IVE NEVER HEARD ANYONE WITH ANXIETY SAY THAT THEY WERE SCARED OF WATCHING MOVIES, BUT I AM... I DONT NO WHY OR WHERE IT CAME FROM. AND ITS NOT ALL MOVIES ITS LIKE SCARY MOVIES AND WEIRD MOVIES. THE FIRST TIME I EVER HAD A PANIK ATTACK AND HAD NO IDEA WHAT IT WAS I WOKE MY HUSBAND UP AND MADE HIM COME DOWN STAIRS WITH ME AND HE TURNED THE T.V. ON AND I REMEMBER YELLING SAYING DONT TURN ON ANYTHING SCRY. ITS REALLY WEIRD, CAUSE I USE TO LOVE MOVIES LIKE THAT. BUT I THINK ITS JUST FEAR THAT I WILL SEE SOMETHING THAT WILLL GIVE ME A PANIK ATTACK OR SOMETHING... I DONT NO... IS THIS A PROB. WITH ANYONE ELSE???/ I FEEL SO STUPID IM AN ADULT AND CANT EVEN ALWAYS SIT THROUGH A MOVIE.PLEASE GIVE ME YOUR INPUT,THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND GOD BLESS U ALL!

HI. This is the first time I have posted, even though I have been reading for awhile. I also have this phobia! I just can't bear to watch (or do, for that matter) anything that I think will give me an anxiety/panic attack. I used to love these kinds of movies also, but I just don't want to see anything "wierd". I don't even want to think about it! I have another weird phobia, which is ridiculous, but it seems to be stuck!!!

I have no advice about getting rid of these, but just know you're not alone. I think I could reply to every single symptom I have read on this board!

WOW! I FEEL BETTER NOW! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING. IT HELPS SO MUCH TO NO THAT YOUR NOT THE ONLY ONE. MY HUSBAND IS A MOVIE FREAK TO, SO THAT DOESNT HELP. A FEW WEEKS AGO HE MADE ME WATCH THIS MOVIE WITH HIM, I FORGET WHAT IT WAS CALLED BUT IT WAS ABOUT All these jailmates and theere was a guy in jail that was litterly crazzy, it was so hard for me to watch i had a killer panik attack and thoguth i would go crazzy and loose it from watching it... i really hate anxiety. anybody else that goes through this or has any advice please reply. thank you

I had this problem for almost a year I could not watch tv every time I watch I get anxiety.. Its probably because all of negative and images on the TV create negatives thoughts in your head and sure it will develop your anxiety. Now I have no problem watching TV... But I am try to control what I watch... I have no problem watch Disney channel.. ALso, especially with hurrican Katrina it became too much for me and it makes me anxiety so I avoid watch it...

I dont think your phobia is werid just that you might need to work on thoughts and not let TV influence you...

i have only just started watching tv again these last few months, and before that i would only watch safe stuff like sitcoms. i now can watch the news with my man, but it does bother me still. i just do it and try not to let it get to me. Peace and Blessings.

YES!!! I can't watch scary movies anymore, or anything weird for that matter. My daughter and I like to watch Survivor and even that gets me going sometimes. I think it's because I couldn't imagine being stuck on an island somewhere and having a panic attack and no where to go! But I have to remember, I'm not on there and never will be and those people obviously like being there so what am I so afraid of! But YES, thank you guys for bringing this up........I can't go to the show without some major sympoms either. Remember, we are not alone! God bless.
M.

Yup, the news was disasterous for me. I didn't watch anything for a while - even the sitcoms would have messages that I wasn't able to digest. I still have to be careful about what I watch because I really don't tolerate violence or shows where there is a lot of arguing.

When I had extreme anxiety and panic 3 or 4 years ago, I'd have the same fear. For me it wasn't as much violence as psychological thrillers. I remember going to see Vanilla Sky (one of those "you see me but I'm really dead" movies), and I had panic attacks for months since then, wondering if I too might be dead and other original thoughts like these. That, eventually, made me fear I had schitzophrenia, and despite my therapist's multiple reassurances, I was unwilling to believe that everything was fine. But then, I got better, and these problems kinda disappeared. I still don't really watch these movies, but I never enjoyed watching them in the first place. At the same time, I know that if I go with friends to see a psychological thriller, I will be just fine. Something you might want to try is, when you're feeling really scary or panicky, just close your eyes for a minute and say to yourself, "this is just a movie, and it's not going to hurt me in any way."
Good luck!

