Why Horror Movies Can Help Us Deal With Real Trauma
VisibleHorrorFan
The movies that terrify you today could help you deal with fear better tomorrow while alleviating stress and anxiety. It can be better than spending time playing online casino Canada.
My mother died of an overdose when I was seven. For years, death aroused in me an excess of fear and anxiety. I came to believe that I, too, would one day die young; I gave up activities, like riding a bike, simply because they seemed risky to me.
Then, in high school, the video club was my salvation.
With a group of friends, I rented Return to Horror High, a low-budget 1987 slasher movie, and for just under two hours watched through my splayed fingers as a monster tormented and killed one by one. the characters screaming from the comfort of my couch. Afterwards, two emotions invaded me: the pride of having seen the film from start to finish and an immediate feeling of relief tinged with euphoria. It was the best form of catharsis. From that day forward and for decades to come, horror movies became a way for me to deal with tragedies and obstacles, including a divorce and the deaths of other loved ones.
In my eyes, horror films remain an invaluable tool to face these difficult times. This effect is one of the foundations of exposure therapy: confronting our fears in order to overcome them.
Controlled experiences of fear such as watching horror films "can have positive effects on the development of coping strategies," says Mathias Clasen, director of the Recreational Fear Lab and lecturer in literature and media at the University of Aarhus in Denmark. In fact, a recent study of more than 300 people shows that horror movie fans are faring significantly better psychologically than non-followers during this emotionally trying pandemic.
"Perhaps they learn to control their fear and gauge their own emotions by watching horror movies," suggests Clasen, author of the 2017 book Why Horror Seduces. attend the screening of the latest horror film in a therapist's office, focusing on the means that allow us to overcome our fear and the reasons that force the admiration of some for this form of entertainment, research opens a window to new ways to overcome trauma.
ALREADY SEEN Before addressing trauma and phobia, it is important to understand how our body processes fear. First comes the fight-flight response: either we stay to face what frightens us, or we flee in order to avoid or escape danger. This response is guided by what doctors call the sympathetic nervous system, a network of neurons connecting the spine to the rest of the body. In a situation perceived as dangerous, this system triggers involuntary reactions such as an increase in heart rate and blood pressure or sending extra blood to our muscles in order to prepare us to face the threat.
When we realize the threat is gone or doesn't exist, the parasympathetic system takes over, helping us calm down and promoting the body's “rest and digest” response. This instinctive response notably contributes to the feeling of relief after experiencing a threat and it is precisely this relief that is targeted by researchers through exposure therapy.
The effectiveness of this therapy is widely confirmed by research, especially in the treatment of anxiety disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder, phobias and obsessive-compulsive disorders. The treatment is based on the reprogramming of the cerebral center of fear, the amygdala, through its activation via exposure to the feared situation or object. For example, if the patient has a phobia of spiders, the therapist will lead him to voluntarily interact with spiders either by imagining them, or by actually manipulating them, or by using virtual reality. By repeating the exposure, the fear fades.
This type of controlled fear experience takes place in a protective environment, and that is its advantage. Fear is experienced under the watchful eye of the therapist who can at any time
This type of controlled fear experience takes place in a protective environment, and that is its advantage. Fear is experienced under the watchful eye of the therapist who can at any time direct or close the situation. Horror films could have a similar therapeutic effect: a study published in 2018 showed that if followers of the genre liked to scare themselves, it was in particular to gain a feeling of mastery or control over their fears since the safety of their living room or dark rooms.
This theory appeared in the 1950s with Martin Grotjahn, professor at the University of Southern California medical school and Freudian psychoanalyst; he argues that horror movies are "self-administered therapy for American teenagers." In the 1990s, a case study looked at the use of horror movies in the psychotherapy of a troubled 13-year-old man. "The modern horror film is to the adolescent what fairy tales are to children," the researchers wrote at the time.
A study published this year claims that horror movies are the ideal fear stimulus. The study reveals that a part of the human brain processes the threat of the horror movie as if it were real, which prepares the body to react the same way in a real situation: the heart rate increases, the pupils dilate and blood pressure increases.
It's common to feel a pleasant sensation after a horror movie spurred on by the subsequent feeling of relief, says John Edward Campbel, professor of media studies at Temple University. The double certified psychiatrist Zlatin Ivanov joins him on this point. After watching a horror movie, the brain's ability to calm itself can translate into a neurochemically pleasurable feeling, Ivanov continues, "because the dopamine released in connection with the 'rest and digest' response of the brain generates a feeling of well-being. »
Another possible explanation for the positive effects of horror movies lies in the transference theory of activation popularized by Dolf Zillman, Dean Emeritus and Professor of Information Science, Communication, and Psychology at the University of Alabama. The idea put forward by this theory is as follows: the fear caused by exposure to an intensely frightening stimulus, such as a horror movie, will have the effect of amplifying the positive emotions felt afterwards.
