01/03/2026
I have finished watching this magnificent series. I have followed since it began and each season I thought the actors and actresses and writers can get more brilliant….and they did.
For someone who is new to the D&D aka Dungeons and Dragons world (since 2022) I can tell you this entire series was an epic quest filled with adventure, tragedy, triumph and laughter. It was a beautiful modern take on D&D.
Everyone experiences anxiety because it’s a part of the human experience. All feelings- happy/mad/sad/scared/shame- and their spicy levels of intensity are all part of the human experience.
Now let’s dive into this show from a clinical perspective….aka from my perspective as I have spent 27 years in the world of psychology, social work and therapy. Again my perspectives from my lived experience in the professional world.
Stranger Things allows each person to see a part of themself in the characters played on the show. In fact in the world of D&D you get to create a character and you can be anything/ anyone….all parts are welcome.
We watched the kiddos from Hawkins literally grow up right before our eyes as we did with the world of Harry Potter. Ahhhh yes. Harry Potter also resembles a different type of table top role playing game. 🤗🤗🤗
In real time we saw
💥Barb disappear and never knowing what happened
💥Bob die in front of Joyce and how unfair his death was becusse he was such a kind and gentle soul
💥Dustin deal with the grief of losing his best friend Eddie and his self-loathing behavios that created distance from all his friends
💥Will take back his power, find his voice, and move from victim to survivor. He become vulnerable enough to share his secret that had created so much shame
💥Steve move from bully to protector and step into leadership
💥Dipsh*t Derek become delightful Derek and gain friends by changing his energy and attitude
💥 Nancy conquer her fear and become a badass knowing she can handle anything life throws her way
💥Joyce lose her love Bob and grieve- find a new love in Hopper and slay Vecna in the final scene thereby getting vengeance for the harm he caused her and her family
💥Hopper emerge from complicated years of grief and self-blame to love again and break through the frozen stuckness of his life
💥Holly the Heroic face her fear- speak her truth and NOT be believed by her friends - and then led them all to safety and found her courage
💥Lucas stay by the side of Max for 2 years while she was in a coma, loving her as she was and trying to being her back to life
💥Jonathan facing inner demons of not being good enough and awkwardness
💥Max facing self-blame for the death of her brother and the shame of living in poverty, being trapped in her own thoughts of suffering
💥Murray facing the laughter of being a conspiracy theorist and not believable and somewhat paranoid
💥Eddie facing the shackles of being born on the wrong side of town, weird and loud not fitting into the stereotype of Hawkins and then labeld as the villain when in truth he was a hero
💥Vecna/Henry facing the shame of his actions and their consequences as a child and never healing
💥Eleven facing the reality of her neurodivergence and knowing that the only way through is through
All parts are welcome.
And the most amazing part of this story is the theme of connection and safety. This group of kiddos and adults shared connection and created safety. They knew they could win if they stayed together, supported one another and allowed their minds to create wacky out of this world plans that were so creative and wildly successful. They worked as a team….just like in D&D.
You know, one of the things I noticed after playing D&D for 2 years is that my anxiety decreased a lot. D&D helped me understand that I can have all of the knowledge, skills, abilities and magical powers in the universe and at the end of the say, the roll of the dice determines if I hit or miss my target. Isn’t that interesting? So what that helped me metabolize is that I can do my best and I can do all the things…and sometimes life doesn’t work out the way I intended or how is “should have.” And….that doesn’t mean my effort wasn’t “good enough” or that I failed, instead, what that means is that in that moment it simply didn’t happen the way I wanted it to. And learning how to deal with the disappointment and discouragement wa truly what helped me become more flexible in my thinking and thereby widened my window of tolerance.
So emphatically YES Dungeons and Dragons is a badass way to conquer anxiety, fear, shame, and anger….as Eleven so beautifully showed us…the way through is THROUGH…by feeling our feelings and sensations, finding our breath, finding community and connection which leads to safety….which leads to flexibilty which leads to a larger window of tolerance to experience uncomfortable feelings, sensations and thoughts…which leads to…..who knows what’s possible on the other side of this….because it’s all in the role of a dice. 🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗
Stay tuned for more Stranger Things to come in 2026 at Willow & Ash…honey …. it’s just the beginning of an epic adventure with twists and turns and excitement and fear and settling.
Love light and the shadows
Jennifer
