4 Reasons Traumatized People Often Enjoy Horror

I often feel like I have to protect people from the levels of truths and traumas I carry inside of me.

There are things about me that surprise people so much about me that they look at me in shock, confusion, and maybe even a bit of revulsion.

One thing that surprises people is that I survived several weeks of sexual assault, repeated drugging, and attempted murder after my home was broken into.

Another is that I'm the daughter of two sociopaths.

The other thing that surprises people is that I'm not even the least bit fragile about that. I'm surprisingly okay. I've had the therapy, I can talk about my diagnoses and trauma responses and how I've managed and healed--I've felt the grief, I've transmuted it into my art, and I've come out stronger.

I don't need any kiddie gloves (though I'd love a hug!); I don't need to be protected from the horrors of the world.

Some people look at me with wide-eyed fear if subjects like violence and misogyny arise, as if my experiences will make me begin to melt on the spot like the Wicked Witch of the West.

If anything, I wish others weren't so sensitive: a reason I write so much is because I'm DYING to share the things I've learned from visiting the underworld and returning.

I think TRUTH LIBERATES.

Even the worst truths.

Once you survive and heal, what you have is essentially spiritual ascension: a new perspective.

But people treat me like I'm a piece of foil that will crumple at the slightest touch.

The other day, I was discussing vampire literary history with a long-time friend and fellow literature professor. After, another friend who was present remarked, "I can't understand how she still likes the horror genre." He laughed, remarking that my kindness, gender, or past experiences shouldn't be mistaken for fragility.

I've been immersed in the genre since childhood--I not only still like it, it rarely provokes even a flinch of fear out of me (almost nothing does--that numbness is a consequence of severe trauma), and I also favor it above all other genres.

Yet, I'm not a person who likes the horrors of the world: I care very much about LOVE. I believe radical love is the answer.

So, as I do with all things, I went searching for the psychological answer: why is it that people who have had severe trauma enjoy consuming horror or true crime stories?

It's long been a stereotype that horror fans are somehow darker, more violent, or more disturbed than everyone else. Yet psychological research has repeatedly challenged this assumption.

In fact, many people who are drawn to horror are not fascinated by violence because they enjoy suffering—they're drawn to it because they've already survived it.

And the things people enjoy often showcase stunning contradictions. For example, an avoidant narcissist may treat all their lovers like dirt while secretly consuming romance novels or sappy love songs.

The nicest person you ever met may be belting 2Pac's "Hit Em Up" with a shocking amount of venom on their drive to work.

We're often drawn to the things we repress most inside of us.

For many trauma survivors, horror offers something unexpectedly healing: a sense of order, understanding, and emotional release.

While every individual is different--there's no hard and fast rule that says all traumatized people like horror --several psychological patterns help explain why those raised with trauma often find comfort in horror.

At the same time, there's one fascinating reason some people who behave cruelly in real life may actually dislike or avoid the genre altogether...

(Again, not a hard and fast rule, many abusers love horror and gore. It's just a pattern you may see manifest sometimes that makes you scratch your head).