CRY THERAPY? At this point, the effectiveness of horror movies in treating trauma or phobias has yet to be scientifically proven, but many researchers are realizing their potential.
Leela R. Magavi is a psychiatrist and regional medical director for Community Psychiatry based in California. An undisputed fan of horror films, she too has experienced their cathartic effects and says: “Horror films could be used to desensitize individuals prone to phobias and various forms of trauma. »
Clasen of Aarhus University is currently conducting a study with his colleague, Coltan Scrivner, which will assess the clinical potential of horror and question the usefulness of genre media in treating patients with severe psychological trauma. There's also a podcast called "Psychoanalysis: A Horror Therapy Podcast," co-hosted by a board-certified therapist, that explores the connections between horror movies and anxiety.
Sociologist and author of Scream: Chilling Adventures in the Science of Fear, Margee Kerr has conducted research on Voluntary Arousing Negative Experiences (VANE), situations where we willingly experience fear by watching a movie, for example. or walking through a haunted house. In a study published in 2019, Kerr and colleagues showed that the euphoria felt by participants after engaging in these activities "may help cope with later stressors" by inhibiting neurochemical responses to aversive stimuli. “To the extent that this phenomenon is reproduced under clinical conditions, it could be useful for clinical interventions,” she writes.
Kerr is currently working on a grant application that would allow her to study how exposure to these kinds of activities would alter responses to stressors. The idea, she explains, “is that exposure to 'fun-scary' stimuli, with a rewarding aspect, could make the most stressful elements more tolerable. »
As for me, from the start of the pandemic, I immediately turned to horror films. I found a store near my house that sells second-hand DVDs and I tirelessly replay the slasher movies I watched so many in high school. They help me relax after a long week. Once again, I find solace in the darkness of my living room, crying out my fear in safety.
Your upcoming horror movies resource since June 24th 1999. For advertising inquiries or to submit news/information contact us. This site is independently owned and operated. If you like what we do and would like to help in some way click here. A very special thanks. Best viewed on Desktop. Privacy Policy. Bovada bonus codes
The movies that terrify you today could help you deal with fear better tomorrow while alleviating stress and anxiety. It can be better than spending time playing online casino Canada.
My mother died of an overdose when I was seven. For years, death aroused in me an excess of fear and anxiety. I came to believe that I, too, would one day die young; I gave up activities, like riding a bike, simply because they seemed risky to me.
Then, in high school, the video club was my salvation.
With a group of friends, I rented Return to Horror High, a low-budget 1987 slasher movie, and for just under two hours watched through my splayed fingers as a monster tormented and killed one by one. the characters screaming from the comfort of my couch. Afterwards, two emotions invaded me: the pride of having seen the film from start to finish and an immediate feeling of relief tinged with euphoria. It was the best form of catharsis. From that day forward and for decades to come, horror movies became a way for me to deal with tragedies and obstacles, including a divorce and the deaths of other loved ones.
In my eyes, horror films remain an invaluable tool to face these difficult times. This effect is one of the foundations of exposure therapy: confronting our fears in order to overcome them.
Controlled experiences of fear such as watching horror films "can have positive effects on the development of coping strategies," says Mathias Clasen, director of the Recreational Fear Lab and lecturer in literature and media at the University of Aarhus in Denmark. In fact, a recent study of more than 300 people shows that horror movie fans are faring significantly better psychologically than non-followers during this emotionally trying pandemic.
"Perhaps they learn to control their fear and gauge their own emotions by watching horror movies," suggests Clasen, author of the 2017 book Why Horror Seduces. attend the screening of the latest horror film in a therapist's office, focusing on the means that allow us to overcome our fear and the reasons that force the admiration of some for this form of entertainment, research opens a window to new ways to overcome trauma.
ALREADY SEEN
Before addressing trauma and phobia, it is important to understand how our body processes fear. First comes the fight-flight response: either we stay to face what frightens us, or we flee in order to avoid or escape danger. This response is guided by what doctors call the sympathetic nervous system, a network of neurons connecting the spine to the rest of the body. In a situation perceived as dangerous, this system triggers involuntary reactions such as an increase in heart rate and blood pressure or sending extra blood to our muscles in order to prepare us to face the threat.
