A lot of feedback from our unwanted thoughts post was from young people scared half to death from watching scary movies.
So here’s some specifics for that particular problem. This was the actual list I sent a young girl so scared she slept with a bible.
I’ve kept this post very short to get to the solutions straight away…
Know this:
- You’re not alone — most people freak out after watching scary movies, even adults.
- YOU ARE SAFE. You aren’t in any more danger now than you were before… it’s just a movie.
- You won’t feel scared for long. It will soon pass.
- Scary movies are made to scare you, that’s their job.
- Part of your mind can’t tell the difference between a movie and real life. It’s THIS part that freaks out, but YOU know… it’s just a movie. Because of this, it’s best to be careful what you feed your mind — what you watch, think and imagine!
Do this:
- Do some exercise: You are in a “fight or flight” state so act it out — dance or run about, jog on the spot, do star jumps, skip, have a pillow fight, do some shadow boxing or press ups… whatever.
- Watch “behind the scenes” videos to take the realness out of the movie, so you see clearly; “It’s just a movie.”
- Do what you can to feel safe: Be with people. Get lots of hugs from your parents, friends, even a pet or a big cuddly toy. Use a night-light.
- Keep your mind distracted: Watch comedy, get absorbed in a good book, listen to relaxing music, anything you can to distract your mind. Each time a thought comes up, remind yourself “It’s just a movie” and distract.
- To help you sleep, play the famous lullaby tune by Brahms below. Relaxing soundtracks like waves crashing on the beach would also be very good. Then when it’s time to sleep, use this relaxation technique: Put all your attention into your feet, feel your feet tingling and relax them, then move through every part of your body doing the same thing until you fall asleep.
“I want to say that a while ago I saw this article, it was the night after I saw a scary movie. I haven’t really thought about it since like, 3 months ago! This really helps!”— Katie, USA
FAQ
Q PLEASE HELP ME!!!
A If you follow all the tips in the article as best you can, that’s the fastest way to get back to normal. It’s all there, everything you need to know and do. Please leave a comment below if you’re having trouble following the advice.
Q Why am I sooooo scared just from watching a movie?
A Your mind reacts instinctively to perceived danger and changes your physical and mental state in order to deal with the danger — the “fight or flight” state. We evolved in nature where danger was real, like lions, and your brain still works that way. More about this →
Q Why am I hearing noises in my house after watching scary movies?
A If your mind thinks “danger,” your body changes to a “fight or flight” state. One of these changes is that you notice sounds that you normally wouldn’t notice. Your house always makes these sounds but you normally filter them out.
Q Why are my friends better at watching scary movies than I am?
A We’re all different. If you were to measure fear reaction in you and all your friends, you would get what is called a “normal distribution.” Most people would be somewhere in the middle, a few would not be affected at all and a few would have an over-reaction. There’s lots of reasons why you react like you do… genetics, previous experiences, beliefs, sensitivity etc. Everyone is different.
Q If my friends are watching a scary movie, I have to go along or I will be left out. What should I do?
A Go along if you want to, but don’t get sucked into it. Keep moving your attention away and back, away and back… like… look at objects in the room, notice the objects in the background of the movie rather than on the action, look to see how your friends freak out at the really scary bits :-) And you can keep remembering “that’s just a guy wearing make-up,” “just back a bit is the camera crew and director.” All sort of tricks like this to “keep it real.”
If the music builds up and you know there’s a scare coming, close your eyes or hide behind a pillow! Lots of people do it and the rest will be too absorbed to see what you’re doing.
A few fluttery moments of thrill are what you want from a movie. Losing sleep over it means it wasn’t worth it.
You could take your own DVDs to sleepovers, and see if a great comedy can tempt people away from horror. If you know in advance it’s going to be a horror marathon, you could just skip the event. Your friends won’t ditch you over one blow-off, and you get to spend time with them you actually enjoy.
If you’re REALLY sensitive and know you can’t handle it, then just say “No thanks.”
Q Why can’t I sleep after watching a scary movie?
A As you settle down to sleep, there are no distractions for your mind, it’s just you and your thoughts. It seems as though you are looking at your thoughts through a big magnifying glass.
Whatever you fear, you will be reminded of — it’s just a primitive part of your mind protecting you against what you saw as danger. If you react with anxiety to your thoughts, your body makes adrenaline as part of the “fight or flight” reaction. This will keep you awake and stop you sleeping. Then a vicious cycle of more thinking, more anxiety and so on.
To prevent this happening, you need another focus and to stay relaxed. To do this, play the famous lullaby tune as soon as you get into bed. Put your attention on the music. This will give your mind something to focus on and the calming effect of the music will help you relax. When it’s time to sleep, use the relaxation technique (tip 5) to keep your mind off scary thoughts.
If you wake in the night, remember, “it’s just a movie, no real danger” and then immediately use the relaxation technique again until you go back to sleep.
Q What about movies that are based on true stories?
