Dr. Raymond Thoss, Notes on a Horror (Vastarien 1.1)

This short article, written by a clinical psychologist who works principally with child trauma, appeared in the very first issue of the literary journal Vastarien in 2018. It is a moving and beautifully insightful window into the minds of shattered, suicidal children, and how to allow people forged in these conditions to exist with as little pain as possible. It is one of the few non-fiction pieces of writing outside of my own academic field that has stuck with me after I read it. Since I think about it so often, I wished to share it (and I’m sure Dr. Thoss – a Ligottian pseudonym of the author – would wish for it to be circulated as much as possible). I therefore include it here in its entirety, endnotes and all.

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