Trauma, Possession, and PTSD: Exploring Nogitsune Arc in MTV’s Teen Wolf

Supernatural teen television, such as MTV's Teen Wolf, often explores complex psychological themes. This paper analyzes Season Three, Part Two of Teen Wolf, focusing on the Nogitsune possession arc as a metaphor for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The character Stiles Stilinski's struggle with the Nogitsune manifests symptoms including night terrors, recurring nightmares, dissociation, memory repression, and depersonalization. Drawing on trauma theorists like Herman, Caruth, and Balaev, the article argues that spiritual possession in the show represents traumatic triggers, and it highlights the role of social support in healing. This analysis offers a nuanced understanding of trauma through mythical elements, contributing to scholarship on supernatural teen television's depiction of trauma and adolescence.

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Abstract

As a genre, supernatural teen television often engages with complex psychological themes pertaining to adolescents and their lives. One such show is MTV’s Teen Wolf (2011), centered around Scott McCall, a teenager coming to terms with his recent transformation into a werewolf. Teen Wolf, specifically Season Three, Part Two, exhibits these aspects, focusing on trauma using the background of spiritual possession based on Japanese mythology. The paper attempts to explore the Nogitsune arc as a metaphorical depiction of traumatic symptoms and, essentially, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. This article focuses on the character of Stiles Stilinski, a close friend of Scott’s and his mental combat with the Nogitsune and how this possession manifests itself into symptoms like night terrors, recurring nightmares, dissociation, repression of memory and depersonalization. Drawing on Herman, Caruth, Balaev and other theorists’ literary and psychological trauma theories, the paper highlights the impact of traumatic triggers (here, possession) and the influence of social support in healing of said trauma. This article offers a nuanced perspective to understand the extent of trauma by integrating the mythical element of spiritual possession, adding to the understanding of supernatural teen television’s depiction of trauma and adolescence.