Archive for category: stories

Toxic Ties Feed the Horror

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As a psychotherapist and writer, I treat and write about unhealthy emotional ties as horror-making. Sick ties exert toxic effects that can be felt as anxiety and depression. They can eventually make their way into the body. The body cries out when the mind is in pain, writes one psychologist. And it’s true. In Goddess of Everything, Consuela, Gabriél’s wife, tries to help him see the source of his suffering. But getting through to one enmeshed in a toxic relationship is challenging, to say the least.

The good thing for Gabriél is that he has a wife who loves him. She’s willing to give him time and space to figure things out. The bottom line for him is that he has to see what he needs to see, or the horror will continue to be fed. He keeps it alive by keeping the tie alive and feeding it—literally, as you’ll see in the story.

Writing horror for me as a trauma specialist is natural since trauma is horror, and horror always springs from trauma. It’s a Jack-In-Box that pops up in your life and can be terrifying and terrorizing. Horror is the dark gift that keeps on terrorizing us unless we see what we need to see. And reading horror allows us the chance to hone our horror-spotting skills. It helps us to read on and spot the horror at work behind the scenes of the story. Then, we may be able to hone our horror-spotting skills in daily life.

Spotting horror is vital for us to be healthy psychically, denying horror, keeping it alive, and making our mind uneasy and even ill. This passage in Goddess of Everything speaks to this dynamic: “Uneasiness stole over Consuela. It was in the way she shifted in the green webbed lawn chair, got a faraway look, grit her teeth, jaw muscles taut. Then she turned to him, brow furrowed. ‘Things go from top down, Gabriél. . .. Maybe you’re too close. Facts get blurry when you’re emotionally tied’ “(p.169).

Gabriél denied what stared him in the face and so kept the horror alive. Blurred then denied emotional reality leads to emotional and physical suffering and trauma. Only moving from emotional doubting and denial offers hope from the affliction of horror in Goddess of Everything and in the realm of everyday life.

As you’ll see as you read Goddess of Everything, toxic ties are real, and so is the horror that comes with them. So, it comes down to a decision to keep the denial going and, therefore, to keep the horror alive, or risk what needs to be risked and see what happens!

Live Deeply . . . Read Daily!

Find Your Rage, You Find Yourself . . .

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Find Your Rage

Rage cuts through the BS. It gets to the heart of things and sweeps all else away. There’s nothing like it to get things going in life. As a psychotherapist and writer, I want to make sure you understand that rage has nothing to do with losing your temper – a destructive act. A person in the midst of a temper fit has lost hold of self; they’re possessed by a dark emotion that hurts, maims, and ruins what has the potential to be good. So, the kind of rage I’m talking about is not temper. We find our rage by bypassing our temper and tapping into an assertiveness that sets things right.

Rage Gets to the Heart of Things

When everything goes crazy, emotions are mixed up, and the situation becomes confusing, tap into rage as assertiveness. Let yourself zero in on the bottom line of what’s causing pain. In Goddess of Everything, a young man and his wife are troubled. Their marriage is suffering. Things are confusing. Dealing with the dark magic at work takes cutting through the BS of the husband’s denial. Getting to the heart of things is the only hope of releasing yourself from the swirl of psychic confusion and destructive living. Rage, assertiveness that sets things right, can help take you from crazy to hope.

Rage and Let the Fates Tell the Tale

“You find your rage, you find yourself,” said the old healer in Goddess of Everything. Rage is a gift if it sets things right. It helps us and others heal and grow. Not all respond favorably. And that’s their problem, not ours. The dark witch, hidden behind the black cloak of religion gone awry, howls and jettisons terrible black magic against those who oppose her. Goddess of Everything puts things on the line – use it or lose it – rage! A husband and wife’s fate depends on rage and its power to confront wickedness and let the fates tell the tale.

Check it out on Amazon. Read the sample. It’s all there – rage is a gift!

Live Deeply . . . Read Daily!

The Magic of Metaphysical Reading

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Metaphysical refers to what is natural but outside the ordinary realm of human perception. It’s about realities lying beyond empirical data usually picked up by our five senses. As a psychologist and writer of metaphysical thrillers, it’s magical to move into the realm of the unconscious mind. Images and feelings flow in creative, startling, and sometimes life-changing ways when I open my mind during therapy and writing.

