Heal Your Heart: Therapy in K-Dramas

DISCLAIMER

Before we dive into the world of therapy in dramaland I want to state that I am not a medical professional, nor do I claim to give any medical advice by discussing these dramas.

If you are struggling, please reach out to your local provider. 

My personal experience with various types of therapy has equipped me with a discerning eye when it comes to the portrayal of therapy in K-Dramas and ultimately inspired me to write this article.

Alas, the dramas I will talk about are far from flawless. I chose to highlight only the good parts and therefore, encourage you to take this article with a grain of salt since it’s written from my personal perspective and I did not intend to give a full review of these dramas.

Be aware that it may contain slight spoilers.

“Healing” has easily become one of my favorite tags when it comes to K-Dramas. There is something about seeing a character deal with an emotional struggle on TV and finding some of the advice on their healing journey applicable to your own life that is becoming more and more popular among drama watchers. But every so often we get a glimpse into something deeper - when “healing” doesn’t come in the form of quitting an exhausting job, doing some soul-searching, or falling in love with a handsome male lead, which let me be clear if that was an option I’d choose Ji Chang Wook, but in the form of therapy.

Facing reality, and acknowledging that there is a problem at place and that you need help can be incredibly hard. Therefore, portraying any form of therapy, a very vulnerable and sacred space, as well as depicting the treatment and care of mental illness can potentially affect viewers who recognize their own struggles in the character’s story and influence their perception of what therapy is like.

There is no bigger drama pet peeve of mine than that of an inaccurate portrayal of therapeutic treatment. Love is not a cure-all for mental illness and if your therapist is judging you for feeling the way you do - RUN! 

With that being said, let us discuss good examples and what we can learn from them.

HORTICULTURAL THERAPY Bio Homme Web Drama  |  8 Episodes  |  Released in 2021  |  Genre: Psychological, Friendship, Drama, Life “When the world wearies and society fails to satisfy, there is always the garden.” - Minnie Aumonier

Horticultural Therapy* is a recognized form of psychological and physiological therapy that uses gardening and plant-based activities in a communal setting guided by a trained therapist to help improve the lives of those dealing with mental health and addiction. It can be beneficial in many ways for example by improving cognitive abilities, socialization skills, task management, endurance, and self-esteem.

^{*Source: American Horticultural Therapy Association}

Given the short duration and not-so-perfect camera work of the web drama Bio Homme I’d almost say it’s like an ad for Horticultural Therapy but in this case, I find it to be refreshing. Whenever therapy is mentioned in K-Dramas it’s usually the classic form of a person either sitting in an office opposite of a white-coat-wearing psychiatrist (by the way that raises the question, do K-dramas think that psychiatrists are the same thing as psychotherapists? Just some food for thought) or it’s someone going to the hospital. Rarely do we see any type of group therapy, which, based on my own experience, could easily provide enough content for an entire 16-episode drama. 

Bio Homme portrays four different individuals with unique problems. A lawyer struggling with alcoholism and depression, a timid young woman dealing with an unwanted pregnancy, a former idol trainee with conduct disorder, and a teenage boy with an avoidant personality disorder. The realistic portrayal of such a group dynamic as well as their initial skepticism towards plant therapy is what made me feel like the screenwriters actually know what they’re writing about. Healing comes in many forms and sometimes, instead of words, activities such as growing a plant, keeping track of its process, and sharing that with others can be more helpful than one might think.

Bonus: At the end of each episode there is a DIY section inviting you to try to make lavender soap, all-natural room fragrance, or teach you how to correctly re-pot a plant. I can only speak for myself but at least one of my houseplants is still alive thanks to Bio Homme.

FOOD THERAPY Dinner Mate Drama  |  16 Episodes  |  Released in 2020  |  Genre: Romance, Life, Drama, Comedy  “What is more important than what you eat is the mindset with which you eat.  Just like life. You’ve done well up until now.”  - Dr. Kim Hae Kyung, Episode 6

Food Therapy*, also known as nutritional therapy, is a relatively new and holistic approach to treating mental health patients by balancing hormones and promoting brain health with the help of nutrition.

^{*Source: Nutritional Therapy for Mental Disorders}

In Dinner Mate the Male Lead, Dr. Kim Hae Kyung, is a psychiatrist and food therapist who specializes in diet counseling and uses dining together with the patient as a therapeutic tool. Although I could not find evidence-based sources to pin down the exact recognized term for this practice, there are more than enough trusted resources out there proving that food and nutrition do not only have an immense impact on our physical health but also on our mental well-being. 

