#391: In this episode, the GT Radio team explores how media can help people understand, recognize, and talk about intimate partner violence. Starting with a client’s experience using Interview with the Vampire to explain a past abusive relationship to their partner, the conversation expands into how fiction, fantasy, memoir, television, film, music, and games can make patterns of abuse more visible and easier to discuss. The hosts examine why metaphor and exaggeration (like vampires and supernatural power dynamics) can sometimes feel safer and more accessible than realistic depictions, while also addressing the risks of romanticizing, trivializing, or mis-marketing abuse in media. Along the way, they discuss representation, accountability, marketing ethics, cultural narratives, and why naming abuse matters for survivors and for the people trying to support them.
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Want to continue the conversation? Join the GT community and share the media that helped you recognize, understand, or talk about abuse—whether personally, professionally, or with someone you care about.
Connect with the Geek Therapy Network:
What piece of media helped you understand an unhealthy or abusive relationship more clearly?
How do you feel about fantasy or metaphor being used to depict real-world abuse?
Where do you draw the line between starting conversations and trivializing harm in media?