Why We Can’t Stop Watching The Handmaid’s Tale: A Psychological Perspective

The final episode of The Handmaid’s Tale has aired. Like many women, I’m still thinking about it. The whole series was hard to watch at times. Confronting. Emotional. But also strangely addictive.

Have you wondered why this story pulled us in so deeply?

I have. And I’m wondering if it’s not just the drama that keeps us hooked, but something deeper. Something it touches in us.

As a counsellor, I sit with many women who feel overwhelmed, exhausted and unsure how they got here. They’re holding families together, working hard, caring for everyone else. On the outside, they seem to be coping. Inside, though, they’re worn down.

Could it be that when we watch The Handmaid’s Tale, we’re not just watching fiction? Maybe we’re watching echoes of our own lives. Or what we fear could happen. Or what we’re already living in small, quiet ways.

Let’s explore why this series resonates so deeply.

The emotional load: is it too close to home?

In Gilead, women are given roles. They have no choice. Their job is to serve.

It’s extreme. But could it be that some of us relate more than we’d like to admit?

Many women I see carry the emotional weight of the household. They manage the schedules, the feelings, the food, the planning. Even when others help, the mental load often stays with them.

Do we see ourselves in these characters? Not because we’re oppressed in the same way, but because parts of us feel silenced, controlled or exhausted?

Maybe the show holds up a mirror we didn’t expect.

Losing yourself: does it happen quietly?

One of the strongest threads in the Handmaid’s Tale Series is how women lose their voices. Their power. Their sense of self.

Could this be something we know in our own way? Not because of laws, but because of culture. Expectations. Habit.

You might say yes when you mean no. You might feel guilty resting. You might have become so used to putting others first that you no longer know what you want.

I wonder if we watch June’s rebellion with a kind of ache. Because part of us longs to speak up too. Or stop performing. Or find our way back to ourselves.

Motherhood: does it bring up more than we expect?

The show doesn’t sugar-coat motherhood. It shows love, but also loss. Yearning. Guilt.

June and her daughter. Serena and her longing. The way motherhood is twisted in Gilead. It’s messy, painful and real.

Could it be that we’re drawn to this because so many of us feel conflicted about our own experiences of mothering? Or of being mothered?

I often sit with women who love their children deeply, but feel lost. Touched out. Not sure if they’re doing enough. Others carry the grief of infertility, estrangement or loss.

Does the show open up space for these quiet, hidden emotions?

Is trauma part of why this story grabs us?

June’s trauma reactions are familiar to anyone who’s lived in survival mode. She goes numb. Hypervigilant. Detached. Angry. It makes sense.

Could it be that many of us carry unprocessed trauma, too? Not necessarily dramatic events, but the kind that accumulates slowly. Ongoing stress. Feeling unsafe. Having to push through.

When we see June break down, or shut off, it’s not just good acting. It’s a reminder of how our nervous system copes when things get too much.

I wonder if that’s part of why we keep watching. Because something in us understands.

What about relationships?

The Handmaid’s Tale Series is full of complicated, messy connections. Love, betrayal, resentment. Unmet needs.

June and Luke. June and Serena. June and Nick. June and herself.

Are we drawn in because these relationships reflect our own struggles? The distance that grows quietly. The tension of staying. The pain of letting go.

So many women I work with feel disconnected in their relationships. They miss feeling understood. They wonder if it’s supposed to feel this hard.

Could it be that watching these dynamics helps us feel less alone?

Is sisterhood the thing that keeps us hopeful?

Among all the trauma, there are moments of quiet connection. Women helping each other. Sharing glances. Risking everything for someone else.

Maybe we’re drawn to those moments because we crave that kind of support in our own lives.

Safe spaces. Real friendships. People who get it.

Maybe part of the healing starts when we see others show up for each other.

What do we see when we watch this show?

I think we see parts of ourselves. Maybe the tired parts. Or the angry ones. Maybe the ones that are still quietly hopeful.

This series is hard to watch. But maybe we keep watching because it helps us name what’s hard to say.

We see strength in places we didn’t expect. We see what happens when women reclaim their voice. We see pain, yes, but also survival.

Could it be that this story is, at its heart, about remembering who we are?

And maybe that’s what we’re craving

Not the drama. Not the dystopia.

But the reminder that even when things feel bleak, there’s always the possibility of rising. Of healing. Of being heard.

That we don’t have to keep living on autopilot.

That our voice matters.

Curious to explore what came up for you?

If The Handmaid’s Tale Series stirred something in you, it might be worth exploring.

You’re not broken. You might just be carrying more than you realise.

Praise be… to women reclaiming their stories.

If you’re ready to talk, I’d love to walk alongside you.

I offer safe, supportive counselling sessions women who are ready to reconnect with themselves.

Click here to learn more. Or if you have any questions… Send me an email.  

You don’t have to do it alone.

– Honni Hayton