Everybody enjoys a good comeback tale. Because of this, Brendan Fraser’s return to the Hollywood stage has been met with admiration, cheers, and adulation everywhere he goes.
It’s especially heartbreaking to observe the actor’s current success. For his part in “The Whale,” Fraser received an Oscar nomination this week. The achievement follows Fraser’s open disclosure of the challenges he has faced throughout his career, including being sexually attacked.
Fraser said to GQ in 2018 that the experience caused him to become sad and reclusive in a piece titled “What Ever Happened to Brendan Fraser?” It almost caused his career to fail.
Hollywood success cannot take away trauma. However, Fraser’s accomplishment may give people in need hope.
According to Amanda Garcia Torres, a licenced mental health counsellor at Chairwork Therapy NYC, “we have an opportunity to allow the story to challenge our assumptions about ourselves and others, reconsider limiting beliefs, and even gain insight into the creative ways we can face difficulties throughout our lifetime.”
The trauma of Brendan Fraser and his comeback
Fraser, once a coveted movie star, took a long sabbatical from big-budget films. He said that former Hollywood Foreign Press Association president Philip Berk grabbed him in 2003 in an interview with GQ published in 2018. (Berk stayed with the group until April 2021, when he was fired for labelling the Black Lives Matter movement a “racist hate movement” in an email.)
Fans recently let Fraser know that they supported him. On TikTok, a video from August 2021 showing the celebrity breaking down in tears at a fan meet-and-greet went viral.
The admirer informed Fraser, “There are so many people out there that love you. And we support you and are eager to watch what you accomplish next.
It is incredibly therapeutic
It’s easier said than done to recover from trauma. However, creating room for enjoyment is a crucial stage in the procedure. says Garcia Torres “To receive joy after suffering pain is tremendously healing and significant for trauma survivors.
This doesn’t imply downplaying the seriousness and significance of what has happened, but rather letting them pick how they will proceed with their lives “Adds she. Cecille Ahrens, a registered clinical social worker, refers to the process of recovering from traumatic experiences as “post-traumatic growth.”
According to her, “this is when a person lives and flourishes despite going through a horrific situation.” “A person with this resilience can change their perspective from one of “victim” to “survivor.” After a trauma, there is often the potential for profound healing and transformation.”
How trauma recovery may inspire change
Trauma survivors could start to feel like winners vicariously as Fraser accumulates awards and nominations for “The Whale” as a result.
It may inspire us to make changes, claims Ahrens. “It can also serve as a powerful reminder that we are not defined by our history or that our suffering needs to end. It will become more usual and stigma-free to seek mental health care as more people in prominent capacities communicate about their own challenges. The underlying theme is that no matter what happened, we can recover, go on, and still lead fulfilling lives.”
Garcia Torres advises accepting it: “When we observe this, it may serve as a reminder that we too can move past our traumatic encounters. In particular, seeing another person heard and seen may be extremely healing and validating. “Perhaps it is feasible for me to share my experience, too,” she said, “if the world is willing and able to believe and embrace their tale.”
