I watched Meredith wade through her postDerek Shepherd existence while I went throughpsychiatrytraining.
I cant help but watch the show pretty critically.
Exhibit A:Greys Anatomys Breathe Again episode, which aired on October 24.
Dr. Jo Karev undergoing EMDR therapy. Photo courtesy of ABC
The episode centers on patient Carly Davis, who comes into the E.R.
unconscious after a presumedsuicideattempt.
As Dr. Jo Karev sees Carly, her brow furrows.
I know her, Jo says.
Seeing Carly brings a lot of that trauma back for Jo.
Doing this kind of activity while focusing on and reprocessing the memory may help make it less disruptive.
Luckily, she agreed.
Here, Finch discussestrauma, recovery, and the importance of bringing this kind of content to TV.
(Episode spoilers ahead.)
SELF: What was the origin of this plotline?
Elisabeth R. Finch:Last year we articulated Jos backstory of learning she was a product of rape.
We ended up really looking at what that might do to somebody.
This is beyond what I am capable of handling myself.
I can’t just barrel through it like Im used to doing."
So we left her last year checking in to inpatient psychiatric treatment.
It’s not like she got a magic fix.
The reality is that healing from trauma is not a straight line.
How did you research what it’s like to go through EMDR therapy?
Ive had personal experience with EMDR, so I was interested in exploring it on the show.
I experienced a very specific trauma when I lost a friend in the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting last year.
I was introduced to EMDR, which Id never heard of, and I found it really useful.
I also read books on trauma likeThe Body Keeps the ScoreandWaking the Tiger.
OnGrey’s,we don’t just rely on personal experience.
We also rely on medical professionals.
Sometimes when you describe EMDR to people, it can sound weird.
Was that at all hard to portray?
A couple of people on the team had that reaction of “Really?
How is that possible?”
But it wasn’t hard to convince them.
Were a group of people who are really open to learning new ways that science is changing lives.
We just all collectively nerd out about it in one way or another.
I know as a viewer, I just want to verify my people are okay.
You showed Jo and Bailey using grounding techniques for anxiety more than once in the episode.
What was the decision behind including that?
Thosegrounding exercisescan be very pragmatic when you are in a high-anxiety situation.
Providing potential solutions to peoples challenges through our characters is frankly a privilege.
They don’t have to be a surgeon to be able to execute grounding in some form.
I really like that you made the therapist seem cool.
What kind of thought went into creating Carly as a character?
After all the effort you put into this episode, how did it feel to watch it onscreen?
And how have people responded?
I get very emotional about the idea of it being out in the world.
I don’t tend to watch the episodes since Ive seen them a million times because of edits.
Once its out of my hands, people are going to receive it the way they receive it.
That was something a lot of our fans appreciated, showing how far she has come in her recovery.
What do you hope to achieve by portraying mental illness and treatment on TV?
Someone can experience a traumatic event or feeldepressedand think, Its not like I have cancer.
I dont need to be vigilant about treatment.
I should just power through it and put on a smile.
We need to work toward erasing this stigma.
This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.
