The comedy "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" takes on a dark topic in its second season: the lingering impact of trauma.
“...Her strategy has been to take her mind to her “happy place,” which is an animated Disney-esque land in which she only feels positive emotions—a strategy that is reminiscent of the disassociation seen in PTSD sufferers. Hopefully in season three we’ll see Kimmy realize that facing her trauma doesn’t mean her “unbreakable” self is actually broken.
“Julie Barthels, ACS, a licensed clinical social worker who has worked with survivors of sexual trauma for 31 years, agrees. “People with PTSD aren’t broken; they’re wounded. They need to have the right environment to heal themselves.”
“Barthels likes to use a piece of paper with the word “self” printed on it as an analogy for experiences like Kimmy’s. After balling up the piece of paper and smoothing it back out, you’ll never be able to make the paper look like it did before. However, although it may be wrinkled and the type might be smudged, “self” is still there.
“And that’s what’s important. No matter what happens to her, Kimmy will always be her unbreakable self, just like any other trauma survivor.”
