Are you a fan of superheroes?
How about superheroes in therapy?
If you answer yes to either of those questions, then The Bright Sessions, created by Lauren Shippen, should definitely be on your radar.
The Bright Sessions is an immersive audio drama podcast that is both fascinating and compelling, takes storytelling to another level.
Told through a unique format of therapy and audio recordings, the listener follows therapist Dr. Bright as she provides therapy for the “strange and unusual” or those with supernatural abilities.
Now on its third Season, what continues to make this audio drama podcast so fascinating is not only the remarkable storytelling and compelling plot, but also the characters.
With each episode more is revealed not only about her patients (Atypicals) and how their abilities impact their daily lives, but Dr. Bright herself dives deep and uncovers the mysteries and complexities of these characters.
Alternating between patients each episode, they range from 15 to 25 minutes with a few mini-episodes in between. The first few episodes introduce the listener to her newest patients, like Chloe Turner, a college student and artist who has the ability to hear people’s thoughts.
These characters are also encountering daily situations that many people can relate to, for instance balancing schoolwork and college, forging friendships and relationships, and handling the stresses of everyday life. It also weaves in a number of themes such as self-acceptance, family, friendship, and independence.
The interesting dynamic between the characters is portrayed through the phenomenal voice acting and overall performance which really brings them to life. Even the morally grey and questionable characters, will be one’s you’ll inevitably find yourself intrigued by and eager to learn more about.
The Bright Sessions also delivers with inclusion of diversity. Throughout this podcast there is discussion on mental health and characters who identify as gay, asexual and bisexual.
I find myself in awe of how much higher the bar is set with the release of each new episode.
With compelling characters and storytelling and the unique twist brought to the idea of superheroes and super powers, The Bright Sessions is not a podcast to miss!