Mental Health is Horrifying

In Search of Darkness 1995-1999 — The psychology of 90s nostalgia

Thu, 12 Feb 2026 03:00:00 -0500

90s nostalgia is everywhere right now, and it's not a random coincidence.

In this episode, I explore the documentary In Search of Darkness 1995-1999 (2026) and the psychology of nostalgia.

I talk about:

How we define nostalgia
The mental health benefits of nostalgia
How nostalgia is particularly beneficial for those suffering with dementia or cognitive decline
Why we cling to nostalgia in times of change or uncertainty
When we need to be careful about over-indulging in nostalgia
The three of cups and how this tarot card evokes nostalgic feelings for me

Mental Health is Horrifying is hosted by Candis Green, Registered Psychotherapist and owner of Many Moons Therapy.

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Show Notes:

Want to work together? I offer 1:1 virtual psychotherapy for Ontario residents, along with tarot, horror, and dreamwork services (anywhere my bat signal reaches), both individually and through my group program, the Final Girls Club.

Podcast artwork by Chloe Hurst at Contempo Mint

Get up to 20% Cozy Earth with promo code HORRIFYING. If you get a survey post-purchase, be sure to let them know Candis sent you!

Get 20% off In Search of Darkness 1995-1999 with promo code HORRORFRIENDS26.

Woods B, O'Philbin L, Farrell EM, Spector AE, Orrell M. Reminiscence therapy for dementia. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018 Mar 1;3(3):CD001120. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD001120.pub3. PMID: 29493789; PMCID: PMC6494367.

Ismail S, Christopher G, Dodd E, Wildschut T, Sedikides C, Ingram TA, Jones RW, Noonan KA, Tingley D, Cheston R. Psychological and Mnemonic Benefits of Nostalgia for People with Dementia. J Alzheimers Dis. 2018;65(4):1327-1344. doi: 10.3233/JAD-180075. PMID: 30149444.

Catherine O’Hara — The healing capacity of transference

Sun, 01 Feb 2026 13:00:00 -0500

In this special tribute to Canadian icon and spooky legend Catherine O'Hara, I talk about all that she gave us, and the healing capacity of a psychological phenomenon called transference.

I talk about:

Catherine O'Hara's life and legacy
What transference is
When transference occurs
What we transferred onto Catherine O'Hara and how she helped us heal

Mental Health is Horrifying is hosted by Candis Green, Registered Psychotherapist and owner of Many Moons Therapy.

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Show Notes:

Want to work together? I offer 1:1 psychotherapy both virtually (Ontario) and in-person (Toronto), along with tarot, horror, and dreamwork services (anywhere my bat signal reaches), both individually and through my group program, the Final Girls Club.

Podcast artwork by Chloe Hurst at Contempo Mint

Canadian comedy legend Catherine O'Hara, who lit up SCTV and stole scenes on Schitt's Creek, dead at 71 by Anya Zoledziowski

The Toronto house where SCTV ideas were hatched by Jane Welowsky

Between Therapist and Client: The New Relationship by Michael Kahn

Knives Out — How grief scrambles family dynamics

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 03:00:00 -0500

It's winter and all I want to do is solve cozy mysteries! In this episode, I explore Knives Out (2019) and its portrayal of the impact of grief on family dynamics.

I talk about:

What grief is and why it doesn't fit into tidy stages
Emotional displacement
What grief does to family dynamics
Two tarot cards that I selected for Knives Out — the seven of swords and the hierophant

Mental Health is Horrifying is hosted by Candis Green, Registered Psychotherapist and owner of Many Moons Therapy.

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Show Notes:

Podcast artwork by Chloe Hurst at Contempo Mint

Black Swan — Perfectionism is a horrifying performance

Thu, 11 Dec 2025 03:00:00 -0500

The holiday season always makes me think of ballet and how it is both a horrifying and beautiful dance. In this episode, I explore Black Swan (2010) and its portrayal of perfectionism.

Mental Health is Horrifying is hosted by Candis Green, Registered Psychotherapist and owner of Many Moons Therapy.

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Show Notes:

Winter Solstice Enchanted Eve

Join me on December 18 for a cozy online evening of ritual, tarot, and collective dreaming for the winter solstice. Set aside some time at this magical moment in the wheel of the year, as we travel into the psyche with tarot, dream journeying, and intention setting for the coming winter months.

Podcast artwork by Chloe Hurst at Contempo Mint

Frankenstein — Narcissism is the real monster

Thu, 20 Nov 2025 03:00:00 -0500

In this episode, I explore Frankenstein (2025) and its portrayal of narcissism.

Mental Health is Horrifying is hosted by Candis Green, Registered Psychotherapist and owner of Many Moons Therapy.

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Show Notes:

I am so honoured to have been nominated for 5 Canadian Podcast Awards — and I need your help!

Outstanding Health & Fitness Series
Outstanding Television & Film Series
Outstanding Education Series
Outstanding Artwork for a Series (artwork by Chloe Hurst)
People’s Choice Award

Members of the public can vote on the People's Choice Award, and it would mean the world to me to receive your vote!

Voting takes 5 seconds —

Click on this link: https://canpodawards.ca/vote/
Click on "People's Choice"
Click "Vote" next to MENTAL HEALTH IS HORRIFYING

Voting is open to the public until November 22.

I would be grateful beyond the depths of my bat-filled heart to receive your vote.

Thank you!

I need your help, ghouls!

Mon, 10 Nov 2025 09:00:00 -0500

I am so honoured to have been nominated for 5 Canadian Podcast Awards — and I need your help!

Outstanding Health & Fitness Series
Outstanding Television & Film Series
Outstanding Education Series
Outstanding Artwork for a Series
People’s Choice Award

Members of the public can vote on the People's Choice Award, and it would mean the world to me to receive your vote!

Voting takes 5 seconds —

Click on this link: https://canpodawards.ca/vote/
Click on "People's Choice"
Click "Vote" next to MENTAL HEALTH IS HORRIFYING

Voting is open to the public until November 22.

I would be grateful beyond the depths of my bat-filled heart to receive your vote.

Thank you!

Scary Movie — Laughing through the horrors

Thu, 23 Oct 2025 03:00:00 -0400

In this special Halloween episode, I explore Scary Movie (2000), the connection between laughter and trauma, and its regulatory function as we navigate the horrors of our lives.

Mental Health is Horrifying is hosted by Candis Green, Registered Psychotherapist and owner of Many Moons Therapy.

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Show Notes:

For the month of October, use code ITSOCTOBER for 15% any program in the Final Girls Club.

Your Halloween Blessings Kit —Halloween psychoeducation and rituals to help you connect with your own depths, enjoy the blessings this Halloween has to offer you, and harness Halloween’s true meaning, legends, and traditions as a pathway back to yourself.

Illuminative Tarot for Working with Trauma — This is my most popular program! Learn how to move beyond tarot spreads and use tarot in creative ways to visualize trauma narratives, organizing principles, feelings, and experiences as a supportive partner in the healing process.

Out of the Broom Closet — Move from shame to pride in claiming your identity as a witch.

Through the Dream Veil — Heighten your psychic abilities by developing your own dreamwork practice.

Podcast artwork by Chloe Hurst at Contempo Mint

Sleepy Hollow — Somatic therapy with the Headless Horseman

Thu, 09 Oct 2025 03:00:00 -0400

In this special Halloween episode, I explore Sleepy Hollow (1999) and its portrayal of the importance of working somatically to process emotions.

Mental Health is Horrifying is hosted by Candis Green, Registered Psychotherapist and owner of Many Moons Therapy.

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Show Notes:

For the month of October, use code ITSOCTOBER for 15% any program in the Final Girls Club.

Your Halloween Blessings Kit —Halloween psychoeducation and rituals to help you connect with your own depths, enjoy the blessings this Halloween has to offer you, and harness Halloween’s true meaning, legends, and traditions as a pathway back to yourself.
Illuminative Tarot for Working with Trauma — This is my most popular program! Learn how to move beyond tarot spreads and use tarot in creative ways to visualize trauma narratives, organizing principles, feelings, and experiences as a supportive partner in the healing process.
Out of the Broom Closet — Move from shame to pride in claiming your identity as a witch.
Through the Dream Veil — Heighten your psychic abilities by developing your own dreamwork practice.

Podcast artwork by Chloe Hurst at Contempo Mint

Mother! — Mother Nature’s Mental Health w/ Chloe Hurst

Thu, 04 Sep 2025 03:00:00 -0400

On today’s episode, I have the absolute joy of talking to my friend Chloe Hurst aka The Goth Garden about psychological horror Mother! (2017) and its portrayal of what happens to mother nature’s mental health when we push her too far.

