Mental Health is Horrifying – Details, episodes & analysis

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

..............................................................

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!

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.

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

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.

..............................................................

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 Contempomint.

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

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.
..............................................................

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

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.
..............................................................

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

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.

..............................................................

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

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.

..............................................................

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

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.

..............................................................

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

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.

..............................................................

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 

..............................................................

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

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.

..............................................................

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 

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.

...................................................................

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