A strange numb state after watching some TV Series/movie

ikonox · Aug 9, 2014

hi everyone!
it might feel a little weird, but i wanted to ask everyone if it is normal!

after watching some movie or tv series (not everyone, just the one that touches me) i feel caught up in the moment! i feel this strange sadness wrapped around me and takes me days to get over it!
it is related with music in my opinion!
e.g after finishing my most recent anime Avatar: the last air bender! i cant get Zuko out of my mind, background music esp of Azula vs Zuko last agni kai! :/

it happened with me after watching many other movies too! just curious what is it?

bobama · Aug 9, 2014

Happens to me all the time. Maybe it's because you're human and are capable of feeling a wide range of different emotions triggered by external stimuli which profoundly affect you? Just a guess

IzHee · Aug 9, 2014

I think it's called hangover or something.

You just can't get out of the world of the game/movie you've played or watch.

It happens to me alot of time.

ikonox · Aug 9, 2014

bobama said:
Happens to me all the time. Maybe it's because you're human and are capable of feeling a wide range of different emotions triggered by external stimuli which profoundly affect you? Just a guess

yea probably! I never knew I am this much emotional, untill I just noticed myself today! :/

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IzHee said:
I think it's called hangover or something.

You just can't get out of the world of the game/movie you've played or watch.

It happens to me alot of time.

seriously! i cant explain how relieved i am to know that others feel it too!

i was kind of worried!

NaNoW · Aug 9, 2014

ikonox said:
hi everyone!
it might feel a little weird, but i wanted to ask everyone if it is normal!

after watching some movie or tv series (not everyone, just the one that touches me) i feel caught up in the moment! i feel this strange sadness wrapped around me and takes me days to get over it!
it is related with music in my opinion!
e.g after finishing my most recent anime Avatar: the last air bender! i cant get Zuko out of my mind, background music esp of Azula vs Zuko last agni kai! :/

it happened with me after watching many other movies too! just curious what is it?

the withdrawal window..I think everyone feels it. I think it happens because you are emotionally so invested in the Story (be it game, movie, book, etc), that when it finishes, it leaves a gap or empty space in your mind. And in that 'gap', you long for the that emotional connection that just suddenly disappeared.

In case of The Last of Us and House M.D, The I.T crowd (and alot of books) I felt absolutely shaken and distorted for days.

abobobilly · Aug 9, 2014

I think its perfectly normal. Happens to me all the time after playing almost every game. With some games its much stronger. (For example, getting obsessed with a game's music or something).

But thats not what matters. What matters is, your control. Whether or not you are able to get out of such situations yourself. If you are young, like 15-16, then its gonna be nearly impossible for you to shake this feeling off. Once you get past your 22-25th year ... you will easily shake this off, while still being able to feel the same level of emotions/likeness you could, back in your teen age.

Hassan · Aug 9, 2014

Its perfectly normal, happens with me whenever i finish any awesome game.

AlienX · Aug 9, 2014

ikonox said:
hi everyone!
it might feel a little weird, but i wanted to ask everyone if it is normal!

after watching some movie or tv series (not everyone, just the one that touches me) i feel caught up in the moment! i feel this strange sadness wrapped around me and takes me days to get over it!
it is related with music in my opinion!
e.g after finishing my most recent anime Avatar: the last air bender! i cant get Zuko out of my mind, background music esp of Azula vs Zuko last agni kai! :/

it happened with me after watching many other movies too! just curious what is it?

I call this a passive meditation. I haven't seen the last airbender series for like 2 years but still remember every moment of it.

It happens because you focus on the moment, your mind filter's out the rest of the world.

The flip side of this focus is emotions. For quite a while I couldn't figure out why some movies make you sad while some leave you with a feeling of fresh air. There are emotional triggers in movies. Your mind is used to process images but cannot differentiate between reality and fiction. Sometimes there are so many subtle emotional triggers that your subconscious takes it as trauma.

The best example is "The True Detective", That seriously makes your serious for some days.

My own solution to this problem is a neutral activity. For me, it's running, a walk or a quick gaming session. Just take your mind off it long enough that you start thinking normally again.

ikonox · Aug 9, 2014

NaNoW said:
the withdrawal window..I think everyone feels it. I think it happens because you are emotionally so invested in the Story (be it game, movie, book, etc), that when it finishes, it leaves a gap or empty space in your mind. And in that 'gap', you long for the that emotional connection that just suddenly disappeared.

In case of The Last of Us and House M.D, The I.T crowd (and alot of books) I felt absolutely shaken and distorted for days.

exactly! thats close most explaination of what I feel! :/

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abobobilly said:
I think its perfectly normal. Happens to me all the time after playing almost every game. With some games its much stronger. (For example, getting obsessed with a game's music or something).