Chloe and I explore how mother earth feels when we constantly ask her for more more more. Chloe shares the mental health life and death cycles of a gardener, and how we can all do our part to make the earth a more hopeful place.

Mental Health is Horrifying is hosted by Candis Green, Registered Psychotherapist and owner of Many Moons Therapy.

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Show Notes:

About Chloe Hurst

Chloe Hurst is the owner and creatrix of The Goth Garden located in Carleton Place, Ontario.

By day, Chloe is a Director of Visual Communications for a marketing agency, while also operating her own branding design studio catered to fellow gothic and alternative businesses. Every night during gardening season you will find her elbow deep in the soil tending to her goth garden, consistently adding new dark beauties to her collection. The Goth Garden was brought to life entirely through local garden centres and Canadian online vendors, enabling Chloe to craft and share her unique vision with fellow plant lovers – quickly becoming one of the standout gardening trends of 2024.

Follow Chloe Hurst (aka The Goth Garden)

Instagram | TikTok

Do you like my podcast logo? Chloe designed it! www.contempomint.com

Your Favorite Scary Movie — Interview w/ Ashley Cullins on how Scream changed us

Thu, 21 Aug 2025 05:00:00 -0400

In this horrifying book review episode, I talk to Ashley Cullins — the woman who literally wrote the book on the Scream franchise, Your Favorite Scary Movie. She is basically Gale Weathers. We discuss this iconic Kevin Williamson franchise, and how Scream not only changed horror, but how it has changed all of us too.

Mental Health is Horrifying is hosted by Candis Green, Registered Psychotherapist and owner of Many Moons Therapy.

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Show Notes:

About Ashley Cullins

Ashley Cullins is an award-winning entertainment journalist with over a decade of experience. After graduating with a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University’s prestigious Medill School, Ashley began her career in broadcast news before making the jump to print. Your Favorite Scary Movie is her first book.

Your Favorite Scary Movie by Ashley Cullins

Midsommar — I’m afraid of women’s circles

Thu, 07 Aug 2025 05:00:00 -0400

In this episode, I explore Midsommar (2019) and its portrayal intersubjectivity, group dynamics, and why I’m afraid of women’s circles.

Mental Health is Horrifying is hosted by Candis Green, Registered Psychotherapist and owner of Many Moons Therapy.

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Show Notes:

Podcast artwork by Chloe Hurst at Contempo Mint

Mothered by the Work: What Therapy Gave Me and Took Away by The Tarot Diagnosis

Making Sense Together: The Intersubjective Approach to Psychotherapy by Peter Buirski and Pamela Haglund

Relational Psychotherapy: A Primer by Patricia D. DeYoung

I Know What You Did Last Summer — Emerging adulthood is a killer

Thu, 17 Jul 2025 05:00:00 -0400

In this episode, I explore I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) and its portrayal of the horrors of emerging adulthood.

Mental Health is Horrifying is hosted by Candis Green, Registered Psychotherapist and owner of Many Moons Therapy.

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Show Notes:

Podcast artwork by Chloe Hurst at Contempo Mint

Emerging Adulthood: The Winding Road from the Late Teens Through the Twenties by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett

What you need to know about Saturn returns on Chani

Immaculate Conception — Handing our humanity over to tech billionaires... what could go wrong?

Fri, 04 Jul 2025 05:00:00 -0400

On this horrifying book review episode, I’m talking about Immaculate Conception by Ling Ling Huang and its exploration of what happens when we hand over our humanity and mental landscapes to tech billionaires.

Mental Health is Horrifying is hosted by Candis Green, Registered Psychotherapist and owner of Many Moons Therapy.

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Show Notes:

Podcast artwork by Chloe Hurst at Contempo Mint

Immaculate Conception by Ling Ling Huang

Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang

Phantom of the Paradise — The mental anguish of the creative soul w/ Angelica Cresci

Thu, 19 Jun 2025 05:00:00 -0400

In this episode, I chat with Angelica Cresci — occultist, content creator, writer, and astrologer — about Phantom of the Paradise (1974) and its portrayal of the mental anguish of artists, and selling your soul to get noticed as a creative.

Mental Health is Horrifying is hosted by Candis Green, Registered Psychotherapist and owner of Many Moons Therapy.

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Show Notes:

About Angelica Cresci

Angelica Cresci is an occultist, content creator, writer, and astrologer based in Salem, MA. Angelica has been a Hades devotee for nearly a decade and specializes in glamour, Hellenistic mythic astrology, and chthonic magick. She has a BA in Creative Writing from Salem State University and is the host of Diaries of a Witch Podcast. When she's not staring at the stars, making content, or teaching, she spends her time writing.

Website: https://www.angelicacresci.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angelicascresci

Diaries of a Witch Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AngelicaCresci/podcasts

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/angelicacresci/

Want to work together? I offer 1:1 psychotherapy (virtually across Ontario, and in-person in Toronto), along with tarot, horror, and dreamwork services, but individually and through my group program, the Final Girls Club. Visit my website to learn more.

Podcast artwork by Chloe Hurst at Contempo Mint

Treehouse of Horror VI: Attack of the 50-Foot Eyesores — The Overstimulation Crisis

Thu, 05 Jun 2025 05:00:00 -0400

In this episode, I explore the overstimulation crisis that we currently find ourselves in as portrayed through The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror VI: Attack of the 50-Foot Eyesores (1995).

Mental Health is Horrifying is hosted by Candis Green, Registered Psychotherapist and owner of Many Moons Therapy.

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Show Notes:

Podcast artwork by Chloe Hurst at Contempo Mint

The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr

Why We Overstimulate Ourselves: How Sensory Overload Blocks Memory and Weakens Learning by Yasuaki Sawamura

Farooqui, Quratulain, and Amana Raquib. "Technology, boredom and intellectual-spiritual lethargy: Exploring the impact of technology on the mental well-being of over-Stimulated millennials." Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences 16.11 (2020): 1-7.

Robson, G.J. The threat of comprehensive overstimulation in modern societies. Ethics Inf Technology 19, 69–80 (2017).

The Craft — How to become yourself w/ Kait Fowlie

Tue, 13 May 2025 05:00:00 -0400

In this episode, I chat with tarot reader, astrologer, and teacher Kait Fowlie about The Craft (1996) and its portrayal of the paths we take to become ourselves — witchcraft, volatile teen friendships and all.

Mental Health is Horrifying is hosted by Candis Green, Registered Psychotherapist and owner of Many Moons Therapy.

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Show Notes:

About Kait Fowlie

Kait Fowlie is a professional astrologer and tarot reader / teacher with clients all over the world. She doesn't claim to have all the answers but she is deeply devoted to serving others as a trusted guide, informed interpreter and compassionate source of cosmic insight.

Website: https://www.kaitfowlie.com/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/kait_fowlie/#

Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4683B9KKlVS37oj1BG99T7

Join Out Of The Broom Closet. If you’re a witch like the girls in The Craft and have been struggling to fully embrace your identity, check out my course that just went live called Out Of The Broom Closet, where you can move from shame to pride in claiming your identity as a witch. This course includes psychoeducation about shame, trauma, and exile within our cultural context, and witch-positive exercises to connect with your authentic self including tarot, journaling, spellwork, and creative visualization.

Podcast artwork by Chloe Hurst at Contempo Mint

Terrifier — The horrors of imposter syndrome

Thu, 01 May 2025 05:00:00 -0400

In this episode, I make a brave confession and explore how Terrifier (2016) reflects the psychological phenomenon of imposter syndrome.

Mental Health is Horrifying is hosted by Candis Green, Registered Psychotherapist and owner of Many Moons Therapy.

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Show Notes:

Join Out Of The Broom Closet if you would like to move from shame to pride in claiming your identity as a witch, and confidently step out of the broom closet. This course includes psychoeducation about shame, trauma, and exile within our cultural context, and witch-positive exercises to connect with your authentic self including tarot, journaling, spellwork, and creative visualization.

Want to work together? I offer 1:1 psychotherapy (Ontario), along with tarot, horror, and dreamwork services, both individually and through my group program, the Final Girls Club.

Podcast artwork by Chloe Hurst at Contempo Mint

Terrifier 2025 Conference

Huecker MR, Shreffler J, McKeny PT, Davis D. Imposter Phenomenon. 2023 Jul 31. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan–. PMID: 36251839.

The Strangers — Engagement Nightmare Story w/ Shannon Knight, LMHC, LPC

Thu, 10 Apr 2025 05:00:00 -0400

In this episode, I chat with Psychotherapist Shannon Knight from the podcast The Tarot Diagnosis about The Strangers (2008) and how the movie portrays nightmares as an emotional processing function when life does not go according to plan.

We also pull some tarot cards to try and make sense of what the hell is going on in this relationship between James and Kristen.

