“Instead of a Charming Figure.” 1845 engraving by Édouard de Beaumont for the novel Le Diable Amoureux (The Devil in Love) by Jacques Cazotte Source: University of Ottawa Library / Public Domain

Most of us love scary stories. When we were children, spooky creatures thrilled us and populated our fantasies and dreams . Back then, the terrors had names and identities: zombies, vampires, yetis, space aliens, the Freddy Kruegers of our youth.

As adults, we interact with invisible monsters, the difficult emotions that diminish our sense of well-being and cause us great distress. Our personal monster may be dread, or panic attacks, or corrosive envy . We often can’t name the emotion disrupting our lives. Our fight-or-flight response tells us we are at risk. It cries: Get me out of he

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