Thoughts on the Catharsis of Whump
I know this does not apply to everyone, but I think a LOT about how whump (and kink, even; sexual or non sexual) can be such a strong allegory for dealing with and processing trauma.
I've been dealing with emotional CPTSD for as long as I can remember, and that shit is COMPLICATED. It doesn't have a logical basis to it. You just feel like shit, you're scared and lash out and you can't find a reason, because there's not one inciting event, it's the amalgam of every little thing that's happened over time.
Emotions don't always make sense. You can tell yourself all you want that you're safe, that it's just your anxiety, that the absolute worst thing that could happen right now probably isn't all that bad. But it doesn't matter, your body reacts accordingly.
But you know what does make sense, more often than not? Pain. Physical, tangible pain.
I have a much harder time writing strictly emotionally hard-hitting scenes because they are so close to my own experience that things get...really foggy. When you're triggered by something, you can't always apply logic, because your instinct just reacts. It's trying to keep you safe, of course, but that doesn't always mean the danger is real enough to warrant such a response.
Being hurt, emotionally or physically, is often accompanied by a feeling of vulnerability, which is...really scary to a lot of people, and rightfully so--to be vulnerable is to not have control of your situation, leaving you open to harm. But when most of the pain you have experienced is so rooted in something as vague and ambiguous as emotion, it can be hard to pinpoint why something feels like a threat, especially if you think very concretely like I do. To take that core feeling of vulnerability and apply it to something that makes more sense, like an injury or illness, makes that feeling more concrete in a way that is much easier to explore--and by shifting the focus off of ourselves to a fictional character that we can project on to, it doesn't feel quite as daunting.
As a whole, I think roleplay and fictional narratives have the potential to be extremely effective avenues of processing complex trauma, if used in the right way. It's not an effective tool for everyone, nor am I trying to advocate some sort of DIY-trauma-therapy (there are a lot of complex factors that go into that, as well as background knowledge and safety measures that must be established), but I think it's pretty neat, and at the very least worth further research.
So, are we just sadomasochists in terms of fictional characters? Maybe sometimes. But for me, I feel like it's really no different from engaging in play therapy.
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