Rehabilitating the mind: Avatar (2009), Inception (2010) and the science fiction imagining of lucid dreaming in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder in the U.S. military.

The U.S. military has explored lucid dreaming as an alternative therapy to help soldiers cope with PTSD. This article examines how the popular science fiction films Avatar and Inception have been discussed in the media as illustrations of using lucid dreaming and virtual worlds to heal soldiers' minds affected by modern warfare. The author argues that these media portrayals merge psychology and science fiction to promote fantasies of the endlessly salvageable and invincible American soldier, raising concerns about effective rehabilitation and the cost of veteran care.

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Abstract

Transcultural psychiatry has increased awareness of alternative approaches to mental health and wellbeing, influencing developments in Western psychotherapeutic treatments. In this article, I look at the recent interest in alternative therapies by the U.S. military, which has explored the possibilities of lucid dreaming in order to help soldiers cope with the adverse mental and emotional effects of combat-commonly referred to as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In this context of concerns about effective rehabilitation and the cost of veteran care, I examine the popular science fiction films Avatar and Inception, which have been discussed in the media as illustrations of the potential use of lucid dreaming and digitally created virtual worlds to "heal" the minds of soldiers affected by modern warfare. In these media portrayals, psychology and science fiction come together to envision and promote human-machine fantasies of the endlessly salvageable and, therefore ultimately, invincible American soldier.