Yea - I did it at first without realizing it... kind of like a "numbing agent" if that particular pain got too bad or ... like you said - an anniversary was approaching. But later, I did it to "understand" because I realized the more I watched it - the less severe my reactions were becoming over time. So then - I wanted to understand my own reactions. What exactly about it affected me so deeply. Can I force myself to stay "in the present" rather than flashing? Etc...

I wasn't having much luck in therapy so I started doing things I noticed helped me. That was one.

I don't know if it works for others. Only that it did for me.