Psychologist Dr Thelma Tenni explains people who relax by watching violent crime have trauma

If you like to wind down at the end of the day by diving into a the latest Netflix serial killer series or by listening to true crime podcast you could need some serious trauma counselling, experts claim.

Celebrity psychologist Dr Thelma Tenni, who specialises in family, marriage and sexual therapy says there’s nothing healthy about being ‘soothed’ by violence.

‘If your idea of relaxing before you go to sleep is to watch three episodes of Law and Order I would encourage you to think about ‘why is trauma relaxing to me?’ she urged her audience in a now viral video.

She explained people who enjoy relaxing in front of depictions of crime, harm and attacks do so because it is ‘familiar’.

Celebrity psychologist Dr Thelma Tenni, who specialises in family, marriage and sexual therapy says there’s nothing healthy about being ‘soothed’ by violence

Some of us grew up in high stress, so people mistake peace for boring,’ she said,

But she urges people to ‘lean into the discomfort’ of ‘boring’ so they can come home to themselves.

‘It may be a good time to reprogram your nervous system. Peace may seem unfamiliar and feel boring but you are worth of it,’ she added.

The video has been like over 150,000 times, with hundreds of people expressing their shock at the revelation.

One woman called the video a ‘powerful redirection’ and thanked Dr Tenni for taking the time to explain it so clearly.

‘When I started to heal, those shows I was obsessed with watching (had watched them for 20+ years since childhood and knew every dated case) became not only less appealing, but disturbing to me. For me, they were definitely related,’ one woman admitted.

‘At night I can’t fall asleep unless it’s on ID tv. I grow up in a very abusive household. The beatings still brings me to tears. How do I reprogram this unhealthy affliction,’ another woman said, 

‘Personally I feel seen by trauma. I feel less weird or broken. I find it easier to observe trauma in art/entertainment in a way that’s less personal or emotional and think about how it applies to my life than I can when I’m experiencing it,’ agreed a third.

Others were shocked.

‘My husband watches these shows to relax,’ one woman said.

‘Oh you dragged us. a necessary drag though,’ said another.  

Some people claimed the wind down had nothing to do with the trauma and more to do with the resolution. 

‘If your idea of relaxing before you go to sleep is to watch three episodes of Law and Order I would encourage you to think about ‘why is trauma relaxing to me?’ she

‘As someone who used to decompress to law and order SVU, I don’t think that it was trauma that led me to it, or even attracted me to it…. I believe it was justice,’ one woman said,.

‘The reality was (at that time for me), Trauma was almost everywhere in my profession, but justice was rarely seen. Thus, watching SVU was a way for my brain to see some form of justice in the area where justice is needed most.’

‘I like it because it shows justice, at the end of the episode the person get’s caught,’ agreed another,

While a third said they have also learned to empathise with attackers – who ‘usually have their own stuff going on’ which she claims helps her with her own trauma. 

And  few people slammed the claims.

‘That is rubbish. It is a television show – we need to stop reading into everything.