As I opened my computer to write this brief essay this morning, I felt an inner prompting. I like short essays and slim volumes. They catch the inspired vibe without thinning out the spirit of the work. The inspiration I feel is a touch of magic from what William James, father of American psychology, called a great unseen realm that affects our daily lives. So, I’m touching the keys, writing, and letting word magic flow.

Word magic in essays or stories touches our imagination. The words, sentences, ideas and narratives are living things. They impart life. Before sleep, I read metaphysical fiction. It’s magic! It stimulates my soul, the reading encouraging my unconscious mind to roam freely. And, out pop unexpected characters and dramas, angels and demons, and catch-me-by-surprise psychic encounters. And, inevitably, there’s an embedded message.

Reading metaphysical fiction stimulates the mind, embedded imaginal messages downloaded from page to soul. You needn’t pick up a book on symbol or dream interpretation. The feeling of the story, whether in a dream or a piece of fiction, conveys all we need to know. Feelings are triggered, something in us shifts, and our minds are opened a little more. It is common for imaginations to shut down; rigidity, snarkiness, and emptiness are signs of a malnourished imagination. Images and symbols in dreams and stories are the soul medicine we need to reinvigorate and get us going again along our life path.

So, dipping into the magical realm of the unconscious mind when dreaming and reading can give us a life reboot. It’s why we feel better after a good night of sleeping and dreaming. And it’s why we can feel open and even excited about living in a world that lets us tap into the unconscious mind, the spiritual realm. And lastly—a little embedded thought—reading metaphysical stories is a waking dream that takes us deeper into the imagination, images and symbols that kindle magic and invigorate our soul.

Live Deeply . . . Read Daily!

 

Stories That Call Your Name and Heal Your Pain

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I’m a psychotherapist and can say for sure that stories heal you. They reach unconscious mindspaces and touch what needs to be released. It’s the pent-up stuff that makes us sick inside. And it’s releasing and working through the pent-up stuff that heals us.

That’s what therapy does. It touches and releases the pent-up stuff. Psychic jams are:

  • Down-in-the-dumps attitudes.
  • Edgy feelings that don’t go away.
  • Black despair that sinks you down and low.

So, remember, if any of the above apply to you, you’re up against a bonafide psychological brick wall or crisis. It’s where you are in your life story, and your mission is to find a way through.

It’s the way it happens in life. You get so down and out that big dreams or nightmares overtake your sleep. They’re trying to get through to you, getting you to face what needs to be faced. Then, to survive and thrive, you’ve gotta change things up.

So, dreams and crises are metaphysical realities. I set them loose in metaphysical thrillers. They plunge headlong into the spiritual world. C.G. Jung, pioneer of the deep unconscious mind, wrote there is no healing of the mind without opening to spirit. Well, after forty years of practicing depth psychotherapy, I tell you the old wizard of Zurich was absolutely correct!

Opening to spirit comes by listening to dreams, intuitions, and uncanny happenings. It starts the healing process. We feel the pain that comes from a backlog of pent-up conflicts. Reading helps you feel what the characters feel. It ends up helping you feel what you need to feel. And trust me, if you’re drawn to a book, there’s something in it for you. 

Metaphysical thrillers tap into the stuff of daily life. It’s popped out to dramatic proportions, so we get the point. Dreams, nightmares, and synchronous happenings do the same. The spirit world reaches into unconscious realms and touches what needs to be released. 

Stories are therapeutic. Stories are healing. Stories reach into deep unconscious mindspaces and touch what needs to be released. That is a plenty good reason to pick up a book you’re drawn to and enter a world of conflict, pain, psychic jams, and supernatural realities. It’ll help you begin a personal healing process that has long been calling your name.

Live Deeply . . . Read Daily!

The Uncanny and A Sense of Things

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Intuition is a sense of things, what Freud called the uncanny. A New York colleague said, “I always know it’s the uncanny at work when the hairs on the back of my head go up.” The uncanny is an unexpected and often irrational but meaningful happening. It gives us a sense of things.

