“Into the Light,” a new PBS documentary about a psychologist who, while counseling veterans with PTSD, comes to terms with her own emotional trauma will play in a free screening at Damariscotta’s Lincoln Theater on Saturday, Feb. 17 at 2 p.m.  

The showing will be followed by a panel discussion, led by Charlie Stuart the filmmaker; Adria Horn, Executive Director Maine Bureau of Veteran Services and Jenna Mehnert Executive Director of NAMI Maine (National Alliance on Mental Illness).

“Into the Light,” an uplifting film with a core message regarding combatting the stigma and shame which surrounds mental illness in the United States at its heart, is a story about trust … the trust we put in a family member or close friend to tell our most personal stories of emotional suffering.  The focus of the film is a psychologist who started a national nonprofit to offer free emotional support for veterans and who comes to the realization that she is hiding her own story of emotional trauma.  Dr. Barbara Van Dahlen’s mother had a psychotic break when Barbara was 13 years old.  More than 40 years later while counseling veterans not to suffer in silence, Barbara decides to tell her story, and to search for her mother who is lost on the streets of America.  Her two-year search and her dramatic discovery is intercut with USMC Sgt. Brendan O’Toole’s run across America and his effort to raise awareness about PTS.

“Into the Light” will be released on PBS in May of 2018 and will also be a tool in the Campaign to Change Direction www.changedirection.org, which is designed to reduce the shame and stigma in this country surrounding more than 40 million Americans with diagnosable form of mental illness.  

Additional information can be found by visiting theater’s website, lcct.org, or by calling 207-563-3424.  Doors will open at 1:30 p.m. for this free event.  Lincoln Theater is located at 2 Theater Street in downtown Damariscotta. Seating is on a first come first serve basis.