[Calico_91]

I have PTSD from lots of abuse growing up. (physical, emotional, sexual). I was also raped in my 20s and survived an attempted murder in my 30s.

I CANNOT watch ANY crime show or I will flip out. I also can't watch violent movies.

I can deal with goofy super hero stuff to a point.

But not DeadPool. OMG, it is SO violent that I had to leave the theater to wander the shopping plaza while my fiance finished watching the movie. He offered to leave with me, but I said NO! You finish watching the movie or I wll feel bad that you didn't get to finish.

So I had a yummy smoothy at Orange Julius and focused on the fruity goodness to break me out of PTSD mode.

It's a good thing I left when I did or I would have been rendered catatonic and that would have been a bigger pain in the ### for my fiance.

[DesigningWoman]

Absolutely.
I could never watch Law & Order SVU, anything true crime, and even fictional sexual assaults especially on children. Very triggering.
Odd that gun violence I don't find as disturbing or really any weapon. Bare knuckles, punching, etc. that type of thing is much worse. Weaponry was not involved in the sexual assaults on me so that must have something to do with it.
I also find kids tormenting, bullying, and assaulting each other almost impossible to watch. Never watched doc Bully, even though it sounds interesting. Too triggery!

[Calico_91]

Originally Posted by DesigningWoman

Absolutely.
I could never watch Law & Order SVU, anything true crime, and even fictional sexual assaults especially on children. Very triggering.
Odd that gun violence I don't find as disturbing or really any weapon. Bare knuckles, punching, etc. that type of thing is much worse. Weaponry was not involved in the sexual assaults on me so that must have something to do with it.
I also find kids tormenting, bullying, and assaulting each other almost impossible to watch. Never watched doc Bully, even though it sounds interesting. Too triggery!

Totally understood. I have the same triggers!

[confusedbyself]

oh yep!!!!

I LOVE NCIS, but can NOT handle Law&Order SVU... I also find myself triggered by 'strange' things.

OMG, that Progressive commercial with the box at the airport is a HUGE trigger for me. It was so bad that it got where, even when that commercial wasn't on, any of the commercials with the box started to make me think back to the airport one and have trouble. I am actually going to end this here as it is already starting to mess with me.... Not from your original post...... just my thinking about it now.

Good luck and know you are NOT alone

[Out There]

I try to avoid the news , that can be triggering sometimes

[Anouk]

I know what you are talking about Law and Order SVU and Criminal Minds trigger flashbacks for me.

It is hard to ground yourself after being triggered like that -- but you did very well with your Orange Julius. Congrats on realising that you needed to get out of that movie right now and doing the grounding and self care you did. Kudos to you on that!

[ejayy78]

I'm the complete opposite of everyone else who has posted so far. Seeing what my childhood was, one would probably assume I can't watch criminal minds or SVU without being triggered, but in reality they're actually my two favorite shows. Not that the subject matter doesn't sometimes affect me, but I think I watch them and like both shows because someone is fighting for those who are being hurt, which is something that wasn't done for me personally. I guess it just shows me that there are people with big hearts in the world, even though it's just a tv show.

Or maybe I'm just weird

[sunbeem]

I have PTSD from sexual abuse from my dad and a rape that happened when I was a teen. I can't watch SVU or anything that has violence in it. I think that is true with most of us with this terrible condition. Have to be carful to not get triggered so be carful about what you watch.

[bunnifoo]

I understand. I'm mostly okay with violence, but my PTSD is medical related and also from being bullied.

I was going to watch Deadpool figuring I could handle the violence but then I started thinking about some of the other things and decided to wait.

And while I can watch Law and Order and things like that I can't watching shows like The Office or Parks and Rec or most shows where someone is ridiculed and isn't aware of what is going on or is aware or the main plot line is laughing at someone, teasing them, etc.

There were times growing up when I'd "watch from the hall" during Growing Pains or some sitcom because it was just too much for me to handle.

[Calico_91]

My therapist told me that our limbic systems can't tell the difference between movies and TV and real life. Our logical bits KNOW it's just a TV show or movie, but that primal limbic system doesn't and that's why we get flashbacks.

[Fightharder]

In my case my limits are when in movies or tv shows animals are hurt or in pain; I can't tolerate pictures even that show something like that
I just close my eyes ....
I gues everybody have this kind of limits ...

[leomama]

Originally Posted by Anouk

I know what you are talking about Law and Order SVU and Criminal Minds trigger flashbacks for me.

It is hard to ground yourself after being triggered like that -- but you did very well with your Orange Julius. Congrats on realising that you needed to get out of that movie right now and doing the grounding and self care you did. Kudos to you on that!

I
Used to watch criminal
Minds on
Netflix. I would take as long as I needed to
Finish an episode.

[leomama]

Originally Posted by ejayy78

I'm the complete opposite of everyone else who has posted so far. Seeing what my childhood was, one would probably assume I can't watch criminal minds or SVU without being triggered, but in reality they're actually my two favorite shows. Not that the subject matter doesn't sometimes affect me, but I think I watch them and like both shows because someone is fighting for those who are being hurt, which is something that wasn't done for me personally. I guess it just shows me that there are people with big hearts in the world, even though it's just a tv show.

Or maybe I'm just weird

I like criminal minds too, so no, you're not weird. I agree, that show depicts people who care (the BAU), which is positive.

[vonmoxie]

I actually find some of the commercials more triggering. I imagine that some of the crime dramas could be triggering for me, but I avoid them and they can't really sneak up on me.. but the commercials are everywhere! They have these ones to try to convince people not to smoke, with people already suffering from disease desperately gasping for air... I can't take it. When they come on, I'm already so familiar with them that I tense right up. I know they're trying to get a serious message across, but they're traumatizing. Maybe it's because that's what it sounded like when my best friend was dying... I don't think it's that though -- they're so realistic that I feel like I'm gasping for air.

Also, those same commercials often have a shaming tone to them; I don't even smoke but the tone is so overwhelming that I feel shamed. Probably reminds me of the tone of every horrible adult who shamed me as a child for not knowing the perfect thing to do at every moment and juncture of my growth.

[Mrs. Mania]

On I and my husbands 3rd date, he took me to see the movie, Stir of Echoes. I got so panicked. I told him I was going to the restroom and bolted. After a good bit time of splashing cold water on my face, I left. When I started down the hall, I felt dizzy
and short of breath. I had to lean on the wall for a minute. Thankfully, here comes my main man to save the dayHe apologized profusely and said we could've seen something else, but I didn't know I would be triggered until I got triggered on that one.

[TishaBuv]

I am triggered by romance movies because of my (BPD?)

I watch all the true crime shows, and even when the themes of them reflect the traumas that happened to me, it is like an out-of-body experience.

THREE of the reenactments on the ID channel are of people I actually knew. You have no idea how surreal watching that feels.

I can't stand shows where the character is frustrated and has too many obstacles against them. (Also BPD?)

I was so traumatized by the movie Seven, that I had nightmares for a year over it. (Didn't remind me of any real incident, just scared me)

I am actually triggered by TV shows of cute, perky, happy families-- can't watch 'em.

[TishaBuv]

1973, The Brady Bunch episode where Marcia broke her nose triggered young me. I had a horrible, huge nose. My nose looked worse than Marcia's after she broke it.