Mental Health is Horrifying is hosted by Candis Green, Registered Psychotherapist and owner of Many Moons Therapy.

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Show Notes:

About Shannon Knight

Shannon Knight is a Johns Hopkins-trained psychotherapist and the host of top-ranking podcast The Tarot Diagnosis, where she explores the intersection of tarot and mental health.

She is also the creator of The Symposium, an online community where tarot and psychology enthusiasts gather to deepen their tarot practice and the author of Tarot & Self-Discovery, a collection of mental health-inspired tarot spreads; The Year of The Hermit, a guided year-long journal; and the forthcoming book Dark Shadow, Golden Shadow, which explores shadow work through the lens of tarot.

In addition to her writing and podcasting, Shannon is hosting The Summer Solstice Summit - a virtual tarot conference that brings together 15 tarot and astrology experts for a weekend of witchy wisdom, insight, and connection June 20th-22nd. (I, Candis, will be presenting at this conference on how to decode your dreams with tarot!)

www.TheTarotDiagnosis.com
www.TheTarotDiagnosis.com/SummerSolstice
www.Instagram.com/TheTarotDiagnosis

Want to work together? I offer 1:1 psychotherapy (Ontario), along with tarot, horror, and dreamwork services, but individually and through my group program, the Final Girls Club.

Podcast artwork by Chloe Hurst at Contempo Mint

Midnight Mass — Existential extravaganza!

Thu, 20 Mar 2025 05:00:00 -0400

In this episode on Midnight Mass (2021), I explore the portrayal of the crisis of faith that accompanies a world-class existential crisis.

Mental Health is Horrifying is hosted by Candis Green, Registered Psychotherapist and owner of Many Moons Therapy.

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Show Notes:

Join Illuminative Tarot for Working With Trauma to learn creative ways to work with tarot as a supportive partner in the healing process.

Want to work together? I offer 1:1 psychotherapy (Ontario), along with tarot, horror, and dreamwork services, but individually and through my group program, the Final Girls Club.

Podcast artwork by Chloe Hurst at Contempo Mint

Mike Flanagan opens up about the personal journey that shaped his buzzed-about Midnight Mass by Nick Romano

Staring at the sun: Overcoming the terror of death by Irvin Yalom

The Witch — Satanic scapegoating

Thu, 27 Feb 2025 05:00:00 -0500

In this episode on The Witch (2015), I explore the psychological concept of scapegoating and how it can drive a woman straight to the devil. Hail Satan.

Mental Health is Horrifying is hosted by Candis Green, Registered Psychotherapist and owner of Many Moons Therapy.

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Show Notes:

Join Illuminative Tarot for Working With Trauma to learn creative ways to work with tarot as a supportive partner in the healing process.

Want to work together? I offer 1:1 psychotherapy (Ontario), along with tarot, horror, and dreamwork services, but individually and through my group program, the Final Girls Club.

Podcast artwork by Chloe Hurst at Contempo Mint.

How Robert Eggers Wove the Nightmares of The Witch Out of Historical Documents By Lauren Duca

Rejected, Shamed, and Blamed: Help and Hope for Adults in the Family Scapegoat Role by Rebecca C. Mandeville

The Portrait of The ‘Scapegoat Woman’ As Witch by Serap Yüzgüller Arsal and Seda Yavuz

Companion — What f@*%ed up attachment style is this?

Tue, 11 Feb 2025 05:00:00 -0500

In this episode on Companion (2025), I theorize about what new f@*%ed up attachment style could evolve out of our attempts to attach to AI companion bots. Lord save us.

Mental Health is Horrifying is hosted by Candis Green, Registered Psychotherapist and owner of Many Moons Therapy.

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Show Notes:

Join Illuminative Tarot for Working With Trauma to learn creative ways to work with tarot as a supportive partner in the healing process. Presale pricing currently available.

Want to work together? I offer 1:1 psychotherapy (Ontario), along with tarot, horror, and dreamwork services, but individually and through my group program, the Final Girls Club.

Podcast artwork by Chloe Hurst at Contempo Mint.

Erotic Transference and Countertransference Clinical practice in psychotherapy, Edited By David Mann

How 'Companion' Turned Sophie Thatcher Into the "Perfect Girlfriend" by Sadie Bell

‘Companion’ Director Drew Hancock Reveals the Script Change That Reinvented His Sci-Fi Horror Movie [Interview] by Meagan Navarro

Nguyen, C. Thi, Games: Agency As Art (New York, 2020; online edn, Oxford Academic, 23 Apr. 2020)

Attachment by John Bowlby

The Shining — Loneliness will kill ya

Tue, 21 Jan 2025 05:00:00 -0500

This episode explores The Shining (1980) and its depiction of the adverse psychological impacts of isolation and lack of community. Spoiler alert: it's bad.

Mental Health is Horrifying is hosted by Candis Green, Registered Psychotherapist and owner of Many Moons Therapy.

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Show Notes:

Join Illuminative Tarot for Working With Trauma to learn creative ways to work with tarot as a supportive partner in the healing process. Presale pricing currently available.

Want to work together? I offer 1:1 psychotherapy (Ontario), along with tarot, horror, and dreamwork services, but individually and through my group program, the Final Girls Club.

Podcast artwork by Chloe Hurst at Contempo Mint.

A Night at the Movies: The Horrors of Stephen King

Decolonizing Trauma Work: Indigenous Stories and Strategies by Renee Linklater, Lewis Mehl-Madrona (Foreword)

Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror

This Could Be Your AI Robot Girlfriend — For $175,000 by Barry Collins

Nosferatu — Shame is a nightmare

Mon, 06 Jan 2025 05:00:00 -0500

This episode explores Nosferatu (2024) and its depiction of shame as a horrible, beautiful nightmare.

Mental Health is Horrifying is hosted by Candis Green, Registered Psychotherapist and owner of Many Moons Therapy.

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Show Notes:

Join Illuminative Tarot for Working With Trauma to learn creative ways to work with tarot as a supportive partner in the healing process. Presale pricing currently available.

Want to work together? I offer 1:1 psychotherapy (Ontario), along with tarot, horror, and dreamwork services, but individually and through my group program, the Final Girls Club.

Podcast artwork by Chloe Hurst at Contempo Mint.

‘Nosferatu’ Review: Bill Skarsgard and Lily-Rose Depp Are Riveting, but Director Robert Eggers Rules This Haute-Horror Feast by David Rooney

Robert Eggers on What Makes His Nosferatu Different by Megan McCluskey

Robert Eggers Gave Lily-Rose Depp a Book About Demonic Sexual Awakening to Prepare for ‘Nosferatu’: I Used It as My ‘Bible’ on Set by Samantha Bergeson

Understanding and Treating Chronic Shame: A Relational/Neurobiological Approach by Patricia A. DeYoung

The Four Quadrant Model — Narcissistic Overcompensation

A Haunting in Venice — Cozy horror makes life less scary

Fri, 13 Dec 2024 05:00:00 -0500

Life is hard! So I'm really glad that cozy horror movies like A Haunting in Venice exist to comfort us through times of hardship and winter frostbite.

In this episode, we explore A Haunting in Venice (2024) as a shining example of cozy horror, and why cozy horror is good for our mental health.

I also pull some tarot cards to try and make sense of why there is such divisive rhetoric in the horror community against cozy horror!

Mental Health is Horrifying is hosted by Candis Green, Registered Psychotherapist and owner of Many Moons Therapy.

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Show Notes:

Want to work together? I offer 1:1 psychotherapy (Ontario), along with tarot, horror, and dreamwork services, but individually and through my group program, the Final Girls Club.

Send me some Ghoul Mail! I love hearing from you spooky ghouls! Want a chance to have your story read on a future episode of Mental Health is Horrifying? If you’d like to share what horror movies mean to you, how they have helped you with your mental health, or about a particular horror movie that you have thoughts and feelings about, send me some Ghoul Mail.

Podcast artwork by Chloe Hurst at Contempo Mint.

Instead of Arguing About This Horror Genre, Why Not Curl Up and Enjoy It? By Julia Glassman in The Mary Sue

Oster, Emily F., Witchcraft, Weather and Economic Growth in Renaissance Europe. Journal of Economic Perspectives, Winter 2004

The Witches: Salem, 1692 by Stacy Schiff

About Agatha Christie

Subject spotlight: Mystery & Detective By BookNet Canada

Why Is Pandemic Fiction So Comforting Right Now? By By Kathryn VanArendonk in Vulture

What You Need To Know About Pluto in Aquarius from Chani

The Substance — We're all gonna die

Fri, 29 Nov 2024 05:00:00 -0500

If there was a drug that would create a younger version of yourself, would you take it?

