It's the same reason you can't stop watching true crime may be the same reason you're avoiding parts of yourself.

Did you know that crime documentaries are watched by over 70% of streaming audiences?

Think about that for a second.

Millions of people willingly spend their evenings consuming stories about murder, betrayal, deception, corruption, and some of the darkest aspects of human behavior. We binge true crime series. We devour shocking headlines. We lean in when a scandal breaks. Even when it makes us uncomfortable, we can't seem to look away.

Why?

Why are we so fascinated by darkness?

I don't think it's because we're broken. And I don't think it's because we're secretly bad people.

I think it's because darkness contains information.

There is something about the dark side of humanity that both terrifies and fascinates us at the same time. We are repelled by it, yet strangely drawn toward it. We watch from a distance, trying to understand what would make someone behave in ways we cannot imagine ourselves behaving.

But I think something deeper is happening.

What we're witnessing "out there" is often connected to something we're avoiding "in here."

Not because we're murderers or criminals. Not because we're terrible people. But because every human being carries parts of themselves they'd rather not acknowledge.

The jealous part.

The angry part.

The controlling part.

The fearful part.

The resentful part.

The part that wants approval.

The part that isn't always kind, patient, loving, or evolved.

Most of us spend a tremendous amount of energy pretending these parts don't exist.

We're taught to focus on the light. Be positive. Be grateful. Be spiritual. Be loving. Be good.

And while none of those things are inherently wrong, something interesting happens when we only allow ourselves to identify with our light.

We begin treating our darkness as evidence that something is wrong with us.

If we're angry, we think we've failed.

If we're jealous, we think we're immature.

If we're afraid, we think we're weak.

If we're resentful, we think we're broken.

So we push those parts away.

We hide them from others.

And eventually, we hide them from ourselves.

The problem is that what we refuse to acknowledge doesn't disappear. It simply goes underground.

And the more we reject parts of ourselves, the more fascinated we become with seeing them expressed in other people.

This is one reason I believe we're so captivated by stories that expose the darker side of humanity. Consciously or unconsciously, we're looking at something we're secretly afraid to find within ourselves.

We become observers.

Voyeurs.

Watchers.

But I don't think we can stay there forever.

At some point, the invitation shifts.

The invitation is no longer to observe darkness from a distance.

It's to understand it.

Because darkness isn't the opposite of being human.

It's part of being human.

The goal was never to become a person with no darkness. The goal was to become a person who isn't afraid of it.

Someone who can look honestly at their own humanity without collapsing into shame.

Someone who can recognize their flaws, fears, insecurities, and shadowy corners without making those things mean they're unworthy.

Because darkness only becomes dangerous when it's unconscious.

When we pretend it isn't there.

When we deny it.

When we convince ourselves we're above it.

The irony is that the people most afraid of their darkness are often the people most controlled by it.

But the people willing to acknowledge it?

They become freer.

More compassionate.

More grounded.

More whole.

So the next time you find yourself captivated by a true crime documentary, a scandal, or a story that exposes the darker side of humanity, pause for a moment.

Ask yourself:

**What is it about this story that's holding my attention?**

Because the answer may have less to do with them than you think.

And more to do with a part of yourself that's ready to be seen.

💜 Abi