Food can often feel like a warm hug and there is a reason why it’s a coping mechanism for a lot of people. Dinner Mate offers a heartwarming look at how food can be used as a healing tool for a wide range of emotional wounds and struggles in a professional setting. 

I found it particularly interesting how we get an insight into the analyzing side of food therapy and diet counseling. How do our habits while we eat directly reflect our mental state? What kind of meal can help with stabilizing our mood? 

If you ever happen to be heartbroken and hungry, you might find comfort in this drama and the meal prescriptions of Dr. Kim Hae Kyung, which not only meet nutritional needs but also take into account how food makes us feel, the comfort it provides and the sense of nostalgia certain dishes can evoke in us.

Bonus: Some of the meals are easy to recreate and in combination with the comedic side of the drama (especially the cooking part) I was inspired to try and incorporate some nutritious soul food into my diet.

IN-PATIENT PSYCHIATRIC CARE Soul Mechanic Drama  |  32 Episodes  |  Released in 2020  |  Genre: Medical, Romance, Comedy, Drama  No matter what your ‘disease’ may be, don’t suffer alone. If you can overcome it alone, that’s not a disease. The moment you acknowledge your pain,  the healing process can begin.  - Lee Si Yoon, Episode 3

In-Patient Psychiatric Care is the most intense form of psychological treatment and provides around-the-clock care for acute mental health patients. The treatment usually involves various types of psychotherapy and if needed medication.

Although this drama commits therapy sin no. 1 (aka dating your patient) and should be sentenced to life in idolized-romance jail, I found that among all the dramas listed so far, Soul Mechanic offers the most insightful look into therapy as a whole. Largely due to it being part of the main plot but also because of its strong emphasis on normalizing mental health struggles and receiving professional help.

Set in a hospital that offers psychiatric care, Soul Mechanic depicts multiple mental disorders and how they can appear different within each individual. 

What is beneficial to one person, might be ineffective for the next with the same diagnosis. 

It’s open-minded approach, a psychiatrist who will go above and beyond to help treat his patients, down to the detailed explanations of coping mechanisms and strategies such as anger management exercises or breathing into a bag to prevent you from hyperventilating, is what made me feel like it’s not only soothing entertainment this drama provides but also helpful suggestions on how to find healthy coping mechanisms.

Healing is not linear and entering an in-patient treatment facility does not mean you come out a ‘cured person’.

In the case of mental illness, it’s often a lifelong journey of healing and embracing the way you are, and in that this drama had its strong points. Instead of using the cheap ‘one good talk with a therapist and you’re cured’ storyline as a plot device for the leads, we actually get to see how accepting and embracing ourselves can lead to more inner peace and patience with the struggles we face - setbacks and stagnant periods included.

Bonus: Lee Si Yoon, the psychiatrist male lead, hosts a nightly podcast that he calls 'The secret chatter of a psychiatrist'. It was an aspect of the drama that was very well written and it made me wish there was such a podcast in real life, to the point where I sometimes play an episode and skip to a podcast scene just to receive some life advice or to simply feel understood in the human condition that we all endure.

HONORABLE MENTION:

Only You

 (2-episode web drama)

This mini drama might seem quite insignificant since it includes a talking dog and given its short duration, there is not much storyline either. However, it offers us a small glimpse into how animals can be incredibly helpful to people who struggle with a severe social anxiety disorder or other related mental illnesses that prevent one from being able to engage in therapy outside of their home.  The main character in Only You is suffering from Agoraphobia, often described as the fear of leaving the safety of your own home, and has not left the house in over two years. She suddenly finds a dog in her apartment and slowly but surely takes her first steps outside to take it on a walk, something she would not have dared to try on her own.

While admittedly, the drama is way too short to accurately depict such a complex disorder, it’s one of the only dramas out there at the moment that integrates an animal directly into the treatment of an anxiety disorder.

My notes app is now filled with healing and encouraging quotes, my body is nourished with good meals, my houseplants are looking healthier than ever and one after another I slowly created an environment that provides me with peace and comfort - Even if it’s just for a few hours of watching healing K-Dramas.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article and be sure to let me know what dramas you think should be honorable (or dis-honorable) mentions when it comes to their portrayal of therapy.