This episode looks at The Substance (2024) and its portrayal of death anxiety via our obsession with female youth and beauty.

Mental Health is Horrifying is hosted by Candis Green, Registered Psychotherapist and owner of Many Moons Therapy.

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Show Notes:

Want to work together? I offer 1:1 psychotherapy (Ontario), along with tarot, horror, and dreamwork services, but individually and through my group program, the Final Girls Club. Visit my website to learn more.

Podcast artwork by Chloe Hurst at Contempomint.

Lem M, Pham JT, Kim JK, Tang CJ. Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Nonsurgical Cosmetic Procedure Interest. The American Journal of Cosmetic Surgery. 2024;41(3):189-195. doi:10.1177/07488068221141168

Taylor, J., Armes, G. Social comparison on Instagram, and its relationship with self-esteem and body-esteem. Discov Psychol 4, 126 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s44202-024-00241-3

Interview With "The Substance" Director/Writer Coralie Fargeat, Next Best Picture Podcast

‘The Movie Is Fundamentally About the Violence of Control’: Writer-Director Coralie Fargeat Talks The Substance By Elissa Suh

Someone on Reddit Made a chart of Leonardo DiCaprio's girlfriends — and it seems his cut-off age is 25 by Tom Murray

Hagitude: Reimagining the Second Half of Life by Sharon Blackie

The Hitchcock Hotel + Psycho — Maternal enmeshment extravaganza!

Wed, 13 Nov 2024 05:00:00 -0500

As Norman Bates likes to say, a boy's best friend is his mother.

...Right?

This episode takes a look at the book The Hitchcock Hotel (2024) and horror classic Psycho (1960) in this maternal enmeshment extravaganza!

Mental Health is Horrifying is hosted by Candis Green, Registered Psychotherapist and owner of Many Moons Therapy.

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Show Notes:

Want to work together? I offer 1:1 psychotherapy (Ontario), along with tarot, horror, and dreamwork services, both individually and through my group program, the Final Girls Club.

This month's Final Girls Club feature workshop is Nightmare-morphosis. It's taking place on November 28, and it’s a live online psychotherapeutic workshop, where final girls are invited to bring a nightmare of their choosing to work with. Using our creative capacities and active imaginations, we will safely re-enter and co-create with our dreamscapes to metamorphize the nightmare, reducing its emotional charge while introducing a more empowered, supportive narrative.

Send me some Ghoul Mail!

I love hearing from you spooky ghouls! Want a chance to have your story read on a future episode of Mental Health is Horrifying? If you’d like to share what horror movies mean to you, how they have helped you with your mental health, or about a particular horror movie that you have thoughts and feelings about, send me some Ghoul Mail.

Podcast artwork by Chloe Hurst at Contempomint.

The Hitchcock Hotel by Stephanie Wrobel

Hann-Morrison, D. (2012). Maternal Enmeshment: The Chosen Child. Sage Open, 2(4).

Attachment in Psychotherapy by David J. Wallin

Stephanie Wrobel Discusses Her Inspiration for ‘The Hitchcock Hotel’ By Andy Burns

Dick Cavett interview with Alfred Hitchcock

Trick 'r Treat — Halloween is good for your mental health

Tue, 15 Oct 2024 05:00:00 -0400

In this special BONUS Halloween episode, let’s explore Trick ‘r Treat (2007), and the importance of Halloween for your mental health.

Mental Health is Horrifying is hosted by Candis Green, Registered Psychotherapist and owner of Many Moons Therapy.

Instagram: @mentalhealthishorrifying

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Show Notes:

Want to work together? I offer 1:1 psychotherapy (Ontario) and specialize in grief and trauma.

This month in the Final Girls Club, check out Your Hallowed Halloween Kit. I created this kit as a way to help you slow down and appreciate this most sacred time in the wheel of the year, with Halloween rituals designed to support your mental health. From tarot spreads, dreamwork exercises, and an activity to help you find your monster movie soulmate as a portrait of your own psychic terrain – each ritual is informed by depth psychology and is designed to help you connect with your own depths, be intentional with the magic around you, and harness Halloween’s true meaning, legends, and traditions as a pathway back to yourself.

As a special treat for my hallowed listeners, save $5 when using code TRICKRTREAT.

Each month, Apple Podcasts selects podcasts to include as part of its curated feature section. And this month, Mental Health is Horrifying is featured under Spooky Stories. Thank you so much to Apple Podcasts for this feature, and for elevating spookiness as an art form. Check out my feature on the Apple Podcasts app under the Browse tab, and be sure to check out all the other deliciously spooky podcasts included in the section.

Send me some Ghoul Mail!

Podcast artwork by Chloe Hurst at Contempomint.

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Sources:

Halloween: Origins, Meaning & Traditions

History Extra podcast: Work-life balance: how our ancestors fought for free time

Trick 'R Treat: Sam's Halloween Rules Explained by By Padraig Cotter

Halloween (1978) — The perfect final girl, and her anxiety boogeyman

Tue, 08 Oct 2024 05:00:00 -0400

This special Halloween episode explores the absolute classic Halloween (1978) and its portrayal of Laurie Strode’s over-functioning anxiety in her pursuit to uphold the mantle of the perfect final girl.

As a psychotherapist for final girls, this episode is a love letter to all of you.

Mental Health is Horrifying is hosted by Candis Green, Registered Psychotherapist and owner of Many Moons Therapy.

Instagram: @mentalhealthishorrifying

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Show Notes:

Want to work together? I offer 1:1 psychotherapy (Ontario), along with tarot, horror, and dreamwork services, but individually and through my group program, the Final Girls Club. This month's feature is Your Hallowed Halloween Kit.

Send me some Ghoul Mail!

Podcast artwork by Chloe Hurst at Contempomint.

The Story Behind the Original Halloween By Jason Bailey

Men, Women, and Chain Saws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film by Carol J. Clover

Generalized Anxiety Disorder in Women by Heather B. Howell, Olga Brawman-Mintzer, Jeannine Monnier, Kimberly A. Yonkers, Psychiatric Clinics of North America, Volume 24, Issue 1, 2001

Longlegs — Intrusive thoughts, brought to you by Nicolas Cage

Tue, 10 Sep 2024 05:00:00 -0400

I don’t know what the deal is with all of you who didn’t find Longlegs scary, because this movie straight up gave me intrusive thoughts! This episode talks about those thoughts, how I learned to challenge my Nicolas Cage-related intrusive thoughts, and how you can challenge yours too through cognitive strategies and (seemingly paradoxically) through horror.

Mental Health is Horrifying is hosted by Candis Green, Registered Psychotherapist and owner of Many Moons Therapy.

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Show Notes:

Want to work together? I offer 1:1 psychotherapy (Ontario), along with tarot, horror, and dreamwork services, but individually and through my group program, the Final Girls Club.

Send me some Ghoul Mail!

Podcast artwork by Chloe Hurst at Contempomint.

Effects of suppression of personal intrusive thoughts by Anita E. Kelly and Jeffrey H. Kahn, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 66, Iss. 6

Covering Up What Can't Be Seen: Concealable Stigma and Mental Control by Laura Richman and Daniel M. Wegner, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 77(3): 474-486

A comparison of thought suppression to an acceptance-based technique in the management of personal intrusive thoughts: a controlled evaluation by Brook A. Marcks and Douglas W. Woods, Behaviour Research and Therapy, Volume 43, Issue 4, April 2005, Pages 433-445

Neuroanatomy, Parasympathetic Nervous System by Jacob Tindle and Prasanna Tadi in National Library of Medicine

Osgood Perkins Explains How ‘Longlegs’ Is an Ode to His Celebrity Parents’ Dark Backstory: ‘A Mother Can Lie Out of Love’ by Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire

Trap — Thirst is good for your mental health

Sat, 10 Aug 2024 05:00:00 -0400

Let’s talk about Trap (2024) and about how teen heartthrobs, fantasy, and nostalgia are actually beneficial to our mental health by exploring self-psychology concepts of selfobject needs and reparative relationships.

Mental Health is Horrifying is hosted by Candis Green, Registered Psychotherapist and owner of Many Moons Therapy.

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Show Notes:

Want to work together? I offer 1:1 psychotherapy (Ontario), along with tarot, horror, and dreamwork services, both individually and through my group program, the Final Girls Club. Visit my website to learn more.

Podcast artwork by Chloe Hurst at Contempomint.

