INTERVIEW: HORROR AS SCREAM THERAPY

Dr. Scahill was interviewed by Healthline Magazine for a piece on the therapeutic potential of horror cinema. Traditionally, horror has been maligned as genre which negatively impacts the psyche, either by causing trauma in the spectator, or by enabling sadistic fantasies. More contemporary writing in the field of cognitive psychology actually concludes the opposite: that watching horror can actually help individuals manage trauma by providing a surrogate experience where spectators can "be triggered" in a safe environment and thus gain more control over their fear.

The interview has been republished in the London newspaper The Independent and in the magazine LA Weekly. You can read "Scream Therapy: The Mental Health Benefits of Horror" here.