How do you get rid of being fascinated by death, violence and gory things?

[Shadowrider]

I dare to assume I am not the only one here.

I try to collect some near-life experiences and get some positive impulses - but I always end up surfing the net reading about brutal things.
Death, tragic accidents, violent crimes, executions, horrible diseases, and the exciting details of the funeral industry - exhumations, cremation, alternatives to cremation... you name it.

I know death and the gory things are a natural part of life too, they will not cease to exist just because we don't talk about them. I know it's actually a good thing to break certain taboos.
But I am getting tired of this fascination.

Yes I know, toxic positivity is equally bad, yes I know the "positive vibes only" people suffer very badly deep inside (even if they are in denial about it), but I see being so maniac about these brutal things is not healthy at all.
Having something brutal in my mind - or in my browsing history - to think about adds up to my already existing depression and negativity.

I would like to tone it down a little bit.
How should I force myself to learn about less gory and less depressive things? I understand this leads to nothing but even more depression. I see escaping into a fluffy romantic fairy-tale fantasy world would not magically solve my problems, but I would fancy getting a more bearable picture of reality.

Anyone else?

Have you got any ideas on how to develop and maintain some healthier interests?

 

[Ender]

No, you are the only one. I fantasize about death and violence a good chunk of my days. I don't know what could help really. I suggest to try finding one positive thing to look or immersive yourself too, and keep getting into and distracted into that. Then you could start looking into more. My suggestion was probably terrible. I'm not great at helping, I can't even help myself. though...

 

[Grav]

I'm not a gore fan but I do listen/watch a lot of true crime and after a while I get "full" and move on to other stuff. I usually switch to reading or listening to music more instead of podcasts.

 

[timf]

There can be a degree of stimulation derived from contemplation of the taboo, forbidden, or extreme. However, over time this sort of stimulation fails to yield the same degree of satisfaction and can lead people into more frequent, deeper, and darker realms.

There are two ways to turn this direction around. The first is to allow yourself to see what is dark for what it truly is. For example seeing dark stimulation as similar to drug usage can help reduce the attraction. Considering what would be represented if the stimulation was real could also help one see that which would be hurtful or cruel.

The second way is to address what is lacking that is positive. For example, finding a way to actively show kindness to another can be a way to cultivate stimulation and satisfaction that fills the soul instead of depleting it.

 

[Fehler]

I had my time for the fascination for gore...especially when I was young and when I discovered the internet. At the age of 13, a friend showed me a page of that style and I had my time to go looking a little every day. One day, I came across a video where they executed a boy, more or less my age. It is not that I was traumatized by it but his requests for mercy left me touched, since then my morbidity for the gore was going down.

Would I advise you that when you have the need, you change it for another that is related to a hobby? Or a page that uploads news on a topic that you like? I at least ended up losing interest even though I was tentative to go back a few months ago.
Even so, sometimes I imagine violent things, but I think that is more common than you think, what we are more open about the subject here.

 

[wordsonscreen]

What about channeling it into art?
Do not turn parts of you into your enemy. All your emotions exist for a reason. Something feeds them so explore that. Where does this come from? What does it want? Explore :)

 

[Nicothe13th]

I used to draw insanely graphic cartoons when I was a kid, would make noises and shit whilst drawing pretty fucked up but was great fun.

And ngl, the shit looked awesome!

Started making these gory maze things with mates too, had a whole folder full of them.

☠

 

[Mentalmick]

This kind of stuff can be fascinating.

 

[Computer Blue]

I think because sometimes we get addicted to negative emotions. Have you tried watching things that are positive? You may be able to replace the negative emotion addiction with a positive emotion addiction.

 

[UseItOrLoseIt]

Never been a fan of gore. But I was always facinated with violence, more specifically with the impulse for violence. Serial killers and mass murderers in particular. But it was less about the act itself, and more about everything that preceded it. It fascinated me from a psychological perspective.

I don't binge watch serial killer docs any more only because I've already watched them all . But I still jump at the opportunity every time Netflix puts out a new one.

 

[BeansOfRequirement]

Replace it with something else. Maybe taking walks?

If I was your therapist I'd get a big payout for saying that

 

[Mentalmick]

Replace it with something else. Maybe taking walks?

If I was your therapist I'd get a big payout for saying that

Have you tried your coping strategies? Would get you an even bigger payout.

 

[WornOutLife]

Not interested in gore stuff but I'm really fascinated by death, life and the universe. Just what hell happens once we die? How can something come from nothing? WTF is the universe? Will Elon Musk take "us" to Mars soon?

Okay, I'm going off-topic here lol. I just love this stuff.

 

[saltshaker]

Will Elon Musk take "us" to Mars soon?

Yes, Elon, Grimes, Joe Rogan and the other celebrities will fly off to their new martian home, we'll be left here to burn.

 

[Someonewhotypes]

just an idea, but maybe using some app to block the sites will remind you why it's not a good idea to go on those sites anymore.
I also watch some stuff (crime stories, illness stories) that make me regret it afterwards. Maybe we're too curious.
But maybe it works by blocking the sites you find those kinda stuff most often, or just when you get the urge to look up those things, maybe you can turn off your devices and focus on something physical like cleaning or grabbing a physical good book (hopefully positive one) so you don't surf the internet for those anymore.