When we realize the threat is gone or doesn't exist, the parasympathetic system takes over, helping us calm down and promoting the body's “rest and digest” response. This instinctive response notably contributes to the feeling of relief after experiencing a threat and it is precisely this relief that is targeted by researchers through exposure therapy.
The effectiveness of this therapy is widely confirmed by research, especially in the treatment of anxiety disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder, phobias and obsessive-compulsive disorders. The treatment is based on the reprogramming of the cerebral center of fear, the amygdala, through its activation via exposure to the feared situation or object. For example, if the patient has a phobia of spiders, the therapist will lead him to voluntarily interact with spiders either by imagining them, or by actually manipulating them, or by using virtual reality. By repeating the exposure, the fear fades.
This type of controlled fear experience takes place in a protective environment, and that is its advantage. Fear is experienced under the watchful eye of the therapist who can at any time
This type of controlled fear experience takes place in a protective environment, and that is its advantage. Fear is experienced under the watchful eye of the therapist who can at any time direct or close the situation. Horror films could have a similar therapeutic effect: a study published in 2018 showed that if followers of the genre liked to scare themselves, it was in particular to gain a feeling of mastery or control over their fears since the safety of their living room or dark rooms.
This theory appeared in the 1950s with Martin Grotjahn, professor at the University of Southern California medical school and Freudian psychoanalyst; he argues that horror movies are "self-administered therapy for American teenagers." In the 1990s, a case study looked at the use of horror movies in the psychotherapy of a troubled 13-year-old man. "The modern horror film is to the adolescent what fairy tales are to children," the researchers wrote at the time.
A study published this year claims that horror movies are the ideal fear stimulus. The study reveals that a part of the human brain processes the threat of the horror movie as if it were real, which prepares the body to react the same way in a real situation: the heart rate increases, the pupils dilate and blood pressure increases.
It's common to feel a pleasant sensation after a horror movie spurred on by the subsequent feeling of relief, says John Edward Campbel, professor of media studies at Temple University. The double certified psychiatrist Zlatin Ivanov joins him on this point. After watching a horror movie, the brain's ability to calm itself can translate into a neurochemically pleasurable feeling, Ivanov continues, "because the dopamine released in connection with the 'rest and digest' response of the brain generates a feeling of well-being. »
Another possible explanation for the positive effects of horror movies lies in the transference theory of activation popularized by Dolf Zillman, Dean Emeritus and Professor of Information Science, Communication, and Psychology at the University of Alabama. The idea put forward by this theory is as follows: the fear caused by exposure to an intensely frightening stimulus, such as a horror movie, will have the effect of amplifying the positive emotions felt afterwards.
CRY THERAPY?
At this point, the effectiveness of horror movies in treating trauma or phobias has yet to be scientifically proven, but many researchers are realizing their potential.
Leela R. Magavi is a psychiatrist and regional medical director for Community Psychiatry based in California. An undisputed fan of horror films, she too has experienced their cathartic effects and says: “Horror films could be used to desensitize individuals prone to phobias and various forms of trauma. »
Clasen of Aarhus University is currently conducting a study with his colleague, Coltan Scrivner, which will assess the clinical potential of horror and question the usefulness of genre media in treating patients with severe psychological trauma. There's also a podcast called "Psychoanalysis: A Horror Therapy Podcast," co-hosted by a board-certified therapist, that explores the connections between horror movies and anxiety.
Sociologist and author of Scream: Chilling Adventures in the Science of Fear, Margee Kerr has conducted research on Voluntary Arousing Negative Experiences (VANE), situations where we willingly experience fear by watching a movie, for example. or walking through a haunted house. In a study published in 2019, Kerr and colleagues showed that the euphoria felt by participants after engaging in these activities "may help cope with later stressors" by inhibiting neurochemical responses to aversive stimuli. “To the extent that this phenomenon is reproduced under clinical conditions, it could be useful for clinical interventions,” she writes.
Kerr is currently working on a grant application that would allow her to study how exposure to these kinds of activities would alter responses to stressors. The idea, she explains, “is that exposure to 'fun-scary' stimuli, with a rewarding aspect, could make the most stressful elements more tolerable. »
As for me, from the start of the pandemic, I immediately turned to horror films. I found a store near my house that sells second-hand DVDs and I tirelessly replay the slasher movies I watched so many in high school. They help me relax after a long week. Once again, I find solace in the darkness of my living room, crying out my fear in safety.