Villain Therapy: Gollum, Smeagol, and Dissociative Identity Disorder

Visit and use discount code CT10 for an additional 10% off on all purchases! Can you overcome greed and selfishness? Can compassion help someone who’s been through and done things like Gollum has? Licensed therapist Jonathan Decker and filmmaker Alan Seawright talk about some of the aspects of Gollum’s personality and journey that could be seen as mental illness, what aspects are just choices he makes, and what may be caused by circumstances he finds himself in (or supernatural powers like the ring. I mean, the precious.) They talk about the differences between multiple personality disorder and dissociative identity disorder, our potential for greed and selfishness, how understanding leads to compassion and compassion leads to healing, and why the Lord of the Rings is one of their favorite trilogies of all time. They also do some pretty great Gollum impressions (and give serious props to Andy Serkis and the VFX team). Jonathan’s note: while the clinical information pr