Health Update: Health Update: ‘The Bachelorette,’ Taylor Frankie Paul and when a violent video leaks – What Experts Say– What Experts Say.
ABC cancels Taylor Frankie Paul’s ‘Bachelorette’ season
Taylor Frankie Paul’s season of “The Bachelorette” was canceled after a “domestic assault investigation” was revealed by Utah police.
Taylor Frankie Paul’s season of “The Bachelorette” has been canceled, shortly after a shocking, violent video surfaced involving Paul and her ex-partner Dakota Mortensen.
In the video, published by TMZ, Mortensen films as Paul hits and kicks him. She throws furniture at him. There’s yelling and screaming. A child can be heard crying. The video surfaced amid an ongoing domestic assault investigation into Paul and and Mortensen, who have both reportedly leveled allegations.
The video is brutal and difficult to watch. Mental health professionals say you don’t have to.
Witnessing violence has, unfortunately, become an assumed risk when logging onto the internet. Violent videos abound on social media and in the news. Often, we’re confronted with them before we even have the chance to decide if we want to watch in the first place.
Violent videos can indeed negatively impact our psyches, especially if we have experienced violence ourselves. It’s important to remember you don’t have to view this kind of material in order to stay informed or have empathy for those impacted.
“I don’t think we have a responsibility to witness every instance of violence that happens,” therapist Erik Anderson previously told USA TODAY. “People kind of need to be responsible for understanding what’s going to trigger them and what they’re able to tolerate.”
That Taylor Frankie Paul video and why it’s OK not to watch
The term “triggering,” like other mental health terms, has become a popular part of modern vernacular. And while this has caused increased awareness, experts say it’s also muddied people’s understanding of what it actually means.
Triggering is a response to something that reminds someone of a specific past trauma. Things that remind someone of their own abuse or other traumatic memories, for instance, are triggers.
And violent videos, like the one of Paul and Mortensen, can certainly be triggering for those who have experienced domestic abuse or violence themselves.
Also, if you’re someone who hasn’t experienced violence, but who is particularly sensitive or empathic, that video could still disturb and damage your mental health, even if it’s not technically triggering for you.
“I think it’s very important for people to pay attention to how they feel,” mental health counselor Catherine Del Toro previously told USA TODAY. “Typically when we watch these kinds of violent videos, it’s very normal to feel shocked, anxious, sad, disgusted and those are all very, very normal feelings. But again, (it’s important) to distinguish between feeling that and allowing that emotion to go versus ruminating on it and really having it impact our overall functioning.”
Before watching a violent video, psychotherapist Stephanie Sarkis previously told USA TODAY she recommends checking in with yourself and being honest about how viewing it may affect you. Most people, she added, may find they don’t actually need to watch footage of violence in order to better understand it.
“It’s important to ask yourself: ‘Is this really going to help my understanding of the story? Is this going to benefit me? Or is there a potential that this could trigger past trauma for me?'” she said. “Most of the time we aren’t going to add additional benefit.”
What happens when you get triggered?
Triggering can cause a host of mental health issues, including flashbacks to one’s own trauma, panic attacks and feelings of helplessness, Sarkis previously told USA TODAY. Triggering can also make someone depressed, anxious, despondent or even suicidal.
Because witnessing violence can harm anyone’s mental health, Del Toro urges extreme caution before watching violent footage or just not watching at all. Sarkis adds that, for those who feel passionate about ending domestic violence, their energy might be better channeled toward activism or fundraising than into watching disturbing footage of it.
“We need to be very mindful and aware of how these videos can affect us,” Del Toro previously told USA TODAY. “Ultimately, it’s our choice whether we watch these videos or not. And so, if we believe that it may have a negative impact on our overall wellbeing, I would definitely recommend that we don’t watch the video, and sometimes we don’t really know how much it’s going to affect us until we’re watching it.”