Between Therapist and Client: The New Relationship by Michael Kahn

Nostalgia as a Resource for Psychological Health and Well-Being by Clay Routledge, Tim Wildschut , Constantine Sedikides, and Jacob Juhl in Social and Personality Psychology Compass 7/11 (2013): 808–818, 10.1111/spc3.12070

‘It Was Never My Intention to Be a Heartthrob’: Josh Hartnett on Finding His Focus, Shedding the Darkness of ‘Black Mirror’ and That ‘Bats— Crazy’ ‘Trap’ Script by Emily Longeretta

Lisa Frankenstein — Love as an (un)living altar to grief

Tue, 23 Jul 2024 05:00:00 -0400

This episode talks about 2024 gothic romance horror comedy delight Lisa Frankenstien and its portrayal of the grieving process through the eyes of Lisa in all her sensitive, emo, goth teen glory. This movie is quirky, and silly, and romantic, and touching and I’m so glad that it exists and that it pays a beautiful tribute to its godmother, Mary Shelley.

Mental Health is Horrifying is hosted by Candis Green, Registered Psychotherapist and owner of Many Moons Therapy.

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Sources:

Whether you have lost a beloved person or pet, Love Letters For The Dead offers you a space to process, feel, and be with your experience of grief for your dearly departed. Over a two week period, you will receive writing prompts, audio recordings, tarot exercises, and dreamwork rituals delivered to your inbox, along with a place to share memories of and feelings about your dearly departed.

All you need is your heart, a journal, and a tarot or oracle deck.

We begin on the dark moon of August 3.

Early bird pricing is available until July 26. Visit manymoonstherapy.com/finalgirlsclub to learn more and to register.

Order The Horror Concierge: A Mental Health and Horror Tarot Readings + Film Reco

Podcast artwork by Chloe Hurst at Contempomint.

Undergoing the situation: Emotional dwelling is more than empathic understanding by Robert D. Storlow

Staring at the Sun: Overcoming the Terror of Death by Irvin D. Yalom

Death Rituals, Ceremonies & Traditions Around the World by Tracey Wallace

Little Hidden Doors: A Guided Journal for Deep Dreamers – A Dream Journal by Naomi Sangreal

Laurie Anderson’s Farewell to Lou Reed: A Rolling Stone Exclusive by Laurie Anderson

Jennifer's Body & Lisa Frankenstein's Shared Universe Explained: How The Horror Movies Are Connected by Brandon Zachary

For Zelda Williams, Daughter of Robin, a Goth Zombie Comedy Is Cathartic by Melena Ryzik

Mary Shelley’s Haunted Life by Caroline Macon Fleischer

Mary Shelley’s Obsession with the Cemetery by Bess Lovejoy

Mental Health Resources:

Assaulted Women’s Help Line

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

Distress Centres of Toronto

Gerstein Crisis Centre

Toronto Rape Crisis Centre / Multicultural Women Against Rape

Victim Services Toronto

Tarot — Relax, it’s only a portal into your soul

Wed, 12 Jun 2024 05:00:00 -0400

If you were staying at a spooky old mansion for the weekend and you found a condemned tarot deck in the basement that definitely looked haunted… would you read from the deck? Or would you run?

I guess your answer depends on the power you believe that a deck of cards can have. Because even the non-believers — even those who think that tarot cards are fake and just a bunch of hocus pocus — even they seem scared to sit down and watch their fate unfold in front of them. If it’s not real, what are you so afraid of?

On today's episode, we're going to talk about Tarot (2024) and its portrayal of the cards as a mirror into the deepest, darkest places of our psyches.

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Sources:

Order The Horror Concierge: A Mental Health and Horror Tarot Readings + Film Reco. Order yours HERE.

Podcast artwork by Chloe Hurst at Contempomint.

Jung and Tarot: An Archetypal Journey by Sallie Nichols

‘Tarot’ Movie Co-Director Details How New Horror Thriller Deals Fresh Hand To Audiences by Tim Lammers

Jungian Perspective on the Tarot by Ken James

Modalities of Psychotherapy, CRPO

Scream — What if this is all Sidney's trauma nightmare?

Tue, 23 Apr 2024 05:00:00 -0400

Have you ever been in the middle of experiencing something so strange, or so cruel or surreal that you think to yourself – I have to be in some kind of nightmare? Well, what if you were? What if it was “all one great big movie”... uhh I mean nightmare?

What if Scream is actually Sidney Prescott’s trauma nightmare? Let’s explore that theory and look at how Scream (1996) portrays the formation of trauma and how it can manifest into nightmares.

Mental Health is Horrifying is hosted by Candis Green, Registered Psychotherapist and owner of Many Moons Therapy.

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Sources:

Hey final girls — we all have psychic capabilities. And learning how to tap into those innate capabilities can unlock a doorway to a world rich with meaning beyond what we can perceive with our conscious, waking minds. I invite you to join Through the Dream Veil, my 5-week email course where you will learn how to heighten your psychic capabilities by learning how to develop your own personal dreamwork practice, nurture a relationship with the dream realm, and embody the magic of your dreams to unveil a deeper understanding of both your personal and the collective unconscious.

Beginning and the May 6 dark moon, you will receive psychoeducaiton about dreams, a framework for developing your own personal dreamwork practice, and an audio guided journey into your unconscious where you will be guided to discover what a dream of your choosing means to you.

Order The Horror Concierge: A Mental Health and Horror Tarot Readings + Film Reco. Order yours HERE.

Podcast artwork by Chloe Hurst at Contempomint.

The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious by Carl Jung

Dreams: (From Volumes 4, 8, 12, and 16 of the Collected Works of C. G. Jung) (New in Paper) by C.G. Jung

The Interpretation of Fairy Tales by Marie-Louise von Franz and Kendra Crossen

The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture by Gabor Maté, Daniel Maté

The Scream, 1893 by Edvard Munch

The 1990s Teen Horror Cycle: Final Girls and a New Hollywood Formula by Alexandra West

The Haunting — Caregiver burnout is a haunted house that you live in

Tue, 26 Mar 2024 05:00:00 -0400

Does spending a weekend in a haunted house conducting paranormal investigations with a bunch of other spooky weirdos sound preferable to spending it with your codependent family members? Yes? Then pack your bags, sister.

We’re heading to Hill House to talk about The Haunting (1968) and its portrayal of caregiver burnout.

Mental Health is Horrifying is hosted by Candis Green, Registered Psychotherapist and owner of Many Moons Therapy.

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Sources:

Hey final girls — I’d like to take you on a transcendent journey into your psyche through — you guessed — horror movies! More specifically, horror movie monsters and villains. Join me on a very special dark moon/solar eclipse this April 8 for the Final Girls Club where we’ll be exploring How Monsters Show Us Our Guts. Informed by Jungian exploration of myths and fairy tales as portraits of psychic terrain, in this workshop, we will explore how we project our unconscious shadows onto our favourite horror monsters and villains, and imagine the creation of our own monsters as an act of emotional catharsis and reclamation of self. Register HERE.

Order The Horror Concierge: A Mental Health and Horror Tarot Readings + Film Reco. Order yours HERE.

Podcast artwork by Chloe Hurst at Contempomint.

West ML, Keller AE. Parentification of the child: a case study of Bowlby's compulsive care-giving attachment pattern. Am J Psychother. 1991 Jul;45(3):425-31. doi: 10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.1991.45.3.425. PMID: 1951790.

The Haunted Mind of Shirley Jackson by Zoë Heller

Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life by Ruth Franklin

The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious by Carl Jung

Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski

Cam — Double double ego trouble

Tue, 27 Feb 2024 05:00:00 -0500

How would you feel if one day you tried to login to your online social media accounts, only to discover that they were locked and your online persona had taken on a life of its own? Pretty scary stuff, eh?

Cam is an obvious commentary on the nature of camming and is based on writer Isa Mazzei’s own experiences as a cam girl, but what I’m most interested in is how this movie reflects the increasingly ego-focused nature of our society, and what happens when the ego is not in balance with the rest of the archetypal self. (spoiler alert: it’s bad.)

Let’s talk about Cam (2018) and its portrayal of the ego run amok.

Mental Health is Horrifying is hosted by Candis Green, Registered Psychotherapist and owner of Many Moons Therapy.

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Sources:

Hey final girls — I’d like to take you on a transcendent journey into your psyche through — you guessed — horror movies! More specifically, horror movie monsters and villains. Join me on a very special dark moon/solar eclipse this April 8 for the Final Girls Club where we’ll be exploring How Monsters Show Us Our Guts. Informed by Jungian exploration of myths and fairy tales as portraits of psychic terrain, in this workshop, we will explore how we project our unconscious shadows onto our favourite horror monsters and villains, and imagine the creation of our own monsters as an act of emotional catharsis and reclamation of self. Early bird final girl rate is in effect until March 1. Register by visiting manymoonstherapy.com/finalgirlsclub.

Order The Horror Concierge: A Mental Health and Horror Tarot Readings + Film Reco. Order yours HERE.