But thats not what matters. What matters is, your control. Whether or not you are able to get out of such situations yourself. If you are young, like 15-16, then its gonna be nearly impossible for you to shake this feeling off. Once you get past your 22-25th year ... you will easily shake this off, while still being able to feel the same level of emotions/likeness you could, back in your teen age.

I am 23! male! and I know how to monitor myself! but this feeling I am talking about! its rare! :/ doesnt happen all the time! but i cant help it when i feel!
it doesnt affect anything i do!

just feel it! a gap!

ikonox · Aug 9, 2014

AlienX said:
Your mind is used to process images but cannot differentiate between reality and fiction. Sometimes there are so many subtle emotional triggers that your subconscious takes it as trauma.

now thats something to think about! :/ Those triggers, they are from movie or from personal experience! or you suggest that i get attached to storyline and take them personal! OMG

assassin8097 · Aug 9, 2014

I watched The Lord of the Rings trilogy after a long time again and the hobbit parts too and now I just don't want to do anything else. I just keep thinking about the adventures. When Frodo left, I was really sad. Sometimes when my favorite character dies, I take it seriously... After the end of Breaking Bad, I couldn't stop being sad for weeks. I get really depressed with sad endings, and when its a happy ending, I can't stop repeating the same movie or show. At the end of Assassin's creed 4, I was like, noooooooooo noooooooooooo nooooooooooooo ... it can't end here.... so I bored myself to death from AC4 by capturing all forts, doing all side quests and destroying hundreds of enemy ships until I really got over the fact that, it has ended now. Now AC: Unity is coming and it will be good but I still miss Edward. I get too emotional sometimes. I got tears in my eyes when soap died in modern warfare 3.

ikonox · Aug 9, 2014

also i want to mention, that more than images, Music makes a nostalgia of some moment! i.e Background music or OST! whenever i listen to ost i feel slight glimpse of that emptiness

assassin8097 · Aug 9, 2014

I love Breaking Bad so much, my alarm tune is the intro music of breaking bad. I still miss it. And I have download the soundtracks of games like Assassin's creed series, Far cry 3 etc I listen to them and I refresh my memory!

ikonox · Aug 9, 2014

thanku all! for replying to my post!

I guess it happens and it is nothing to worry about!

maybe its a thrill to feel drama! and capability to absorb emotions!

Cerberus · Aug 9, 2014

happens buddy happens, happened with me after almost every season completion

Benighted · Aug 9, 2014

The game Fahrenheit had me profoundly disturbed for quite some time.
Ico and SotC got me for a few days as well.

Gizmo · Aug 9, 2014

Benighted said:
The game Fahrenheit had me profoundly disturbed for quite some time.

That sounds a bit different. The OP is talking about feeling sad after finishing a game/book/movie/TV show or basically any story that you got really invested in.

I think the last time I felt that strongly was when I finished Persona 4 for the first time. I was sad for a couple of days after I got done with that game.

AlienX · Aug 10, 2014

You guys are taking it in literal terms. I still listen to Tomb Raider original game soundtrack, or Blood Money theme from Hitman game.

Heck, Even Vice City Flash FM still plays in my car. Yes!, I have a CD with vice city radio stations, kind of prefer over CityFM 89. Though lets focus OPs problem.

OP's problem is not inspiration. It's withdrawal. This is different from liking something and getting obsessed.

I could be wrong but my own hypothesis on why this happens is, since these seasons have episodes separated by one week. To keep the audience hooked to the series, they introduce subliminal triggers, if you remember each episode has at least one moment you can't stop thinking about, e.g. The Red Wedding (Sad) or The Purple Wedding (Happy).

When you watch these episodes designed to be a week apart, in succession you overload your mind and experience withdrawal symptoms.

Games are slightly different. They capture your mind through repetitive achievements/rewards. Though these rewards are useless but you get hooked. e.g in BF4 these rewards are in the form of new Paint Job or a totally useless Tank upgrade, but you want it anyway.

asad3man · Aug 10, 2014

It happens to me too. When i listen songs early in the morning. Not early , but whenever i wake up.

Ottoman · Aug 10, 2014

Benighted said:
The game Fahrenheit had me profoundly disturbed for quite some time.
Ico and SotC got me for a few days as well.

Aye. I can relate to Fahrenheit. I wasn't right in the head for a few days after. Don't know if it creeped me out but I experienced a strange numbness after ending it.

Having feelings of euphoria, sadness or accomplishment are understandable after ending a book/movie/game/tv show as an individual is deeply involved in the events, but this sensation was something different altogether.

A strange numb state after watching some TV Series/movie

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