Extreme emotional reactions to violent movies

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DominaSmartass -> Extreme emotional reactions to violent movies (7/8/2007 10:37:07 AM)
Hi everyone, I really need some advice or at least just to hear that I'm not crazy and didn't know where else to post. I mean, this is the only online community that I'm "active" in to any extent. So here goes. I have recently noticed that I'm having a very negative emotional reaction to movies, specifically violence, that I have not had before in my life. I've always been able to handle stuff ok, understanding that it's only a movie and not getting too involved. But in the past couple of days I have watched The Departed and then Pan's Labrynth and both (though Pan's more than The Departed) evoked a very extreme response which I felt I had no control over. In fact, I couldn't even finish watching Pan's Labrynth because it was disturbing me so much. I feel like this is really nutty since, like I said, I've never experienced it before and have never had a problem with violent movies. The only thing I can think of is that I discotinued taking antidepressant/antianxiety medication about 2 months ago. Yes, this was done with professional supervision and no I haven't experienced any other strange side effects. I don't want to blame everything on no longer taking medicine, which I'm really happy not to be doing, but is that a logical reason why I would see such a dramatic increase in my sensitivity to things like this? Thanks for reading.

truebeauty -> RE: Extreme emotional reactions to violent movies (7/8/2007 10:52:01 AM)
It could be that you have some soul work to do that you need to be "clean" for.

popeye1250 -> RE: Extreme emotional reactions to violent movies (7/8/2007 10:54:33 AM)
Go see "Texas Chainsaw Masacre" then report back to us.

cyberdude611 -> RE: Extreme emotional reactions to violent movies (7/8/2007 11:15:00 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: popeye1250 Go see "Texas Chainsaw Masacre" then report back to us. A Clockwork Orange? Pulp Fiction? Those are both more violent than the Departed.

windchymes -> RE: Extreme emotional reactions to violent movies (7/8/2007 12:45:01 PM)
To the OP, anti-depressants and anti-anxiety meds keep you on an even keel by inhibiting your emotional highs and lows. (That's a simple way of putting it. That's why some people also experience sexual difficulties when on them, they can't feel the "highs" of sexual excitement or stimulation.) Therefore, you probably weren't feeling any extreme emotional reactions of any kind while on the medication....I said EXTREME reactions...I'm sure you still felt emotions. But, as you said, after stopping the meds and suddenly experiencing an "extreme" reaction to something you SHOULD feel an extreme reaction to, well, it sounds like you're just being "normal" for you.

LadyEllen -> RE: Extreme emotional reactions to violent movies (7/8/2007 12:45:42 PM)
Yes DS, yes......come to the dark side....... use your anger...... take up your popcorn bucket and strike me down with all your hatred....... and your journey will be complete...... I think it depends whether your reaction is a problem to you or others. Coming off the medication might have allowed you to experience emotions which have become unfamiliar to you, but without knowing what emotions youre feeling its difficult to know what to say. Overall though, I'd be more concerned if someone could watch horrific and sadistic violence and not have an emotional reaction to it. E

DominaSmartass -> RE: Extreme emotional reactions to violent movies (7/8/2007 4:00:46 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: LadyEllen Overall though, I'd be more concerned if someone could watch horrific and sadistic violence and not have an emotional reaction to it. E I was thinking along those lines, yet of all the people who've seen Pan's Labrynth I have a hard time imagining that many reacted like me. I could even finish watching the movie. I burst into tears spontaneously when the Captain repeatedly bashed this guy's face in with a broken bottle. Sorry for any spoilers. I mean, I've seen worse violence than that, I think, but it really hit something in me and it just freaked me out. And then my reaction freaked me out. I am usually pretty level headed and rational and so I am not only surprised with my response to the movie but also want to rationalize why I had that response. Thanks (to you too Windcymes) for the serious responses.

mnottertail -> RE: Extreme emotional reactions to violent movies (7/8/2007 4:07:06 PM)
I don't watch any horror shit, when Ray Liotta was getting his head pried off by a table knife from Sir Anthony Hopkins, all I could say, was: oooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhh, put that fuckin' shit away, ishta, I never want to be this far again----- so, enough of that.

bipolarber -> RE: Extreme emotional reactions to violent movies (7/8/2007 5:14:15 PM)
At least you know you haven't become "desesitized to violence." Seriously, I found parts of Pan's Labyrinth to be incredibly hard to watch myself. But I think that WAS the point the filmmakers were trying to make: contrasting the brutal reality the little girl was living in with the fantasy world she was being drawn into. I wouldn't worry too much about it. We all have psychological "hot buttons" which can make it impossible to watch certain films, or even the news. (I still can't watch the original "Fly" without losing sleep... something about the thought of being so deformed that you'd willingly stick your head in a 50 ton press...) Anyway, I have problems with watching movies that I consider anti-female. Movies that are little more than vicarious torture scenes for people who which they could work at Abu Grahib. Films like Hostel, Saw, and now this latest bit of garbage, Abduction.... Man, and we thought the slasher flicks of the '80s were tasteless trash....

SeeksOnlyOne -> RE: Extreme emotional reactions to violent movies (7/8/2007 5:31:26 PM)
i have never been able to watch graphic, horror movies....i choose to blame my brother, who hid under my bed and shook it the night after we saw the exorcist..... i cant watch fake carnage, but i love court tv, and can watch an autopsy......20 years ago i watched the "faces of death" video, and had no reaction until the monkey......i cried and threw up from that and didnt see the rest of the film..... i gave up on trying to figure out why i react the way i do.........ive never seen any halloween movies or any of the other slasher types.....i loved silence of the lambs, but passed on the next one because folks that know me told me i wouldnt enjoy it...... so i say dont stress over it......you may go back to how you were before or you may not......either way youre still you.....and thats good enough

velvetears -> RE: Extreme emotional reactions to violent movies (7/8/2007 5:41:23 PM)
i love horror movies and don't generally have much of a left over reaction to them... untill i saw the Grudge. i have to turn away even when they play to commercial for Grudge 2 - i was freaked out by that movie - the scene when she would "crawl" or whatever it was she did with that contorted body down the stairs - god i couldn't look at the steps in my house for weeks without getting chills and a rapid heart beat LOL. i have no idea why i reacted this way - something lurking in my deep dark subconscious mind?? i think it was the fact that she crawled so creepily up to people who were basically paralysed to move out of the way. i have this sleep paralysis problem so i thought, oh fucking great now i am going to imagine this creature attacking me when i fall into that the next time - so far so good crosses fingers

windchymes -> RE: Extreme emotional reactions to violent movies (7/8/2007 7:20:07 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: DominaSmartass I was thinking along those lines, yet of all the people who've seen Pan's Labrynth I have a hard time imagining that many reacted like me. I could even finish watching the movie. I burst into tears spontaneously when the Captain repeatedly bashed this guy's face in with a broken bottle. Sorry for any spoilers. I mean, I've seen worse violence than that, I think, but it really hit something in me and it just freaked me out. And then my reaction freaked me out. I am usually pretty level headed and rational and so I am not only surprised with my response to the movie but also want to rationalize why I had that response. Thanks (to you too Windcymes) for the serious responses. You're welcome! :)

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