Traumatised

Hi everyone:( I feel traumatised and sick in my stomach over something I saw. I heard about a horrible gore site from an article I was reading. Out of curiosity I typed it up. There was awful things on the site. I felt sick and I can't stop thinking about it. Because curiousty got the best of me I also typed something else up and saw an awful image of a terrorist group with their victim. There were a few site s with these images. I'm crying right now because of how the world can be so evil. I feel horrible for even trying to see those websites and images out of curiousty. I'm thinking of going to therapy because I feel traumatised and I feel awful for looking at that stuff. Please, how can I forget all of this?:(

I'm sorry that you are so disturbed. I've seen some horrible things online too and it made me sick to my stomach. Try to distract yourself to keep the images out of your head. If you feel you need to, please seek therapy. You have a lot of empathy. I agree that this world is a ###$ up place.

-- Tue Dec 08, 2015 8:48 pm --

I'm sorry that you are so disturbed. I've seen some horrible things online too and it made me sick to my stomach. Try to distract yourself to keep the images out of your head. If you feel you need to, please seek therapy. You have a lot of empathy. I agree that this world is a ###$ up place.

It sounds like viewing that material was very traumatic for you, and I'm sorry it had that effect on you.

DO NOT feel guilty or ashamed, there is no way you could have known it would have this effect on you so IT ISN'T YOUR FAULT. The world is not just, and you can't control it. Being aware of what an awful place it can be is an important part of protecting yourself from that and keeping out of situations that can do you harm.

DO NOT simply 'try to forget'. Instead you need to identify and feel out the associated emotions to come to closure on the event. It can be painful, but that is part of the healing. Some people say, "pain is weakness leaving the body" but I like to think "pain is the bill you pay to get better".

DO NOT convince yourself it was a 'mistake' alone. OK, bad judgement? Maybe, there is an undeniable element here that says, "this was a mistake". BUT IT CAN ALSO BE MORE. Try to remind yourself that there is more than one perspective you can take. Yes, it was awful, but now you have learned something important about yourself and that is a positive. This experience can help guide your decisions going forward in a positive, helpful way. Try to understand the implications of the consequences of your actions, not just the consequences alone.

DO NOT keep the emotions about this to yourself. Talk to someone you trust. You sound like a very sensitive person with a lot of empathy, these are GOOD qualities to have (though a double-edged sword at times).

DO NOT let your thoughts have control over themselves. It takes effort, sometimes a lot of hard work, but fight back. When you feel yourself losing control to those intrusive thoughts try to consciously 'break-in' with something happy or positive. For a long time when I would think of traumas in my life I would sing the 59th street bridge song ('feeln' groovy' by simon and garfunkel). Usually by the time I got through the first verse or two I would be distracted by something else and be able to move on, but don't forget the associated emotions (anger, anxiety, shame) may be lingering and to remind yourself to remain calm and they will pass, just feel them out. Mindfullness and grounding techniques, you could call them.

Hope this helps and hope you are feeling better soon.