This Horror Screenwriter Subverted Every Shitty Sex Work Trope by Frederick Blichert

Collected Works of C. G. Jung, Volume 11: Psychology and Religion: West and East by C.G. Jung

The Interpretation of Fairy Tales by Marie-Louise von Franz, Kendra Crossen

Host — Even the ghosts have lockdown anxiety

Tue, 23 Jan 2024 05:00:00 -0500

Remember lockdown? I know I'm sorry — I know you don’t want to, but I think it’s worth considering for the sake of talking about Host (2020) and its genius encapsulation of the total anxiety of Covid lockdown.

We’re in the depths of winter anyway, so why not hunker down at home at relive the horrors of Zoom hangouts with friends? And you know what might make It a bit more fun — is if we throw a séance in there.

Let’s talk about Host (2020) and its portrayal of lockdown anxiety.

Mental Health is Horrifying is hosted by Candis Green, Registered Psychotherapist and owner of Many Moons Therapy.

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Sources:

Hey final girls — speaking of getting haunted during a virtual meeting, registration is now open for the February meeting of the Final Girls Club where you’ll get to experience Dream Walk With Me — a live, experiential dreamwork journey where we will uncover the hidden meanings behind the symbols, archetypes and messages held within your dreams. Early bird final girl rate is in effect until February 1. Register by visiting manymoonstherapy.com/finalgirlsclub.

Order The Horror Concierge: A Mental Health and Horror Tarot Readings + Film Reco. Order yours HERE.

'Host' Director Breaks Down The Mythology You May Have Missed & That Ending Shot By Perri Nemiroff

Hwang TJ, Rabheru K, Peisah C, Reichman W, Ikeda M. Loneliness and social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Int Psychogeriatr. 2020 Oct;32(10):1217-1220. doi: 10.1017/S1041610220000988. Epub 2020 May 26. PMID: 32450943; PMCID: PMC7306546. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7306546/

How 'Host' director Rob Savage went from viral tweet to 3-movie deal By Sam Haysom

Has School Become Optional? By Alec MacGillis

The Implications of COVID-19 for Mental Health and Substance Use by Nirmita Panchal, Heather Saunders, Robin Rudowitz, and Cynthia Cox

Mental health and the pandemic: What U.S. surveys have found by John Gramlich

Pongou R, Ahinkorah BO, Maltais S, Mabeu MC, Agarwal A, Yaya S. Psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. PLoS One. 2022 Nov 17;17(11):e0277238. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0277238. PMID: 36395148; PMCID: PMC9671380.

Eric B. Elbogen, Megan Lanier, Sarah C. Griffin, Shannon M. Blakey, Jeffrey A. Gluff, H. Ryan Wagner, and Jack Tsai. A National Study of Zoom Fatigue and Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Implications for Future Remote Work. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking.Jul 2022.409-415.

“Misinformation” vs. “Disinformation”: Get Informed On The Difference

Krampus — It’s beginning to look a lot like seasonal depression

Tue, 12 Dec 2023 05:00:00 -0500

Let’s talk about Krampus (2015) — everyone’s favourite half goat, half demon creature who has come to punish all the misbehaving children and dysfunctional families on Christmas — as a symbol for seasonal depression.

It’s no surprise that December is a month of peak seasonal depression despite being labelled as the most wonderful time of the year. People tend to be ultra stressed out during the holidays — in particular at the prospect of spending time with their families. Oh the cognitive dissonance! So who better to reflect the true horrors of the season than a terrifying goat demon who brings along with him killer gingerbread men, teddy bears, and a jack in the box from hell?

Mental Health is Horrifying is hosted by Candis Green, owner of Many Moons Therapy.

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Sources:

Order The Horror Concierge: A Mental Health and Horror Tarot Readings + Film Reco. Order yours HERE.

Hey final girls — I have an exciting group experience coming in the new year that will guide you through dreamwork exploration. Sign up for my newsletter to be the first to know when this launches in January.

Krampus by Amy Tikkanen in Encyclopedia Britannica

Behind the scenes of Christmas horror movie Krampus with Wellington's Weta Workshop by Collette Devlin

Seasonal Affective Disorder, John Hopkins Medicine

Krampus Origin Story | Krampus (2015)

The Simpsons - Krusty Doll Set To Evil

Christmas Shopping with Cousin Eddie

Champ Kind intro

A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance by Leon Festinger

Holiday joy despite narcissistic relationships by Doctor Ramani

Five Nights at Freddy’s — Dreamwork to navigate the unconscious and a murderous teddy bear

Mon, 13 Nov 2023 05:00:00 -0500

Let’s talk about Five Nights at Freddy’s (2023) and its portrayal of the personal unconscious through dreams.

K so the reason I went to see this movie is because Matthew Lillard is in it and I think he is one of THE BEST horror film actors of all time and I will see anything he is in. But I was SO pleasantly surprised at how much I liked this movie! I immediately saw that this movie was about the navigation of trauma through dreamwork and Jungian archetypes — AND there were adorable murderous animatronic critters who love pizza and singing songs so like… what’s there not to like?

Mental Health is Horrifying is hosted by Candis Green, owner of Many Moons Therapy.

Podcast artwork by Chloe Hurst from Contempomint.
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Sources:

Order The Horror Concierge: A Mental Health and Horror Tarot Readings + Film Reco. Order yours HERE.

Hey final girls — I have an exciting group experience coming in the new year that will guide you through dreamwork exploration. Sign up for my newsletter to be the first to know when this launches.

Consciousness and the Unconscious: Lectures Delivered at ETH Zurich, Volume 2: 1934 by C.G. Jung and Ernst Falzeder

Jung's Model of the Psyche by Ann Hopwood

Five Nights At Freddy's Breaks Major Horror Movie Box Office Record Of 2023 by Nick Bythrow

Five Nights at Freddy’s, the cult horror game turned movie, explained by Aja Romano

What Is Dream Theory and How Does It Work in Five Nights at Freddy's? by Cassidy Ward

Dreams: (From Volumes 4, 8, 12, and 16 of the Collected Works of C. G. Jung) by C.G. Jung

Dictionary of Symbolism: Cultural Icons and the Meanings Behind Them by Hans Biedermann

Hocus Pocus — I put a spell on your nervous system

Tue, 10 Oct 2023 05:00:00 -0400

On this special Halloween episode, I’m going to risk having my horror hall pass revoked by diving into a movie that is uhhh not TECHNICALLY a horror movie, but I believe still deserves a place somewhere in the genre for reasons we will explore in the episode — HOCUS POCUS (1993)!

It’s for the same reason that I believe so strongly that everybody should be able to connect with feelings of pure joy and excitement as they relate to Halloween, that I also believe that horror is for EVERYBODY no matter how much terror you can withstand. I have developed a theory to explore this —and it’s called the Spooky/Scary Spectrum.

Okay so let’s talk about Hocus Pocus and my PATENTED Spooky/Scary Spectrum of horror and how it relates to the nervous system!

Mental Health is Horrifying is hosted by Candis Green, owner of Many Moons Therapy.

Podcast artwork by Chloe Hurst from Contempomint.
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Sources:

Order The Horror Concierge: A Mental Health and Horror Tarot Readings + Film Reco. Order yours HERE.

Be sure to check out my Instagram @manymoonstherapy for a diagram of the Spooky/Scary spectrum, and to see what movies I placed on the spectrum for myself! Why don’t you give it a try too?

Hocus Pocus (1993) Trailer, Rotten Tomatoes Classic Trailers

Learning in the panic zone: strategies for managing learner anxiety by Rob Palethorpe, John P. Wilson in Journal of European Industrial Training

How ‘Hocus Pocus’ Went From Box Office Bomb to Disney’s Halloween Darling by And Ortiz

15 surprising things you probably never knew about 'Hocus Pocus’ by Marilyn La Jeunesse

Scream Therapy: The Mental Health Benefits of Horror Movies

How Scary Movies Can Help You De-Stress, According to Science by Kim Wong-Shing

Why Do We Keep Going Back? A Q Method Analysis of Our Attraction to Horror Movies. Operant Subjectivity by Robinson, T. ., Callahan, C., & Evans, K.

Pandemic practice: Horror fans and morbidly curious individuals are more psychologically resilient during the COVID-19 pandemic by Coltan Scriver, John A. Johnson, Jens Kjeldgaard-Christiansen, Mathias Clasen

Neuroanatomy, Parasympathetic Nervous System by Jacob Tindle and Prasanna Tadi

The Ring — Grief is a well you’ve been thrown down

Wed, 27 Sep 2023 05:00:00 -0400

So — have you heard about this tape?

Let’s talk about The Ring (2002) and its portrayal of grief, nature vs nurture, and the psycho-therapeutic theory of emotional dwelling.

