Happy Friday, Everyone!

I am excited to announce that an article I wrote through the Holistic Horrors portion of the Horror Writers Association went out to newsletter subscribers today.

The Holistic Horrors section of the HWA is dedicated to ensuring mental health and illness are portrayed correctly in horror; while featuring work by writers whose work does mental health and illness justice.

For those who don’t know, I am a mental health specialist and leading educator on borderline personality disorder (BPD). I own a mental health organization for queer folx, and one of my specialties is utilizing horror as a creative therapeutic tool in conjunction with more traditional methods.

This article is something that has been in the works for some time. It also doubles as an early announcement for my upcoming book – Horror Convalescence – which pairs my mental health work with my love for horror, how horror has helped me, my clients, and fellow readers and writers – as well as an exploration on how to utilize different forms of horror for various mental health challenges.

While the HWA Newsletter is only available to members, I am happy to share my article with you below!

Enjoy,

Sage Moon

The Horror Maven

Horror as an Antidote for Anxiety, Phobias, and Trauma 
Sage Nestler, MSW (Sage Moon, S. Moon)  

I am the survivor of various mental health conditions and have a long history of trauma and anxiety. For as long as I can remember, horror has been a solace for me, both in books and film.  I have found that writing horror opens a new healing factor within this realm. The beauty of horror is that it is such a broad genre with a plethora of topics. When horror taps into our fear responses, there is an adrenaline rush, which can help release anxiety. But a lesser-known healing aspect of horror is that it can help address phobias and trauma. 

While reading or watching horror with intention, we can examine our reactions to different horror aspects. We can then explore why we may have responses to different horror sub-genres or aspects over others.  This helps us to dive deeper into our experiences with curiosity.  

As horror writers, we have the unique ability to take our experiences with phobias or trauma and put them into our work. Instead of hiding from fear or discomfort, we can face it head on.   

Stream of consciousness writing is the most helpful technique for exploring phobias or trauma.  When we write from this angle, we tap into our subconscious.  Stream of consciousness writing involves writing from a character’s internal narrative without planning.  We can create a character who has experienced our trauma or phobias.  Writing through their perspective allows us to tap into our internal experience by examining the way they align.  We can also go back over what we wrote and pinpoint anything that came up through our subconscious.  Often with trauma and phobias, it can be difficult to explore their impact on us—and how phobias may have come to be.  But by writing horror that holds aspects of our experiences, we can access our internal self.  For example, I have trypophobia, and am disturbed by small holes.  Junji Ito’s graphic novels and artwork incorporate trypophobia, and I have utilized his works in my own self exploration.  Writing from the perspective of a character who has this phobia and a history of trauma has helped me access parts of myself that I did not know were there.   

Writing through a stream of consciousness can bring up parts of ourselves that we couldn’t access before.  In horror, this process can bring up great discomfort.  It is important to take a step back if the process is overwhelming.   

Horror shows us various aspects of fear and humanity.  Both are essential in working through phobias and healing trauma.  The process is not easy and can bring up emotions that need attention.  In this case, it essential to have a mental health professional guide you through the process.  Processing trauma and phobias in this way can open doors in our mind that we couldn’t access.  In this instance, it is vital to help you process whatever may arise—especially if you have complex trauma.   

While powerful, horror can be a sensitive way to explore trauma, phobias, and anxiety.  If this leads to a need for crisis care, reaching out to your established therapist or a crisis hotline is necessary. 

Fear demands to be felt to heal. Writing, watching, or reading horror is a way to open that fear and work through it, but it is not easy work.   

Be kind to yourself. Take a break if your fear response escalates beyond your window of tolerance.  Reach out to someone who is a safe person for you.  Create a safety plan including activities, objects, people, places, etc. that can help with regulating your nervous system.  Make an appointment with a counselor.  Revisit media such as books or movies that bring you comfort.  Step away for a change of scenery to give you some space from your environment. Small steps are still progress, and horror can help you in a way other methods can’t.  

Horror doesn’t create fear.  It opens fear stored within you and helps you release it.  That is its unique form of power that demands to be seen. 

Biography 

Sage Nestler, MSW (Sage Moon, S.Moon) (he/they) is Founder and CEO of Releasing the Phoenix—a mental health organization for the queer community. He is also editor-in-chief of Pride with a Bite—a queer horror indie pub.  They practice bibliotherapy within their organization and have been utilizing horror books with clients who have anxiety, phobias, and/or trauma for six years. He has an upcoming book entitled Horror Convalescence.  It is an exploration of horror as therapy that highlights their mental health work, quotes from others who have found horror helpful, and their personal experiences surrounding the healing aspects of horror.  His mental health work and writing have been featured through the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), as well as The Mighty, and the National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder (NEABPD).  They have been a professional book reviewer since 2016, and established their horror centric website, “The Horror Maven,” in 2022.  He has interviewed various horror authors, champions marginalized voices, and works with many traditional and independent publishers, as well as self-published authors. 

Main LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/sagenestlermsw 

Releasing the Phoenix Link: www.releasingthephoenix.org 

Pride with a Bite Link: www.pridewithabite.com 

The Horror Maven LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/thehorrormaven