Trauma Therapy: Psychosis is a 2023 British horror film about a self-help guru who enlists lost souls for an intensive retreat to solve their deep-seated problems. The movie is a sequel to Trauma Therapy (2019) and is apparently a re-edited version of The Vance Institute.
Directed by Lawrie Brewster [as Gary Barth] from a screenplay written by co-stars Tom Malloy and David Josh Lawrence.
The Hex Studios production also stars Hannah New, Vince Lozano (Pirates of the Caribbean), Jamie Scott Gordon, Gordon Holliday and Megan Tremethick. In his final film appearance, the late Tom Sizemore appears as himself, the host of a Larry King-like TV talk show.
Plot:
Self-help guru Tobin Vance (Tom Malloy) has been exiled to the UK, avoiding arrest from his US operations. Vance is building a new base in the remote outskirts of Kirkcaldy, Scotland.
There, his stoic assistant Elizabeth (Hannah New), along with former student John (David Josh Lawrence), recruit a hopeful new group of lost souls for an intensive retreat to solve their deep-seated problems…
Reviews:
“Trauma Therapy: Psychosis is poorly paced, with the interview interjections feeling tacked on and forced in (they were). That’s too bad, as the rest of the film is a creepy and engaging thriller about what it takes to break someone. But remember, when pushed to their breaking point, people are capable of shocking and unexpected acts.” 6.5 out of 10, Film Threat
“Editing choices feel questionable, particularly involving Vance follower John (David Josh Lawrence). He enters the program pretending to be a participant in order to manipulate the remaining candidates, yet the bizarre ordering of scenes deflates this key reveal as he is first introduced as a member of the Institute. There are also elements given little room to breathe, leaving character choices and their taken paths to feel rushed.” 0.5 out of 5, Nerdly
“There are the makings of a really good film among the pieces of Trauma Therapy: Psychosis including some striking shots of Vance in front of what looks like a church’s stained glass windows and another of him flanked by two columns of black-clad troops […] Unfortunately Trauma Therapy: Psychosis never really manages to become more than a collection of good scenes and missed potential.” ★★ Voices from the Balcony
Background:
Co-writers Tom Malloy and David Josh Lawrence explained: “The first Trauma Therapy, released in 2019, was a really fun exploration into the power that a self-help guru can have, and how, if he or she used that power in devious ways, the results could be extreme. We were inspired by the likes of Tony Robbins and how he would make his weekend retreat participants walk on coals.
For the sequel, we had two goals: 1) it would be a standalone film so people could just jump right in, and 2) we wanted to amp up the danger and the suspense. The people involved in Trauma Therapy: Psychosis would face extreme challenges meant to break them…and all who failed would meet a devious end.
Written at a retreat in Lake Placid, New York, the surrounding area gave the idea of isolation and hopelessness. Trauma Therapy: Psychosis takes the intensity and suspense up to 11!”.
Release date:
In the US, Trauma Therapy: Psychosis will be released by Quiver Distribution theatrically, on Digital and On-demand (VOD) on September 1, 2023.
Trailer [1080p HD]:
Filming locations:
Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland, UK (Hex Studios)