There are many readings of what the metaphors in this movie are really about. And for a lot of people this movie is about technology — viral media and misinformation, technology as a virus, technophobia etc etc — but for me, this movie is so much about grief! Like — it just is! Miscarriages! Murder! Hauntings! Girls in wells! Grief.

Mental Health is Horrifying is hosted by Candis Green, owner of Many Moons Therapy.

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Sources:

Psychoanalytic Dialogues 26: 103-108 Walking the Tightrope of Emotional Dwelling by George E. Atwood, Phd and Robert D. Stolorow, Phd

Undergoing the situation: Emotional dwelling is more than empathic understanding by Robert D. Storlow

Epigenetics and Child Development: How Children’s Experiences Affect Their Genes

How "Ringu" (1998) Embodies Cultural Fear by Daniel Hess

'The Ring' at 20: Millennial Horror That's Still Infecting Movies Today by Beatrice Loayza

You Won’t Regret Rewatching The Ring by Kevin Townsend, Sophie Gilbert, David Sims, and Lenika Cruz

They Live — 5 tips to manifest out of this dystopian hellscape, babe

Mon, 28 Aug 2023 11:00:00 -0400

Let’s talk about They Live (1988) and its portrayal of mental health themes of oppression, manifestation vs. reality, and the attention economy and ADHD.

They Live focuses on an ordinary man who discovers an alien race has been controlling the human population through subliminal messaging that promotes vapid consumerism. Is this a documentary? Maybe.

Mental Health is Horrifying is hosted by Candis Green, owner of Many Moons Therapy.

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Show Notes:

As a special gift for my hallowed listeners, for a limited time use promo code HORRIFYING20 for 20% off The Horror Concierge: A Mental Health and Horror Tarot Readings + Film Reco. Order yours HERE.

Trickle-Down Behavior Analysis by Mark R. Dixon

American Psychiatric Association: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition. Arlington, VA., American Psychiatric Association, 2013.

Association of Digital Media Use With Subsequent Symptoms of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Among Adolescents. by Ra CK, Cho J, Stone MD, De La Cerda J, Goldenson NI, Moroney E, Tung I, Lee SS, Leventhal AM.

They Live Fight Scene: Secret Behind Cinema’s Greatest Brawl by Tim Buckler

Consumer Price Index: Annual review, 2022

What Does Barbie’s Box Office Bonanza Mean for Mattel Stock? by Jaime Katz

Move Fast and Break Things: How Facebook, Google, and Amazon Cornered Culture and Undermined Democracy by Jonathan Taplin

What Was the Subprime Meltdown? What Happened and Consequences by Will Kenton

The Secret by Rhonda Byrne

The Work of Byron Katie by Byron Katie

Paying Attention: The Attention Economy by BER Staff

Jaws — Don’t ignore your emotions or they’ll swim up and bite you in the ass!

Thu, 27 Jul 2023 10:00:00 -0400

It’s summertime, ghouls! It’s hot, it’s humid, and wouldn’t you non-vampire people just love a day on the beach? Or are you afraid to go in the water? On today’s episode, I’m going to be talking about the OG summer blockbuster that made everyone afraid to go in the water, Jaws (1975).

Let’s talk about Jaws as a metaphor for emotional avoidance, its portrayal of existential themes of meaning vs meaninglessness, and believe it or not — pet and animal grief!

Mental Health is Horrifying is hosted by Candis Green, owner of Many Moons Therapy.

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Sources:

‘Jaws’: The Groundbreaking Summer Blockbuster that Changed Hollywood, and Our Summer Vacations, Forever by Sven Mikulec

The Real-Life Drama That Almost Prevented Steven Spielberg's 'Jaws' From Being Made by Lloyd Farley

Attachment and Loss by John Bowlby

The Strange Situation by Mary Ainsworth

Staring at the sun: Overcoming the terror of death by Irvin Yalom

The Birth of Tragedy by Friedrich Nietzsche

What Song Quint Keeps Singing In Jaws by Kevin Maclean

Repressing Emotions by Angelica Attard Ph.D.

Veterinarians group fighting 'staggering' statistics on death by suicide in profession by Kevin Yarr

Not One More Vet

Replacing animal agriculture and shifting to a plant-based diet could drastically curb greenhouse gas emissions, according to new model by Ker Than

On the Endless Symbolism of the Best Summer Movie Ever Made: Jaws by Olivia Rutigliano

Steven Spielberg Regrets How ‘Jaws’ Impacted Real-World Sharks by Jacquelyne Germain

Support local bunnies!

Rabbit Rescue

Tiny Paws Rabbit Rescue

The Mist — Cloudy with a chance of monsters (+ climate anxiety and xenophobia!)

Mon, 26 Jun 2023 16:00:00 -0400

Let’s talk about the apocalyptic— today’s forecast is misty with a chance of monsters — low key 2007 creature feature, The Mist.

I had seen this movie a handful of times over the years and upon a rewatch for this episode, I really wanted this movie to just be about climate change. It’s easy to see it that way pure and simple — there’s literally monsters in the mist outside that prevent people from going out lest they get eaten. But on closer inspection, there is so much much more going on here and begs the question — is climate change really just environmental terrorism? And who exactly is the real monster here?

This episode explores the film’s portrayal of climate anxiety, a psychological concept called sense-making, in and out groups, spiritual bypassing, and hopelessness. Good times!

Mental Health is Horrifying is hosted by Candis Green, owner of Many Moons Therapy.

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Sources:

The 1990s Teen Horror Cycle: Final Girls and a New Hollywood Formula by Alexandra West https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/the-1990s-teen-horror-cycle/

Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain by David Eagleman https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9827912-incognito

Canada wildfires: US East Coast sees worst air quality in years https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65828469

The Social Psychology of Organizing by Karl E. Weick https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/134489

Deep Diversity: Overcoming Us Vs. Them by Shakil Choudhury https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/26781095

Toward a Psychology of Awakening: Buddhism, Psychotherapy, and the Path of Personal and Spiritual Transformation by John Welwood https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14457.Toward_a_Psychology_of_Awakening

‘The Mist’ Is Still Relevant for Unfortunate Reasons by Kristen Lopez
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/mist-is-still-relevant-unfortunate-reasons-1060573/

Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/91953.Leviathan

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Mental Health Resources:

Assaulted Women’s Help Line
awhl.org
416-863-0511

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
camh.net
416-535-8501

Distress Centres of Toronto
dcogt.com
416-408-4357

Gerstein Crisis Centre
gersteincentre.org
416-929-5200

Toronto Rape Crisis Centre / Multicultural Women Against Rape
trccmwar.ca
416-597-8808

Victim Services Toronto
victimservicestoronto.com
416-808-7066

Carrie —she's not a monster, she's just religiously traumatized!

Mon, 05 Jun 2023 12:00:00 -0400

Let's talk about the blood-soaked, prom queen of our dreams who — spoiler alert! — burns the whole ass gymnasium down cinematic masterpiece from 1976, Carrie.

One of my favourite things about the origin story of this movie is that after Stephen King scoured the deepest, darkest, recesses of his mind to conjure up the most horrific scenario that he could —a teenage girl has her period for the first time in a public school shower, leading all of her classmates to laugh at her and pelt her with tampons! Horrors!

This episode explores the film’s portrayal of interconnected themes of religious trauma and abuse, shame, and the monstrous feminine.

Mental Health is Horrifying is hosted by Candis Green, owner of Many Moons Therapy.

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Sources:

https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2566855/adapting-stephen-king-carrie-queen-of-prom-brian-de-palma-sissy-spacek

A Night at the Movies: The Horrors of Stephen King https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2076787/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

Understanding and Treating Chronic Shame: A Relational/Neurobiological Approach by Patricia A. DeYoung https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22776119-understanding-and-treating-chronic-shame

https://mashable.com/video/stephen-king-role-of-horror-dark-times

Dead Blondes and Bad Mothers by Sady Doyle https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43802026-dead-blondes-and-bad-mothers

The Monstrous-Feminine: Film, Feminism, Psychoanalysis by Barbara Creed https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/395435.The_Monstrous_Feminine

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2015/10/17/449176709/horrible-things-happen-to-nepali-girls-when-they-menstruate-15girls

M3GAN — an AI robot treating mental health... what could go wrong?

Mon, 05 Jun 2023 12:00:00 -0400

Let's talk about 2023 AI dystopian murderous doll from the bowels of tech hell masterpiece — M3GAN.

It is my belief that horror movies reflect not only the zeitgeist of the time in which they are made, but also our inner most fears and anxieties. While this movie is a lot of fun and M3GAN herself is a riot, it also carries an incredibly powerful message about the potential impacts of AI on human attachment.