In the story of The Unholy, I write, “The hairs on the back of Claire’s neck stood on end. She clenched her teeth in anticipation of something worse about to happen….. Involuntarily, Claire shook her head as though waking from a bad dream.” A sense of the uncanny alerted Claire to what lay ahead.

One night, after receiving a dinner invitation from someone I hadn’t seen in years, I had a nightmare of this person’s home. It stood along a deserted street, a chill going up my spine as I saw a gargoyle perched atop its roof. My instincts went on high alert, a warning.

Still, the house beckoned. The door to the old Victorian creaked open. Overriding the voice of my intuition, I stepped inside. Shadowy figures emerged from the walls. I had stumbled upon a nest of malevolent spirits. The air was rank, fear gripping tight.

A sliver of light appeared at the far end of the home. I sprinted toward the back screen door and broke into the light of day. Relief washed over me. I awakened in my bed, my heart pounding.

An uncanny dream, a nightmare, stopped me in my tracks. I did not accept the dinner invitation. The uncanny, as does a metaphysical story, opens the mind to unseen realms. It gives us a sense of unseen things and tells us all we need to know.

Live Deeply . . . Read Daily!

Embracing the Archetypal Feminine in Storytelling and the Unconscious Mind

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Deep within the psyche lies an unexplored realm, an expanse where the archetypal feminine, imagination and the unconscious mind intertwine in storytelling. This is why stories nourish mind, soul, and the living out of daily life. We need a steady stream of stories to help us, little by little, become better human beings. The mysterious trio of the archetypal feminine, imagination, and stories weaves a tapestry of creativity, intuition, and wisdom. They offer insights into real-life experiences. They hold the key to unlocking our potential and shaping our future.

The archetypal feminine goes beyond gender concepts. It transcends boundaries to embody our potential for nurturing, compassion, and empathy. It represents the yin counterpart to yang – a creative force that balances out the assertive energies of masculinity. Embracing the feminine allows us to tap into our emotional intelligence, imaginative capacity, and human empathy as we seek harmony and balance.

Stories open and nourish our sensitivity to the archetypal feminine within. When imagination – that visionary force propelling humanity forward – is stimulated, we can draw inspiration from the feminine power of receptivity. We have a sense of involvement with what is happening to the protagonist, how it makes us feel, and how they deal with their challenges.

Writing metaphysical thrillers acts uniquely to open portals of the mind. It’s why some folks can’t read horror. It’s too much for them, too frightening, and that is to be respected. Knowing what stories draw us and which do not is part of listening to self and self-care. Then we’re better able to discover what stories can help us to transcend limitations and explore new possibilities. Storytelling that speaks to us kindles inspiration and gives birth to ideas that help shape our lives.

At the core of good storytelling lies a journey of self discovery. In The Unholy, Goddess of the Wild Thing, and Goddess of Everything, we confront primal fears, wounds that require healing, and the potential for transformation and evolution. It’s fascinating that my psyche was drawn to female protagonists. For over forty years, I’ve worked in depth psychotherapy with women and seen them through fears, rage, and horror.

Those who’ve hung in there and seen their way through dark times (understandably, not all have felt able) have inevitably emerged into an experience of feeling more empathic, integrated, and whole. It’s been the story of their life. And we touch a little of this magic when we delve into metaphysical stories that dramatize real-life horror, terrors, and the transformation and evolution that happen when courage trumps fear.

So, by embracing feminine archetypes in stories, heroic females who symbolize our courage to be empathic, loving, and real, we deepen our connections with self, others, and the world around us. Let yourself settle into a comfy chair, read a mysterious story and enter a world where intuition, magic, and love unlock powers latent in your imagination. By embracing the archetypal feminine in storytelling, you’ll find an openness and receptivity to magical energies and empowering feelings that will make a difference in how you dream, live, and love.

Live Deeply . . . Read Daily!

Paul DeBlassie III, Ph.D.

Paul DeBlassie III, Ph.D., is a psychologist and award-winning writer living in his native New Mexico, crafting visionary thrillers energized with trickster mischief and natural magic.

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