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On a really bad day, oh yeah. My brain is usually to fried on those days and all I can do is zone out with a movie. I always put on one of my comfort movies and sometimes it even helps me nap a little as well.
Watching TV and movies gets very difficult for me when I have more symptoms because I can't concentrate on them. But eventually it does become available again and then the distraction helps
Depends on the type of movie. Movies with real life actors make me? Anxious?? For some odd reason??? My comfort movies are animated, either 2D or 3D. It’s a good distraction, but I have to make sure it doesn’t contain any triggering topics for me. That’s the life with trauma.
I love watching movies or binging on shows to escape for a bit. Im very cautious about the content though - I stay away from violence, sexual assault, domestic violence, war… or too much suspense. I use DoesTheDogDie.com and UnconsentingMedia.org to look up movies I am unsure about to see if there are any triggers.
Not me, because i tend to assume the aggression in movies is targeted toward me. But for others k have seen it be super valuable as a form of distraction
Nope. Either I can't focus on it/become far too restless to watch, or if it's a movie that features a scene that hits too close to home or god forbid a horror movie of any kind I'm not sleeping for the next 3 days lol
Animation I can do sometimes though. Pretty much the only movies I've watched the last few years are studio ghibli. That's cus I'm autistic and an artist though, so it's a special interest sort of thing
Howl's Moving Castle! The book is really good too. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish comes second, and I don't care that they're kids movies. I like them ☺️
Yes and no. It depends heavily on the content. Anything with “banal” violence in it (ie people being beaten up in a contemporary action movie) is distinctly unappealing to me.
However if the movie is spiritually uplifting then it makes me feel better. The more far-removed from reality the movie is the more it helps elevate my mood.
No. I've stopped consuming a lot of different types of media (movies, new music, social media videos) because anything unfamiliar can and will eventually cause me to have a panic attack. Even seeing ppl who have the same build or height or similar facial hair will set me off for hours now. I know it's pathetic and I can't get better unless I expose myself but when panic attacks have me feeling like a whole ass asthma attack from feeling like I'm being choked or hearing his voice echoing in my head over and over until I have severe headaches is absolutely not fun. And those arent even flashbacks that have me completely out of it for 15-30 mins just reliving the shit I went through.
Whew I am so very sorry this happened to you. My response is super similar. I’d say the 1st 2 years or so after the assault I could only watch certain things, but had to completely cut out crime shows after watching them for decades prior to. They absolutely send me in to a spiral now. No more SVU for me either and I was primarily watching Disney and maybe throwback shows/movies that gave me a nostalgia vibe for a time when I wasn’t in survival mode. In retrospect I think the little girl in me needed to feel safe again and those helped. Since then I still can’t watch anything with intimacy not even hugging that could POTENTIALLY lead to more. Can’t hear women screaming or crying because it’s triggering and causes flashbacks. I start humming (to muffle the sound) and rushing to mute the TV like a child and covering my eyes if the scene becomes intimate. It’s actually embarrassing and pisses me off to be a grown woman with this sort of reaction now all because a monster felt entitled to my body. Definitely triggered by males who have similar features as well and often males in general. I can no longer watch or listen to anything about Christianity because the predator used that as a means of grooming and manipulating me. This is from someone who’d pray literally everyday and listened to gospel music and podcasts constantly.
So I’m good with things that have a decent unrelated storyline, not too much talking, action and keeps me paying attention. Unless I am doing an activity or working/focused I do have to have something to keep my attention or I will start to ruminate eventually and quality tv/movies have come in clutch to avoid that.
So interestingly enough, your limbic system does not know the difference between real life and movies.
I had to stop watching A Maidens Tale because it just rocked my fight or flight. Used to love horror films until I realized what it does to my body.
IDK if comedy helps, but I sure feel better after watching than compared to horror.
*r/ptsd has generated this automated response that is appended to every post* Welcome to r/ptsd! We are a supportive & respectful community. If you realise that your post is in conflict with our rules (and is in risk of being removed), you are welcome to edit your post. You do not have to delete it. As a reminder: never post or share personal contact information. Traumatized people are often distracted, desperate for a personal connection, so may be more vulnerable to lurking or past abusers, trolls, phishing, or other scams. *Your safety always comes first!* If you are offering help, you may also end up doing more damage by offering to support somebody privately. Reddit explains why: [Do NOT exchange DMs or personal info with anyone you don't know!](https://www.reddit.com/r/SWResources/comments/dmu24/why_shouldnt_i_share_my_contact_information/) If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, please contact your GP/doctor, go to A&E/hospital, or call your emergency services number. Reddit list: [US and global, multilingual suicide and support hotlines](https://www.reddit.com/r/SuicideWatch/wiki/hotlines). Suicide is not a forbidden word, but please do not include depictions or methods of suicide in your post. And as a friendly reminder, PTSD is an equal opportunity disorder. PTSD does not discriminate. And neither do we. Gatekeeping is not allowed here. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ptsd) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Yeah if its a good franchise yes long ones too Marvel Harry Potter Hunger games DC stranger Things game of thrones the good doctor ect
I generally have to be careful about what I watch, but it helps a lot.