This episode explores M3GAN’s portrayal of our society’s overall garbage relationship to grief and conversations about death, existential themes of loneliness and isolation, and the intersection of technology, mental health care, and attachment theory.

Mental Health is Horrifying is hosted by Candis Green, owner of Many Moons Therapy.

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Sources:

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2023-01-05/m3gan-movie-malignant-akela-cooper-james-wan-horror

https://www.orderofthegooddeath.com/resources/fear-of-death/

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2062034.Staring_at_the_Sun

https://www.eterneva.com/resources/death-rituals

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fhumd.2021.684137/full

https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-022-13409-0

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/03/06/can-ai-treat-mental-illness

https://vos.health/

https://replika.com/

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1295472.Attachment?ref=nav_sb_ss_4_6

https://www.vice.com/en/article/qjvk97/eating-disorder-helpline-disables-chatbot-for-harmful-responses-after-firing-human-staff

Special Thanks To:

Danielle Matar at Geist

Kait Fowlie

Cover art by evil genius Chloe Hurst

Trailer

Mon, 05 Jun 2023 11:00:00 -0400

Are you someone who watches horror movies and thinks — that nasty old well that Samara climbs out of in The Ring is really a metaphor for her grief? Or that like…Ghostface at his core is a spectre of intergenerational trauma?

I’m your host of darkness — Candis Green and I’d like to welcome you ghouls to Mental Health is Horrifying — the podcast where we journey through the depths and examine how mental health themes are portrayed in the world of horror. I’m a Psychotherapist who also happens to be terminally spooky. As the darkness-seeking bat that I am, I spent my childhood summers locked away in the public library scouring the aisles for books about Halloween, witches, and all things haunted. And surprisingly, my parents were not too concerned. So as a mental health professional and lifelong horror fan, I really can’t help but see the world through the lens of the macabre.

This is a podcast for horror fans who know that when it comes to what we fear, there is much more than what meets the eye.

From Carrie, to Michael Meyers, to Hill House and everywhere in between — join me each month as we discuss how horror is really a mirror into ourselves.

Coming this June to Spotify, Apple Podcasts - and wherever you like to listen.

Mental Health is Horrifying

In Search of Darkness 1995-1999 — The psychology of 90s nostalgia

Catherine O’Hara — The healing capacity of transference

Canadian comedy legend Catherine O'Hara, who lit up SCTV and stole scenes on Schitt's Creek, dead at 71 by Anya Zoledziowski

The Toronto house where SCTV ideas were hatched by Jane Welowsky

Between Therapist and Client: The New Relationship by Michael Kahn

Knives Out — How grief scrambles family dynamics

Black Swan — Perfectionism is a horrifying performance

Frankenstein — Narcissism is the real monster

I need your help, ghouls!

Scary Movie — Laughing through the horrors

Sleepy Hollow — Somatic therapy with the Headless Horseman

Mother! — Mother Nature’s Mental Health w/ Chloe Hurst

Your Favorite Scary Movie — Interview w/ Ashley Cullins on how Scream changed us

Midsommar — I’m afraid of women’s circles

Mothered by the Work: What Therapy Gave Me and Took Away by The Tarot Diagnosis

Making Sense Together: The Intersubjective Approach to Psychotherapy by Peter Buirski and Pamela Haglund

Relational Psychotherapy: A Primer by Patricia D. DeYoung

I Know What You Did Last Summer — Emerging adulthood is a killer

Emerging Adulthood: The Winding Road from the Late Teens Through the Twenties by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett

Immaculate Conception — Handing our humanity over to tech billionaires... what could go wrong?

Phantom of the Paradise — The mental anguish of the creative soul w/ Angelica Cresci

Treehouse of Horror VI: Attack of the 50-Foot Eyesores — The Overstimulation Crisis

The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr

The Craft — How to become yourself w/ Kait Fowlie

Terrifier — The horrors of imposter syndrome

The Strangers — Engagement Nightmare Story w/ Shannon Knight, LMHC, LPC

Midnight Mass — Existential extravaganza!

Mike Flanagan opens up about the personal journey that shaped his buzzed-about Midnight Mass by Nick Romano

The Witch — Satanic scapegoating

Companion — What f@*%ed up attachment style is this?

Erotic Transference and Countertransference Clinical practice in psychotherapy, Edited By David Mann

How 'Companion' Turned Sophie Thatcher Into the "Perfect Girlfriend" by Sadie Bell

‘Companion’ Director Drew Hancock Reveals the Script Change That Reinvented His Sci-Fi Horror Movie [Interview] by Meagan Navarro

The Shining — Loneliness will kill ya

Nosferatu — Shame is a nightmare

‘Nosferatu’ Review: Bill Skarsgard and Lily-Rose Depp Are Riveting, but Director Robert Eggers Rules This Haute-Horror Feast by David Rooney

Robert Eggers on What Makes His Nosferatu Different by Megan McCluskey

Robert Eggers Gave Lily-Rose Depp a Book About Demonic Sexual Awakening to Prepare for ‘Nosferatu’: I Used It as My ‘Bible’ on Set by Samantha Bergeson

Understanding and Treating Chronic Shame: A Relational/Neurobiological Approach by Patricia A. DeYoung

A Haunting in Venice — Cozy horror makes life less scary

Instead of Arguing About This Horror Genre, Why Not Curl Up and Enjoy It? By Julia Glassman in The Mary Sue

The Witches: Salem, 1692 by Stacy Schiff

Subject spotlight: Mystery & Detective By BookNet Canada

The Substance — We're all gonna die

Lem M, Pham JT, Kim JK, Tang CJ. Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Nonsurgical Cosmetic Procedure Interest. The American Journal of Cosmetic Surgery. 2024;41(3):189-195. doi:10.1177/07488068221141168

Hagitude: Reimagining the Second Half of Life by Sharon Blackie

The Hitchcock Hotel + Psycho — Maternal enmeshment extravaganza!

Trick 'r Treat — Halloween is good for your mental health

Trick 'R Treat: Sam's Halloween Rules Explained by By Padraig Cotter

Halloween (1978) — The *perfect* final girl, and her anxiety boogeyman

The Story Behind the Original Halloween By Jason Bailey

Men, Women, and Chain Saws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film by Carol J. Clover

Longlegs — Intrusive thoughts, brought to you by Nicolas Cage

Effects of suppression of personal intrusive thoughts by Anita E. Kelly and Jeffrey H. Kahn, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 66, Iss. 6

Covering Up What Can't Be Seen: Concealable Stigma and Mental Control by Laura Richman and Daniel M. Wegner, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 77(3): 474-486

A comparison of thought suppression to an acceptance-based technique in the management of personal intrusive thoughts: a controlled evaluation by Brook A. Marcks and Douglas W. Woods, Behaviour Research and Therapy, Volume 43, Issue 4, April 2005, Pages 433-445

Osgood Perkins Explains How ‘Longlegs’ Is an Ode to His Celebrity Parents’ Dark Backstory: ‘A Mother Can Lie Out of Love’ by Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire

Trap — Thirst is good for your mental health

Lisa Frankenstein — Love as an (un)living altar to grief

Staring at the Sun: Overcoming the Terror of Death by Irvin D. Yalom

Death Rituals, Ceremonies & Traditions Around the World by Tracey Wallace

Little Hidden Doors: A Guided Journal for Deep Dreamers – A Dream Journal by Naomi Sangreal

Laurie Anderson’s Farewell to Lou Reed: A Rolling Stone Exclusive by Laurie Anderson

Jennifer's Body & Lisa Frankenstein's Shared Universe Explained: How The Horror Movies Are Connected by Brandon Zachary

For Zelda Williams, Daughter of Robin, a Goth Zombie Comedy Is Cathartic by Melena Ryzik

Mary Shelley’s Obsession with the Cemetery by Bess Lovejoy

Tarot — Relax, it’s only a portal into your soul

Scream — What if this is all Sidney's trauma nightmare?

The Haunting — Caregiver burnout is a haunted house that you live in

Cam — Double double ego trouble

Host — Even the ghosts have lockdown anxiety

Krampus — It’s beginning to look a lot like seasonal depression

Five Nights at Freddy’s — Dreamwork to navigate the unconscious and a murderous teddy bear

Hocus Pocus — I put a spell on your nervous system

The Ring — Grief is a well you’ve been thrown down

They Live — 5 tips to manifest out of this dystopian hellscape, babe

Jaws — Don’t ignore your emotions or they’ll swim up and bite you in the ass!

The Mist — Cloudy with a chance of monsters (+ climate anxiety and xenophobia!)

Carrie —she's not a monster, she's just religiously traumatized!

Halloween (1978) — The perfect final girl, and her anxiety boogeyman