Hysterical

In 1500s France, a silent convent suddenly erupted into chaos when one exhausted nun in the back pew began to meow—and other sisters started joining her. What looked like mockery of God quickly spiraled into a full‑blown “feline chorus” that shattered the vow of silence, terrified authorities, and drew whispers of witchcraft, hysteria, and demonic possession. As discipline tightened and punishments escalated, church leaders called in an exorcist, convinced this bizarre behavior had to be the Devil at work. But hours of dramatic exorcism, fasting, and prayer couldn’t silence the meows—only the arrival of soldiers and the threat of brutal corporal punishment finally did. In this episode of Hysterical, we unravel the so‑called “meowing nuns” as a case of mass psychogenic illness, and explore what happens when generations of silenced, abandoned girls are given one tiny crack in the armor of obedience—and take it, together.

In 1589, the small German town of Bedburg became the stage for one of the most infamous trials in history. Peter Stumpp—forever remembered as the Werewolf of Bedburg—was accused of unspeakable crimes: murder, cannibalism, incest, and making a pact with the Devil to transform into a wolf. His execution was brutal, his confession extracted under torture, and his story spread across Europe in lurid pamphlets that fueled a wave of fear. But how much of it was truth—and how much was hysteria? In this episode, we unravel the legend of the Bedburg Werewolf, exploring the clash of religion and politics in the Holy Roman Empire, the rise of witch hunts and werewolf trials, and the way fear can shape justice. Was Stumpp truly a monster, or the perfect scapegoat in an age desperate for order? Join me as we step back into the smoke-filled square of Cologne on Halloween night, 1589, and uncover what really happened when a man was burned as a beast.

In this episode of Hysterical, I explore the eerie case of the Halifax Slasher, a wave of fear that swept through a Yorkshire town in 1938. It started with a few alarming reports of a man attacking women with a razor. As newspapers caught wind of the story, panic spread like wildfire. Vigilante groups formed, suspects were hunted, and the town spiraled into chaos. But what really happened in Halifax—and why does it still stand as a textbook case of mass hysteria?

In this episode of Hysterical, we explore the June Bug Epidemic of 1962, where a seemingly innocuous event turned into a widespread phenomenon of mass psychogenic illness at a textile factory in Strongsville. It all began when a worker reported a mysterious bug bite that no one could find, leading to similar reports across the factory floor. As more workers experienced the same symptoms—unexplained bites, nausea, dizziness, and rashes—the panic spread, even though no insects could be found. This episode dives into how the epidemic escalated, fueled by stress, social connections, and the power of suggestion, ultimately revealing how deeply the mind can influence the body in collective experiences of fear and anxiety.