 

[Life_and_Death]

Get away from it? I feel a lot better away from everything.

I'd go into it more as to what I mean but don't feel like possibly dealing with being bombarded by stupidity

 

[signifying nothing]

Maybe try to experience some real gore first hand - go outside and find some roadkill perhaps?

 

[Mara09]

I also used to watch gore as a means to numb myself emotionally and it often easily took up my entire day, so I kinda get how you feel.

I can only say what helped me personally and that was finding something to obsess over, though that might not work for everyone (it does for me since I've always used obsessing over things like anime or video games as coping mechanism).

Actually maybe you should give video games a try if you're interested, a lot of them are really addictive and sure to take your mind away from such things

 

[Mentalmick]

I also used to watch gore as a means to numb myself emotionally and it often easily took up my entire day, so I kinda get how you feel.

I can only say what helped me personally and that was finding something to obsess over, though that might now work for everyone (it does for me since I've always used obsessing over things like anime or video games as coping mechanism).

Actually maybe you should give video games a try if you're interested, a lot of them are really addictive and sure to take your mind away from such things

For sure. I would stay away from MK11 however. Some fucked up fatalities in that game.

 

[WhatDoesTheFoxSay?]

I have a penchant for violence. I started playing video games at an early age, and was most often drawn to those with violence and gore. For me, video games provide a medium to not only vent my anger and frustration, but also to experiment and evaluate the consequences of my actions. Performing reprehensible acts, reaping huge profits from nefarious schemes, seeing enemies get decapitated, dismembered and disembowelled—all of which I would otherwise be unable to do in real-life. As a child I also contemplated about death, dying and the afterlife. I was morbidly fascinated with cemeteries and crematoria, and read the obituaries, picking up Bible verses from them.

I see escaping into a fluffy romantic fairy-tale fantasy world would not magically solve my problems, but I would fancy getting a more bearable picture of reality.

I couldn't agree more with you. The more drastic the change (to my lifestyle), the more likely it is to backfire, so the cold turkey solution will not work. What works for me is watching animal rescue videos. Even as a self-confessed misanthrope, they prove to me that there is still good in humanity.

 

[Nexey]

Good news, your fascination with death, violence, and all of those other macabre subjects will naturally decrease as you become less depressed. Bad news, being into "true crime" and gore porn is becoming increasingly re-normalized in our deeply sick culture.

Being into fictional horror is relatively fine, at least from a moral standpoint. Glorifying actual violence isn't, which is exactly what these "true crime" podcasts and shows do. My advice? Realize that putting up serial killers as ~interesting subjects~ to psychoanalyze and gawk at is not the kind of hobby you should be giving any sort of direct or indirect support to. This healthier view on violence and those who commit it should slowly leak into other facets in your life, and before you know it, that sort of thing won't be as interesting.

Bear in mind that having a fascination with death in and of itself isn't necessarily bad... As a matter of fact, I think most people are like that to a certain extent. It's more about controlling how much you expose yourself to it. Trying to get rid of that interest altogether isn't practical.

 

[us_1999]

Oh the idea of death is so attractive when I fantasies it. But it becomes terribly empty and beats me dumb when I think about acting it out...
You might read some literature about death, violence and gory things, and see how these writers deal with their fantasies and make use of them? (Allen Poe for example)

 

[aneurysm]

I used to be morbidly curious but I wholeheartedly regret it.

I'd hand out on websites like hoodsite, ync, gore etc. Then, one days I say a video of men tying a naked woman, in a cave, and then... maggots.

maggots.
eating.
her. v.a.g.i.n.a.

maggots eating her vagina.
(and her ass, while she was aware and conscious).

The memory still haunts me to this day, and I developed some sort of PTSD from the experience.

anyway, these videos are useful for educational purpose, but you shouldn't allow your mind to be entertained by it. You should not allow yourself to become desensitized by those things. People who perpetuate those horrors should be nuked.

 

[RottenDeer]

I sadly can't even offer some advice on this one. I am a lover of all things morbid since I'm a child. I don't even think it has something to do with my mental health issues.

 

[Makko]

I used to enjoy it. Real violence looks nothing like the movies. It's a lot less dramatic and a lot more vulgar. I appreciated the many ways to destroy a human body and I like the way it decays. But then the novelty wore off and I got bored, like with everything else. It's not special.

Necromancy and undead is one of my favorite dream subjects though.

 

[Mentalmick]

Necromancy and undead is one of my favorite dream subjects though.

Is that right? I think you have to join a guild or something because the last time I tried summoning the dead (yesterday) the only thing that got summoned was the cops and they chased me out of the graveyard. I'm pretty pissed because I had to leave all my stuff behind and it takes ages to gather up that crap. Another fucking day ruined.

 

[Makko]

Is that right? I think you have to join a guild or something because the last time I tried summoning the dead (yesterday) the only thing that got summoned was the cops and they chased me out of the graveyard. I'm pretty pissed because I had to leave all my stuff behind and it takes ages to gather up that crap. Another fucking day ruined.

You need to up your game and use a hand of glory for your graveyard visits. It gives light only to the holder.

Hand of Glory - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Mentalmick]

You need to up your game and use a hand of glory for your graveyard visits. It gives light only to the holder.

Hand of Glory - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Interesting. I'll see if Argos sells them.