Understanding Emotions and Pain: Lessons from Inside Out 2

***movie spoiler alert***

I had the chance to watch Inside Out 2 with my children and goddaughter, and it has led me to reflect on the clinical gems in both this movie and Inside Out 1. As a paediatric physiotherapist with a special interest in paediatric pain and holistic treatment of children, it was an incredible experience! How the emotions interacted reflected the internal struggle many of us feel during change, trauma or injury. I love how these movies give children concrete objects for very abstract concepts. A significant aspect of our work at Nurture Paediatrics involves understanding how emotions like anxiety, sadness, joy, fear, and anger impact physical pain. Movies like Inside Out 2 provide a concrete framework for children to understand the abstract interactions between emotions and sensations. These insights are invaluable in clinical settings, helping children articulate their feelings and understand the complexity of their emotional experiences.

One of the standout new emotions in Inside Out 2 was Anxiety. Both humorous and intense, Anxiety initially seemed cooperative but soon overwhelmed the other emotions, dramatically impacting Riley’s friendships and coping mechanisms. This portrayal is strikingly accurate: anxiety often becomes obsessive and controlling, sidelining other emotions like joy and leaving children and adolescents feeling hijacked by their brains.

The movie's depiction of a flexible sense of self, shaped by positive and anxious cognitions, was particularly moving. Seeing how Riley’s sense of self-evolved through the interplay of all emotions was a poignant reminder of the importance of a balanced emotional system. As parents and caregivers, your role in providing a safe, supportive space for children to express their emotions is crucial. This supportive environment fosters a healthy sense of self, even amid the emotional ups and downs of development, and your efforts are instrumental in this process.

In summary, I think this movie is worth a watch for all children and adolescents. Open those conversations, reflections and space to understand and express emotions. Now, to convince the movie makers to add pain in as a sensation and emotion in the next movie- made more potent by sadness, fear and anxiety but supported and calmed by joy- wouldn’t that be a great sequel