Introduction: Trauma, screenwriting and suffering – Beyond the gospel of story

This editorial introduces aspects of the processes of trauma, traumatic stress reactions and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), in relation to screenwriting and memory in different formats. It does this by explaining and offering an overview of how trauma is perceived currently in comparison to how trauma was originally conceived when it became medicalized. There is a comparison with how other mental unwellness is interpreted and we learn how film and screenwriting influences trauma in a multitude of ways. Examples are used from important films and television shows with the articles within this edition elucidated on. The significance of suffering in storytelling and screenwriting is dissected and its relationship with mental health. The problems with diagnosis are examined, plus the complexities concerning writing as healing. Issues with collective and social trauma are explored in relation to articles on Mexico and Taiwan. The new concept and process of ‘recovered reality’ is introduced.