Oop! #Socialites, are you feeling a little guilty with this one? A psychologist is suggesting that if you watch true crime stories to relax yourself, it might be considered a major red flag.
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If you, like over a billion people, enjoy winding down and binge-watching a series like ‘Making a Murderer‘ or ‘Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,’ or other shows like these, one mental health expert is warning that you might be seriously disturbed, and/or don’t process trauma in a healthy way.
The expert, psychologist Dr. Therma Bryant, recently sat down with New York Times best-selling author and motivational speaker Melanie “Mel” Robbins on her podcast, ‘The Mel Robbins Podcast,’ and broke down the process of people reconnecting and healing themselves after experiencing hardship.
During the sit-down, Dr. Bryant eventually revealed that people who consume violent media most likely do so for a very specific reason. The expert suggested that it might be because people are associating the trauma they are watching with that of which they have endured themselves; simply put, it’s because they are familiar with it. Dr. Bryant essentially suggests this is a red flag and could be a bigger sign of you needing counseling.
Dr. Bryant said, “If your idea of relaxing before you go to sleep is to watch three episodes of ‘Law and Order,’ [then] I would encourage you to think about, ‘Why is trauma relaxing to me?’ That’s what it is. Harm, crime, violation, attacks, and that’s what is going to soothe me into my bedtime.”
Explaining what people tell her about their connection with true crime and using it to relax, the psychologist continued, “Some of us grew up in high stress [situations], so people mistake peace for boring. To come home to yourself, you have to lean into the discomfort because it’s gonna feel unfamiliar.”
A clip of this conversation was posted on Robbin’s TikTok account and it has since gone viral. Commenters were quick to share their thoughts and reasons as to why they personally watch true crime shows and movies.
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One TikTok user wrote, “The trauma isn’t relaxing to me – it’s the justice the characters or real people often get that I never did in my own life.” Another said, “It distracts me from the pain I’m feeling in my life. I don’t like it, it just redirects my anger.”
A third person added, “Damn. This really hits home. I used to watch so much chaos on TV, but after working hard on myself for the past two years I just can’t anymore.” Another chimed in, “Constantly feeding your subconscious mind graphic content DOES affect your mood and mindset. it’s impossible to heal that way.”
#Socialites, be sure to check out the post below, then leave us your thoughts in a comment after!
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