Romance novels aren’t just escapism – they can help process trauma too. Academic, writer and trauma theorist Dr. Alicia Kindleysides invites us to think differently about healing – examining how reading and writing can offer safe spaces for processing pain.

Her PhD research explores trauma responses through the world of romance fiction. She has found that romance fiction gives people a place to safely rehearse emotional experiences – connection, desire, safety – that may have been disrupted by trauma.

Her research also identified a ninth trauma response – “fade” – in addition to the existing 8F model of trauma reactions (fight, flight, fright, freeze, flag, fawn, faint and flood). Fade, she says, is a response rooted in hiding, invisibility and withdrawal.

We explore:

• Bibliotherapy and scriptotherapy as creative healing tools
• How trauma disconnects us from instinct and inner knowing
• The link between overthinking, perfectionism, and childhood hypervigilance
• Escapism vs healing: when dissociation becomes a resource
• Why fiction might reach where words alone can’t

Moment of Care: This episode discusses sensitive episodes related to trauma, mental health and potential distressing experiences. If you feel triggered at any point, please take a moment to check in with yourself and seek support.

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