Fiction: Your Best Ally To Overcome Your Fears

When I think about fiction, I can’t help but think of all the times that a horror film or a gothic book has helped me if not overcome, at least confront some of my fears. As it is common in humans as species, these fears can appear in the shape of zombies, vampires, witches, werewolves and aliens, among many others.

Even though Zombies are the monster I despise the most because they remind me precisely of the futility of the body and how one day I’ll end up looking like that unless I get cremated, the monster or thing I fear the most is death, or maybe, as research says, "the transition from being alive to being dead" and the idea of not existing anymore and missing out on everything else.

As a direct consequence of wondering why we all have to die one day, I have always felt a strong curiosity for ghosts. Like humans they can be scary, vengeful, sad, lost so as you can see they have many of our human characteristics. Moreover, they were also one of us at some point, therefore, the figure of the ghost is this reminder of the futility of time and that we, too, one day will die and may become one of them, if you believe in this kind of thing, of course.

TV series that really do the job

One of my favourite series of all times that portraits a huge amalgam of traditional monsters, folk tales and beliefs is "Supernatural".

In Supernatural, death is present in many forms. It can look like a person so the characters can have their "human to human" conversations with it, but death can also be something more internal.

Death can be connected with losing your identity, or becoming so attached to it that you might even die because of it. The ripples of daily events, transform the characters and make them evolve the same way we do in our normal, routine lives.

Maybe the whole process it’s not so much about overcoming your fears of monsters that can kill you, but becoming aware that the physical monster is the perfect excuse to bring to the surface the real problem inside of your head. And that, my friend, is even scarier because what you can find at the end of that tunnel is something that pretty much looks like your ugly side.

Another thing that "Supernatural" does and that is less on the grounds of the monster and more on the grounds of the living is how it teaches us how to accept people’s change of heart, or accepting them for who they are and their beliefs. We can find an example of this, when the characters are in front of life and death decisions, mainly when it comes down to the brother's intimate relationship with each other. Their problems made me reflect on my own relationship with my sister and her dealing with Lyme disease, a chronic illness, still invisible in the Spanish medical system and from which she has been suffering for years.

When Sam and Dean argue about the consequences of their actions and decisions, they always end up splashing the other, either because they want to protect their loved one or because they just need that space for themselves. These moments in the series can help you understand some things about your own relationships with your close ones and help you become a better and more understanding person.

Fiction books that talk to your soul

In the written world, l discovered Irish writer Tracy Fahey’s books three years ago when I first opened my Twitter account.

Tracy’s stories talk to me at a more personal level and my own relationship with myself. She deals very well with “body horror” and with the uncanny that you can find in the mundane, in your home, in your everyday things.

At some point or another we have all experienced this fear that comes from what you know rather than from the outside and this is what this author does very well.

Tracy’s stories teaches you not to be afraid of talking about those things that worry you such as your changing body, what can go on in your minds and not to worry about acting in a certain way or another. She also creates this awareness about how danger is always lurking round the corner, even in your memories of the past.

When you come across an author that talks directly to your brain you know you have found a gem and something to hold on to. Through her stories she will be like that little voice in your head that speaks to your deeper fears and if you have heard her, her lovely soft and warm Irish accent will be reading you her stories, making the experience of reading her beatifully creepier.

Conclusions

When it comes to Horror, the Gothic or any of those uncomfortable spaces that some people keep trying very hard to move away from, there’s more than meets the eye and it’s certainly worth digging out all the reasons why some of us keep going back to them.

If there's anything I have learnt recently, it is that we shouldn't avoid the scary or uncomfortable, because there is important information about us there, worth analysing. How we work on those scary spaces and parts about us is up to each of us, but fiction is one of the places you can step into without it becoming a traumatising experience. You just have to find what rocks your boat and enjoy the journey.

Final thoughts

As a final thought I would like you to have a look at what type of entertainment you consume and encourage you to analyse why you find comfort in those choices. Are you just there for an adrenaline thrill? Are you there because you like guessing what’s going to happen to see if you are right? Are you there because you are simply looking for afterlife answers that make you feel better about your own death? Or are you there just to trivialise it a bit since it’s unavoidable? In any case the answers to those questions will be highly valuable to you on your life travels.

I hope you have enjoyed this article. Thanks for reading.

© Alice In Gothic Land