A Saying a movie is based on actual events is just a way to get you more scared. An unusual event is often used to make unquestioned false assumptions, distorted, and then built upon further to end up with a story that has zero truth in it. In short, you can safely assume that no scary movie is true. It’s just a silly movie.
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Michael Kinnaird is the author of Happy Guide, the result of a 20 year exploration into what works for health and happiness.
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Happy Guide 
Wasn’t she incredible? None of our religious phonies now could live her life. Nor could I, for that matter.
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I also recommend this website to recharge yourself. It’s about a very remarkable woman, Peace Pilgrim. Just listen to her story and teaching and you will feel better.
http://www.peacepilgrim.org/index2.htm
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Peace Pilgrim is inspirational, thank you :-) ~ Mike
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I had a very similar problem with certain horror movies and other imagery. The images would rise up into my conscious mind without any warning and cause a stab of fear through my stomach along with a feeling of unreality. What helped me was a technique called “thought stopping”. You can Google it for more details but it consists of internally yelling at the unwanted thought “STOP!” The more emotion and intent you can muster the better. This has the effect of re-setting your mind and clearing out all current thoughts. If you consistently do this each time the unwanted thought occurs you will notice a lessening of occurrence. This will dis-empower the thought/image. I also use different stopping words…it can be anything you want, “Rubbish!” will work. Just have the strong intent to reset your mind. This has worked wonderfully for me.
Thor and Frey Bless you all…..Rodulf
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Thanks Rodulf. I agree with you. This technique is useful to clear. I find “DAH” very good :-) It’s a stopping sound like you would say to a child who’s just about to do something silly or dangerous, or perhaps they are going to do something you said not to. “DAH” or “Ah, ah, ah” works well for stopping/clearly/drowning/blocking thoughts. Thanks. Labeling as garbage/rubbish also helps gradually clear the unconscious process. ~ Mike
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And don’t forget shhhhhhhh :-) It’s all good, anything that interrupts that thought flow.
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Oh wow!! I forgot about shhhh!!! Shhhhh is awesome! Thanks James :-)
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Ok i know this is a lot of writing but please read it…
I am realy paranoid. it all started when i watched a spoof of this messed up movie (the human centipede) i didnt know that it was an actual movie i just thoght it was a spoof and even that scared me a bit but i forgot about it for a wile. it was all going greaT UNTIL i was in an english lesson and i heard some guys talkin bout it and it scared the pants of me i was cryin in the lesson after and i got scared that i would happen to my mum and dad. i got home and i asked my dad 2 watch it coz he is good at watchin scary stuff. He said it was rubbish and that it was just a bit wierd. Again i got over it for a while but after about a month i started thinking about it and i got scared that i was becoming messed up. I ASKED MY DAD WHAT THE FILM WAS LIKE and he didnt mean to but he scared me again. the next night we were driving home from a drama vclub and i had a massive panic attack i was totaly freakin out and i was shakking. I was thinkin about what happens AFTER U DIE AND STUFF. The next morning i didnt feel any better. i wished i had never heard of the stupid movie. Then i had a sickening thoght!
I was afrand id that i had gone into another dimension were everything was the same exept i hadnt heard of the movie. And im not kidding i genuinly belived it. I was afrid to hug my parents and im scared of centipedes. I keep feeling good for tiny little bits of time but i get all creeped oiuit every hour or so. I have been trying to take my mind off it but im scared that the whole world is planning a conspiracy against me and trying to brainwash me or something i know it sounds stupid but it has been bothering me for more than a month and i dont know what to do ive been 2 a doctor and a counciler but its not working. Im also havin other thoghts like what happens after death and stuff. Im starting to get people making fun of me coz im scared. I know thaT OTHER peaple have simalar thoghts but im only 12 and i dont know if its healthy for me to be thinkin this stuff. please help
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Hi Seamus,
It’s certainly not healthy to be thinking this stuff. You KNOW all this human centipede stuff is just sick rubbish don’t you? Honestly you know it. I’m sorry you were exposed to it but there is no point prolonging your exposure by revisiting it mentally every hour or so.
The good news is that it is coming up infrequently — every hour or so.
Begin by simply seeing that it is sick rubbish and therefore has zero value to you. Trust me this sick stuff has NO meaning or purpose whatsoever so you can safely forget about it. So then… make a decision to not pay any more attention or give it any more importance.
When it comes, label it as “garbage” and then quickly and calmly pay attention to something else.
By keep reacting to arising fears with a “don’t care” attitude, you tell your mind that there is no more danger, it’s over.
So there are two important things… 1. your attitude, 2. your attention.
See this as garbage and then give no importance and no attention whenever you have a thought about it. Keep doing this every single time it comes and then the frequency and intensity of these thoughts will die away and soon enough, you will forget all about it (the thoughts will stop coming).
What comes up in our minds depends on how we react to events and ideas. If you react with indifference, not caring, the thoughts stop coming.
~ Mike
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