dealing with troubles just like him, but it also became hard for him to continue seeing the pain they were in, as it reflected his pain.
Confronting Trauma
Unaddressed trauma doesn’t stay hidden forever. Past pain makes itself known in the present. When Sam and Charlie get together for the first time, Charlie experienced flashbacks of what his aunt did to him and started experiencing suicidal thoughts. By the end of the book and film, Charlie’s untreated trauma is just too much to push down anymore. Charlie is forced to confront his trauma by staying at an in-patient facility. By confronting his own trauma, Charlie was able to participate more with his friends and family.
Trauma Tally
For those keeping score, Charlie and his loved ones are racking up quite a bit of trauma throughout this story. The Perks of Being a Wallflower includes:
- Suicide – Charlies loses a close friend
- Loss of a Family Member – Charlie’s aunt dies in a car crash on his birthday
- Sexual Abuse – Charlie is sexually abused by that same aunt, who was also abused
- Physical Abuse – Charlie’s sister overlooks/excuses physical abuse by her boyfriend
Caused by the experiences listed above, Charlie’s trauma or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) leads to some very common symptoms of childhood trauma in adults:
blackouts, suicidal ideation, an inability to connect with others, depression, and isolation.
“Big T” vs. “Little t” Trauma
Hopefully, your life has not been as filled with dramatic experiences as Charlie’s. That doesn’t mean you haven’t experienced trauma. While we often think of trauma in terms of life-threatening events, being the victim of a violent crime, living through a natural disaster, or experiencing combat, “little t” traumas can compound and wreak just as much havoc on your mental health.
Examples of “Little t” Traumas
- Witnessing violence or abuse
- Experiencing bullying or harassment
- Losing a loved one (e.g., friend, family member, even a pet)
- Going through a significant loss (e.g., job loss, divorce)
- Experiencing chronic stress or neglect
- Being rejected or abandoned
- Minor injuries that cause significant pain or fear
Film as a Treatment Tool
At The Guest House, we recognize that film is a powerful artistic medium. It combines the transportive nature of storytelling, the captivating properties of imagery, and the mood-setting abilities of sound into a single experience allowing us to get lost in the narrative and the characters. Even when the situations presented in a movie are not factual or realistic, we can find meaning in the way the story unfolds and the characters interact with one another. The ability to relate to a movie — to feel empathy for characters and place ourselves in hypothetical scenarios — can be an excellent therapeutic tool.
The Guest House’s Cinema Therapy encourages participants to view, connect with, and analyze films, particularly those that depict characters and events relevant to their own experiences. Sometimes, conversations about difficult subjects like trauma, addiction, or mental health need a catalyst like a movie to encourage honest and open discussion. Broaching some topics can be easier for both therapists and their clients when movie characters and their actions are used as a starting point.
How to Heal From Childhood Trauma (or Any Trauma)
The themes in The Perks of Being a Wallflower reflect what many go through after a traumatic experience. Whether you’re dealing with symptoms of childhood trauma in adulthood or experiencing negative effects from more recent “little t” or “big T” trauma, The Guest House can help. We work with both men and women over 18 to provide treatment for addiction and co-occurring mental health issues caused by trauma. Our personalized programs employ evidence-based treatment methods and group and individual therapy alongside holistic offerings like conscious connected breathwork, equine therapy, art therapy, grief therapy, cinema therapy, mindfulness, and more for whole-body healing. If unresolved trauma is holding you back, call us today at 855-876-3884. We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.