Ep 6. Filling the Void

In Hoarding: Buried Alive season 1 episode 6, entitled "Filling the Void," we meet Craig, an unemployed man who lives in a cramped trailer with his mother. Craig's life has been punctuated by loss - his father's death, his older brother's suicide, and his sister's fatal car accident. In order to cope with the pain, he has surrounded himself with a multitude of possessions, most of which he has acquired from rummaging through garbage bins and abandoned homes. The result is a home that is packed to the brim with hoarded items and has become completely unlivable.

Craig is aware that he is a hoarder and that his habits are detrimental to his health and well-being, but he feels powerless to stop. His therapist attributes his hoarding to his unresolved grief and suggests that he needs to work through that before he can begin to let go of his possessions. This proves to be a difficult task, as Craig is resistant to confronting his emotions and often becomes overwhelmed and defensive.

The episode follows Craig as he attempts to tackle his hoard with the help of a professional organizer and a cleaning crew. As they sift through the debris, they uncover some truly shocking finds, including a dead bird and a hoard of cockroaches. Craig is visibly distressed by the state of his home, but he remains determined to reclaim his space.

As the clean-up progresses, Craig begins to open up about his past traumas and the role that hoarding has played in his life. He talks about his brother's suicide in vivid detail and describes the guilt and shame he feels for not being able to help him. This is a major breakthrough for Craig, who has been resistant to talking about his feelings up until this point.

After several days of cleaning, Craig's home is transformed. The piles of garbage have been removed, and the space has been transformed into a livable environment. Craig is overjoyed by the results and expresses his gratitude to the organizers and cleaners who helped him. However, he acknowledges that his work is not done and that he will need to continue therapy to address the root causes of his hoarding.

In the end, "Filling the Void" is a powerful portrait of one man's struggle to come to terms with his past and move forward. It shows how hoarding can serve as a coping mechanism for unresolved grief and trauma and underscores the importance of seeking professional help to overcome it. Despite the difficult road ahead, Craig's progress in this episode gives hope that recovery is possible.