Over at Reactor Magazine, formerly Tor.com, I have a new essay that analyzes an episode of Star Trek and how it brought up some unresolved trauma in my life. While I know that sounds fun, it’s really about the importance of good science fiction in the world—for many reasons, but also for highlighting where we are still hurting each other and some of the unresolved trauma we carry on a societal level.

I’m happy to have had an essay published in such a good online magazine. Thank you, Managing Editor, Bridget McGovern!

I’d been working unsuccessfully for a few years on an essay about this particular time in my life–my coming out in a small Yukon city–and trying to shape it. But I couldn’t get my head around it. It felt like old stuff, tiresome stuff, and frankly, painful stuff. Who wants to read about that?

So, this essay that was published was my attempt to break it down into smaller chunks— using this episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds as a secret backdoor to talk about it.

I mean, the episode was significant. It startled me into taking care of myself in a different way. Instead of forgetting the past, or putting the past in the past, it was important to look at how the past invades our present.

I think it’s important for us to be gentle with ourselves when it comes to the past. Unresolved trauma can appear like depression, anger, fear, destructive behaviors. I’m not a medical doctor, but I do know that trauma can stay in the body…and mask itself, and continue to hurt us.

We need to deal with it so that our loved ones (and us too) aren’t continually hurt by it. So this was my attempt at dealing with it–since it came up so suddenly while watching Star Trek with my partner one night.

How do you heal past trauma and make residual pain go away?

Come over to Reactor Magazine and read how I tried to figure that out.