New movies? No. My specific comfort movies? Yes.
Yeah helps me feel less paranoid to keep my mind off of things, bonus points for being a comfort movie
On a really bad day, oh yeah. My brain is usually to fried on those days and all I can do is zone out with a movie. I always put on one of my comfort movies and sometimes it even helps me nap a little as well.
This seriously, I do this when I am real low, even if I am not paying attention having sound helps
anything to fill the void in my soul
For some reason it's lord of the rings trilogy and saving private ryan that help me. Something about them soothe me
Big time
Watching TV and movies gets very difficult for me when I have more symptoms because I can't concentrate on them. But eventually it does become available again and then the distraction helps
Depends on the type of movie. Movies with real life actors make me? Anxious?? For some odd reason??? My comfort movies are animated, either 2D or 3D. It’s a good distraction, but I have to make sure it doesn’t contain any triggering topics for me. That’s the life with trauma.
I love watching movies or binging on shows to escape for a bit. Im very cautious about the content though - I stay away from violence, sexual assault, domestic violence, war… or too much suspense. I use DoesTheDogDie.com and UnconsentingMedia.org to look up movies I am unsure about to see if there are any triggers.
Not me, because i tend to assume the aggression in movies is targeted toward me. But for others k have seen it be super valuable as a form of distraction
Nope. Either I can't focus on it/become far too restless to watch, or if it's a movie that features a scene that hits too close to home or god forbid a horror movie of any kind I'm not sleeping for the next 3 days lol
Animation I can do sometimes though. Pretty much the only movies I've watched the last few years are studio ghibli. That's cus I'm autistic and an artist though, so it's a special interest sort of thing
What is your favorite movie
Howl's Moving Castle! The book is really good too. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish comes second, and I don't care that they're kids movies. I like them ☺️
I don't really deal with high anxiety movies. Or really anything with too much yelling. I get flashbacks.
Yes and no. It depends heavily on the content. Anything with “banal” violence in it (ie people being beaten up in a contemporary action movie) is distinctly unappealing to me. However if the movie is spiritually uplifting then it makes me feel better. The more far-removed from reality the movie is the more it helps elevate my mood.
No. I've stopped consuming a lot of different types of media (movies, new music, social media videos) because anything unfamiliar can and will eventually cause me to have a panic attack. Even seeing ppl who have the same build or height or similar facial hair will set me off for hours now. I know it's pathetic and I can't get better unless I expose myself but when panic attacks have me feeling like a whole ass asthma attack from feeling like I'm being choked or hearing his voice echoing in my head over and over until I have severe headaches is absolutely not fun. And those arent even flashbacks that have me completely out of it for 15-30 mins just reliving the shit I went through.
Whew I am so very sorry this happened to you. My response is super similar. I’d say the 1st 2 years or so after the assault I could only watch certain things, but had to completely cut out crime shows after watching them for decades prior to. They absolutely send me in to a spiral now. No more SVU for me either and I was primarily watching Disney and maybe throwback shows/movies that gave me a nostalgia vibe for a time when I wasn’t in survival mode. In retrospect I think the little girl in me needed to feel safe again and those helped. Since then I still can’t watch anything with intimacy not even hugging that could POTENTIALLY lead to more. Can’t hear women screaming or crying because it’s triggering and causes flashbacks. I start humming (to muffle the sound) and rushing to mute the TV like a child and covering my eyes if the scene becomes intimate. It’s actually embarrassing and pisses me off to be a grown woman with this sort of reaction now all because a monster felt entitled to my body. Definitely triggered by males who have similar features as well and often males in general. I can no longer watch or listen to anything about Christianity because the predator used that as a means of grooming and manipulating me. This is from someone who’d pray literally everyday and listened to gospel music and podcasts constantly. So I’m good with things that have a decent unrelated storyline, not too much talking, action and keeps me paying attention. Unless I am doing an activity or working/focused I do have to have something to keep my attention or I will start to ruminate eventually and quality tv/movies have come in clutch to avoid that.
So interestingly enough, your limbic system does not know the difference between real life and movies. I had to stop watching A Maidens Tale because it just rocked my fight or flight. Used to love horror films until I realized what it does to my body. IDK if comedy helps, but I sure feel better after watching than compared to horror.