LF>Help. Can't read/watch (human) films/novels/news

[Tcx]

Hi. I'm unable to read/watch films/movies/novels/news/comics/dramas regarding for human beings.
I can read/watch National Geography channel(for animals)or scientific journals(for my study) and yet my therapist suggested me watch Inside Out(a movie) and I freaked out within 13min.

I feel like these dramas/movies are ghosts and monsters fighting each others and I'm extremely scared of them or even feel embarrassed then angry because of my extra reactions-screaming, jumping on the chair or swiping my pillow and I'm already 23 yo.

This might not belong to the ASD trait since my therapist, who has been in her position for more than 30 years, never heard of it before.

DAE act like this? If so, how do you fix it? It was started from my therapist telling me that NTs can learn from those mentioned and I'm totally lack of it.
Thank you in advance. Hope you have a nice day!
Tcx

 

[Streetwise]

Hi. I'm unable to read/watch films/movies/novels/news/comics/dramas regarding for human beings.
I can read/watch National Geography channel(for animals)or scientific journals(for my study) and yet my therapist suggested me watch Inside Out(a movie) and I freaked out within 13min.

I feel like these dramas/movies are ghosts and monsters fighting each others and I'm extremely scared of them or even feel embarrassed then angry because of my extra reactions-screaming, jumping on the chair or swiping my pillow and I'm already 23 yo.

This might not belong to the ASD trait since my therapist, who has been in her position for more than 30 years, never heard of it before.

DAE act like this? If so, how do you fix it? It was started from my therapist telling me that NTs can learn from those mentioned and I'm totally lack of it.
Thank you in advance. Hope you have a nice day!
Tcx

I’m only like that when my panic disorder is really, really bad and I even can’t watch animals that are fighting, all I can watch is seed and fruit eating birds, Can’t watch birds that predate,it wears off eventually !!!!!!!!!!!! ,you survive the nightmare, I still have panic disorder ,keep talking to people ,write it down on paper ,get it out !,it’s damaging if you keep it in ,sometimes I draw pictures, if I can’t write in English .

 

[Pats]

Sounds like your therapist is using the desensitization thing. But I don't think it works as well for ASD as it does for NT's, because constant exposure to things that stress us out doesn't always make it easier to deal with those things without being stressed out. Therapists that work with people with autism usually know they have to use a different approach.
If you feel it would be beneficial, say for social reasons, to get used to these things - I might suggest doing something that calms you at the same time and focus more on that thing.

 

[Misery]

Okay, question:

When you're watching something, what SPECIFICALLY makes it seem scary to you? Can you give an example? Better yet, can you SHOW an example? Like via Youtube or something.

And how long does it take for said thing to produce this negative reaction? Could you watch a short video and get through it? For instance one of those really short films that frequently appears on Youtube, the sort that are only 5-6 minutes long.

If you watch something animated instead of live-action, what happens?

And what sorts of genres are you watching?

Now, that aside, it's not THAT unusual to have reactions to stuff you're watching. There's an entire site dedicated towards pointing out things that might be in movies/TV shows/web series/whatever that people might have negative reactions to. Some of these things are super common (like seeing dogs die in movies, LOTS of people cant watch that) and others are very.... odd.

Now when it comes to specifically freaking out due to watching people in shows or whatever.... hm, that's a new one to me. The closest I've come to that is seeing like, really awkward/uncomfortable moments between characters... sometimes I just have to skip part of the video.

 

[Rectify]

I note that Inside Out is animated. I'm not into animated shows that much - would it be better or worse if there were real actors in it? For you, I mean?

Now, that aside, it's not THAT unusual to have reactions to stuff you're watching. There's an entire site dedicated towards pointing out things that might be in movies/TV shows/web series/whatever that people might have negative reactions to. Some of these things are super common (like seeing dogs die in movies, LOTS of people cant watch that) and others are very.... odd.

Do you mean Commonsense Media?

 

[Misery]

I note that Inside Out is animated. I'm not into animated shows that much - would it be better or worse if there were real actors in it? For you, I mean?


Do you mean Commonsense Media?

No, I've never heard of that.

 

[Rectify]

No, I've never heard of that.

It's more for parents, to help them decide what their children should be watching at what age. It was incredibly helpful for me as I raised my kids.
The site you mentioned to the poster might help them. Perhaps you could post it's name and a link?

 

[Tcx]

Okay, question:

When you're watching something, what SPECIFICALLY makes it seem scary to you? Can you give an example? Better yet, can you SHOW an example? Like via Youtube or something.

And how long does it take for said thing to produce this negative reaction? Could you watch a short video and get through it? For instance one of those really short films that frequently appears on Youtube, the sort that are only 5-6 minutes long.

If you watch something animated instead of live-action, what happens?

And what sorts of genres are you watching?

Now, that aside, it's not THAT unusual to have reactions to stuff you're watching. There's an entire site dedicated towards pointing out things that might be in movies/TV shows/web series/whatever that people might have negative reactions to. Some of these things are super common (like seeing dogs die in movies, LOTS of people cant watch that) and others are very.... odd.

Now when it comes to specifically freaking out due to watching people in shows or whatever.... hm, that's a new one to me. The closest I've come to that is seeing like, really awkward/uncomfortable moments between characters... sometimes I just have to skip part of the video.

Hi!
1. scary: I need to stare at people all the time. I feel like they enter my brain killing me and provide too much information that I dislike it.
2. example: Inside out. I actually started getting anxious within 3-5min. That's why my therapist told me to watch 5min of it then take a break for 1 hour.
Another example: Toy story 4. I went to movie theater and took Xanax in advance. At the end of the movie I just wanted to kill every character because they are too loud and my brain went blank.
Another example: I tried watching youtube channel teaching people Japanese. I can't remember the exact time but it was below 10min. Same reaction plus I feel like the human turns into a mess of vigor and I can't stand that.

3. I scarcely watch any genres. If needed, it'll be animated. That's why my therapist recommended me to watch Inside Out. Real human films/movies make it worse but I can take online courses pretty well which are humans too.

4. It seems that it's not that case. When I was in the theater, I had no reaction when people laughed or inhaled or cried. It just felt weird. General conversation sounded awkward and embarrassed or contained too much information.

 

[Misery]

It's more for parents, to help them decide what their children should be watching at what age. It was incredibly helpful for me as I raised my kids.
The site you mentioned to the poster might help them. Perhaps you could post it's name and a link?

The site is: doesthedogdie.com

It's not just about dogs (though that's definitely a big one for many people... heck I cant handle that whatsoever)... it lists all sorts of things that might cause anxiety or might trigger a bad reaction in someone. Just search out a movie/show/whatever, and you can see a list of the potential problems that might be in there. Just be aware, there are often spoilers in there, but that's the nature of a list like that.

 

[Rectify]

The site is: doesthedogdie.com

It's not just about dogs (though that's definitely a big one for many people... heck I cant handle that whatsoever)... it lists all sorts of things that might cause anxiety or might trigger a bad reaction in someone. Just search out a movie/show/whatever, and you can see a list of the potential problems that might be in there. Just be aware, there are often spoilers in there, but that's the nature of a list like that.

I probably don't 'need' it (at this stage) but that's a really interesting site and will be useful for some people. I have quite a few things I call 'phobic' but really they aren't quite so far as to be true phobic. I can still watch shows that contain them but I do freak out and have to turn away when those particular parts came on. When things happen to people's teeth is one of them - I've seen it on The Walking Dead, for one. I just saw the list on that website and sure enough there was The Walking Dead listed. So, that's pretty cool, I think.