[JenIsAlwaysSick]

Has this ever happened to you? I haven't had this problem since I became a grown woman. When I was younger, I would take things I saw on television more seriously and felt a lot more affected by it, but over the past several years, I never had a problem.

Until recently. I was watching a TV show, and there was a rape scene. No, I've never been raped. I've never been almost raped either. But this rape scene made my breaths per minute go way up, almost like I was beginning to hyperventilate, and my vision became a little blurry and my face started going numb. I couldn't believe the intense response I was having because of a TV show.

Has this ever happened to you?

[BatsAndButterflies]

I actually understand what you mean.

I have no problem with watching gore on TV, but if someone is killed in a way that their head is removed, or they are hung, or their head is crushed or something like that it makes me physically is and I have a mini freak out.

This also happens with paranormal things. I cannot watch them.

[Onward2wards]

Something a bit similar happens to me ... I found the hard way I can't often watch intensely violent stuff, not because I get scared or sick, but because I get so angry at the perpetrator. So, I stick to lighter stuff. I've been this way as far back as I can remember, and yet I just can't recall ever having witnessed an act of violence that might account for this powerful reaction! It has to be genetic.

[JenIsAlwaysSick]

I guess I just felt silly having such a strong reaction to something I knew was fake. But b/c it really happens to people, I guess it affects me more deeply. Plus, the violence was so personal...realistic.

[lynn P.]

Yes there have been times where I have to turn the channel because the scene affects me too much. I also saw a disturbing real life scene on the news the other day of a wing walker who fell and died. They didn't show the whole fall but did show him losing his grip and falling a bit. I've thought about this several times since then, of how terrified he must have been and how awful it must have been for the spectators. I'm wondering now if I should have shared this - its gruesome.

[Phoboxyl]

I used to have incredibly anxious thoughts whenever I would watch TV or a movie that would range from the problems with me as a person to the major issues confronting my life to random thoughts of all sorts. But I never experienced what you are talking about before. Very interesting and I'm glad you are over it OP.

[Sabrina]

As a survivor of domestic violence, domestic violence scenes always illicit some form of reaction from me. Whether it is a flashback or just a general state of fear. I am still mostly able to watch, but not without feeling something intense.

[JenIsAlwaysSick]

Thank you all for sharing and taking the time to read my post. I'm still surprised at my response. I mean, I always feel empathetic during such scenes, b/c I know there are people who have suffered that way, and it makes me feel sick. but this one just got to me more, I guess. I can't watch a scene where someone is being tortured either. If they show too much, and it's too gruesome, I can't do it. But then there's other things I can watch with no problem. I guess it depends on how psychologically impacting the scene is made to be. Like, not action violence but psychological thriller violence. Makes sense...psychological is right there in the description. *sigh*