hi!!
i wanted to reassure you that you are not alone! if you go back to 9/24 on this forum you will see a post from me called "scary thoughts".....i am describing the exact same feelings you are. i cannot tell you how happy i am that you posted this.....if you notice i had 0 responses to mine....made me feel even more odd. there is nothing like knowing you are not the only one experiencing these thoughts that make you question yourself & scare you like crazy!!
thanks again & remember THIS IS NOT FOREVER

I had always enjoyed watching scary movies until I had my first panic attack, 6 years ago, and ever since then I have been struggling with anxiety. I was invited over to my cousins house one night to watch House of 1000 Corpses, and out of the blue all of these scary thoughts started to creep into my head, and I felt as if I was going to lose control, go crazy, and act like the pshyo in the movie. I know that I will not go crazy, but it is still hard to put myself through those feeling, so therefore I dont watch scary movies or anything scary on tv. Sometimes it is even hard for me to watch the news because the real world is scary too. I wish that I could get over this fear, but I am not sure that I will.

Hey, you're not alone. I used to watch scary movies a lot as a child. But they would stay with me for a long time after. I realized once I grew up a little that scary/weird movies are not for me. I'm much too sensitive to watch them. I always end up on the verge of an anxiety attack either during or after the movies..or I just keep thinking about it and I freak myself out and think someone is following me trying to kill me or something! Craaazy. So I stick to light romantic comedies, and just funny movies in general. It's not weird for people with anxiety to not like scary movies. We're just very sensitive.

Hi,

It all makes perfect sense to me that some would have this phobia. Avoiding watching something where you feel out of control or that triggers your "fight or flight" response or just makes you feel "weird" or "depersonalized" in the escape, etc., just makes perfect sense to me, and isn't weird. People with anxiety are in a constant vigilant state and want total control, and any hint of being out of control is threatening and triggers fear that they will lose control.

I've avoided most scary movies for years(especially the gory ones), or anything that just makes me uncomfortable with bizarre content regarding reality(like Vanilla Sky) or that goes against my religious beliefs. I messed up and watched a recent Nicholas Cage movie because I didn't know it was about the end of the world(I thought it was about stopping the end of the world), but because of skills I've learned in this program and my stronger faith, I was able to cope with it easier and talk myself out of anxiety than I would have been had I not done this program.

The point of watching movies is enjoyment and escape, and even in this program, Lucinda talks about avoiding a movie with friends where she knew she would obsess and have a negative reaction. In other words, this probably isn't something to force yourself to do, especially if the point is to enjoy it. On the other hand, I went to the movie theater for the first time in 7 years this summer on two dates with my husband. It was to see the new Star Trek, and the Terminator movies that I knew I would enjoy. I focused on the joy and excitement. To me, that was worth it, but I wouldn't have forced myself to watch something scary that I wouldn't enjoy even if I used to enjoy it.

I know people who don't like to listen to music because they are so controlling, and they can't handle anything that stirs their emotions or makes them feel out of control so just to let you know that some people even avoid something else that could be enjoyable. It all makes sense, but I just want to assure you that as you go through this program, you will learn to focus on the joy of activities that you may be avoiding because they make you "feel" at all because at this point it's hard to see the difference between excitement and nervousness. This program will teach you the difference, and you'll have better boundaries when choosing what to watch on television and knowing that you are in control and can enjoy certain escapes when desired.

Take care,
luvpiggy

Maybe for your recovery start renting some Disney movies. But you know what, I kinda don't blame you, even movies approved for children have scary elements. It's pretty sad. I don't blame you for having anxiety about movies, even mild ones. They aren't all what they are cracked up to be.

We are very sensitive indeed. I've been at this for years and I still only watch certain things. If my husband is watching something that bothers me I ask him to change it or go watch it in the other room. It's worth it to me to speak up for myself. I recently watched a movie that I really, really like but woke in the night and that's all I could think about. The anxiety I had over this movie passed. (I always ask for more anxiety to help me let it go.)

I'd like to add that music affects our sensitive nature as well. Some days I can handle rocking out to country and western which I thoroughly enjoy but somedays I can't stand the beat and go toward ocean sounds or other sounds of nature or soft piano.

So it's understanding that this is our sensitive nature. It's how we are put together. Honor that. It's OK.

i also have this problem. i can only watch comedy.i think for me heath shows are the worst even commercials give me trouble.all the ones about heart attacks cant stand those