5 Key Take Aways from Inside Out 2
- jillian
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
Below are 5 lessons we learned from Pixar's Inside Out 2 that are worth highlighting.
Anxiety isn’t a villain.
Early in the film, Anxiety shows up as a high-strung, slightly panicked force threatening to take over Riley’s personality. But through the narrative arc, we realize she’s not the enemy—she’s a misunderstood protector. In psychology, we know that anxiety serves an evolutionary purpose: it helps us prepare, focus, and protect ourselves. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) embraces this reality by teaching us not to eliminate anxiety, but to make room for it—so we can live with intention, not fear.
All emotions serve a purpose—including the tough ones.
Fear, sadness, envy, and even embarrassment aren’t just nuisances—they’re vital tools for survival and connection. Inside Out 2 illustrates how each emotion has a role in helping Riley navigate change. As clinicians, we emphasize that emotional suppression is counterproductive. Instead, emotional literacy—being able to name, sit with, and respond to emotions—is the foundation for well-being.
When we act against our values, it usually hurts more than we expect it to.
One of the most poignant storylines involves Riley abandoning her core value of friendship to fit in with the popular girls. The tension is palpable—not just socially, but internally. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) suggests that when our actions don't reflect our values, we often feel a deep sense of disconnection.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy provides a powerful framework for understanding why it feels so uncomfortable when we stray from our values. Rather than trying to eliminate difficult emotions, ACT helps people clarify what truly matters to them and take meaningful action—even in the face of discomfort. It encourages us to notice unhelpful thought patterns, make room for difficult feelings, and realign our behavior with our core values.
Therapy helps clients reconnect with these internal guiding principles—because
goals without values are hollow, and actions misaligned with values feel like betrayal.
Your Core Self Can—and Will—Change
If you’re still holding yourself to the standard of who you were five years ago, it’s time to loosen the grip. Inside Out 2 introduces the idea that our “core self” evolves—and that’s not a crisis, it’s a developmental necessity. Just like Riley, we shift, stretch, and sometimes outgrow what once defined us. Emotional growth involves recognizing this fluidity with curiosity rather than fear.
Change is Inevitable—But Growth is Optional
The heart of Inside Out 2 is Riley’s transition from childhood to adolescence—a time marked by change, awkwardness, and identity crisis. The film beautifully models how resisting change leads to internal chaos, while acceptance leads to integration and growth. We see this play out when Riley tries to suppress her emotions to fit in with her new hockey teammates, leading to a breakdown of her inner sense of self. It’s only when she allows herself to feel—letting Joy and Anxiety work together instead of battling for control—that she begins to embrace who she is becoming. In therapy, we often help clients reframe and understand change not as a threat, but as a doorway to deeper alignment with who they’re becoming.
Pop Culture & Psychotherapy
At TheraCorp Behavioral Health, we believe that pop culture can be a helpful and powerful tool to assist our clients in healing and learning. Therapy isn't a one-size-fits-all kind of thing, and as therapists, sometimes we need to get creative—whether that means using a Pixar film to help a teen make sense of their emotions, incorporating humor and storytelling inspired by narrative therapy, or helping a client externalize their struggles through music or visual art.
Some recent examples of TheraCorp therapists getting creative include using songwriting to process emotion; integrating Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) with visual learning by using diagrams and visual models to explain psychological concepts; and blending talk therapy with art-making to help slow down the conversation and foster deeper focus and self-reflection.
When a film like Inside Out 2 mirrors real emotional struggles, it gives us an opportunity to validate what clients are feeling and open up new conversations in a way that feels safe, playful, and insightful.
Inside Out 2 reminds us that emotions are not problems to solve, but signals to respect. Whether you're a therapist looking for new metaphors, a parent guiding a teen, or someone navigating your own emotional maze, we hope this film (and these lessons) offer comfort and clarity.
Want to dive deeper into these concepts with a therapist? We’re here to help.
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