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You’re awake. You can see your bedroom. You can’t move, and something appears to be standing in the corner. What happens when the psychologist who studies sleep paralysis experiences it himself?
Dr. Brian Sharpless joins Corey for a conversation about the strange places where horror movies, psychology and human experience meet. A clinical psychologist, researcher and lifelong horror fan, Brian is the author of Monsters on the Couch: The Real Psychological Disorders Behind Your Favorite Horror Movies.
From the unsettling familiarity of Invasion of the Body Snatchers to the suffering zombies of The Return of the Living Dead, Brian explores connections between fictional nightmares and real psychological conditions. He explains what separates sleep paralysis from night terrors, why exploding head syndrome has such an alarming name, and how someone can become convinced that a loved one has been replaced by an impostor.
The conversation also considers what horror can offer us. Brian shares why confronting mortality through a movie might encourage us to take chances, reconsider our priorities and imagine how we would respond when survival depends on us.
Along the way: Corey’s startling encounter with a roommate’s night terrors, a shared appreciation for The Exorcist III, punk rock zombies, treasured horror memorabilia and Hollywood’s complicated relationship with mental illness.
In this episode:
- Sleep paralysis, frightening bedroom figures and supernatural explanations.
- Capgras syndrome and the unsettling premise of Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
- Exploding head syndrome and the experiences behind the name.
- Cotard syndrome and its connections to zombie stories.
- Clinical therianthropy, including the belief that someone is transforming into an animal.
- How filmmakers can explore psychological distress without adding to stigma.
- Horror, mortality and imagining our own capacity to survive.
- Brian’s answer to our favorite final-person question.
Explore Brian’s work:
Find more episodes at HorrorHeals.com.
Is horror good for mental wellness? Of corpse it is.
Thank you for listening to Horror Heals.
Share the show with someone who loves horror and someone who needs a little healing.
If you want to support our guests, check the show notes for links to their work, conventions, and fundraising pages.
You can also listen to our sister podcast Family Twist, a show about DNA surprises, identity, and the families we find along the way.
Horror Heals is produced by Mosaic Multimedia LLC.
Is horror good for mental wellness? Of corpse it is.
