"While it's fun to joke about, and to share her hobby with her followers, Vickers doesn't genuinely prescribe theme park visits as a healing modality. The experience doesn't appeal to everyone, and can be prohibitively expensive. Plus, Disneyland isn't actually going to fix you. But there are a lot of people for whom it does provide a much needed escape and a boost to their state of mind."
"For many, Disneyland can be a safe space, a place of acceptance and connection in a society that is increasingly divisive and isolating. If you're feeling bad about the world, or if you're feeling lonely, there are worse things to do than take a stroll around a highly immersive environment designed to envelop you in positive feelings. "It's such a dopamine boost and a serotonin boost," Vickers said."
Licensed marriage and family therapist Jessica Vickers visits Disneyland regularly with her husband and two young sons and shares her Disney fandom on Instagram, often wearing Minnie ears. She links park experiences to reconnecting with a younger sense of self and believes immersive play can elevate overall happiness for some people. Vickers cautions that theme-park visits are not a prescribed healing modality, can be prohibitively expensive, and will not solve deep problems. For many visitors, Disneyland functions as a safe, accepting, and immersive environment that can boost dopamine and serotonin, lower defenses, and provide social connection and emotional escape.
Read at SFGATE
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