ABC cancels Taylor Frankie Paul’s ‘Bachelorette’ season
Taylor Frankie Paul’s season of The Bachelorette has been canceled following the revelation of a “domestic assault investigation” by Utah State Police.
Taylor Frankie Paul’s season of The Bachelorette was canceled shortly after a shocking and violent video involving the singer and her ex-partner Dakota Mortensen was leaked.
A video released by TMZ shows Mortensen filming Paul punching and kicking him. She threw furniture at him. I hear screams and screams. I hear a child crying. The video surfaced during an ongoing domestic assault investigation into Paul and Mortensen, with both suspects reportedly admitting to the charges.
The video is brutal and difficult to watch. Mental health experts say that’s not necessary.
Unfortunately, witnessing violence has become an assumed risk when logging on to the Internet. Social media and the news are full of violent videos. In many cases, you may encounter these issues before deciding whether to watch in the first place.
Violent videos can actually have a negative effect on our psyche, especially if we have experienced violence ourselves. It is important to remember that you do not need to see this type of material to be informed or empathize with those affected.
Therapist Eric Anderson previously told USA TODAY, “I don’t think we have a responsibility to witness violence every time it happens.” “People need to take responsibility for understanding what triggers them and what they can tolerate.”
Taylor Frankie Paul’s video and why you don’t have to watch it
The term “trigger”, like other mental health terms, has become common in modern parlance. Experts say that while this has led to increased awareness, it has also obscured people’s understanding of what it actually means.
A trigger is a reaction to something that reminds you of a specific past trauma. For example, reminders of one’s own abuse or other traumatic memories can be triggers.
And violent videos like Paul’s and Mortensen’s can certainly be triggering for anyone who has experienced domestic violence or violence themselves.
Also, if you haven’t experienced violence, but are a particularly sensitive and empathetic person, that video can still disturb and damage your mental health, even if it wasn’t strictly meaningful to you.
“I think it’s really important for people to pay attention to their feelings,” mental health counselor Catherine del Toro previously told USA TODAY. “Normally, it’s very normal to feel shock, anxiety, sadness, disgust when watching these kinds of violent videos, and those are all very normal emotions. But again, it’s important to differentiate between feeling that and letting that emotion go, and ruminating on it and actually having an impact on our overall functioning.”
Psychotherapist Stephanie Serkis previously told USA TODAY that she recommends checking in with yourself before watching violent videos and being honest about how watching them affects you. She added that most people may not need to actually see footage of violence to better understand it.
“It’s important to ask yourself, ‘Will this really help me understand the story? Is this beneficial to me? Or could this trigger past trauma for me?'” she says. “Most of the time, we’re not going to add any extra perks.”
What happens when triggered?
Triggers can cause a number of mental health issues, including flashbacks of one’s own trauma, panic attacks and feelings of helplessness, Serkis previously told USA TODAY. Triggers can make someone feel depressed, anxious, depressed, or even suicidal.
Witnessing violence can be harmful to anyone’s mental health, so del Toro urges people to be extremely careful before watching violent images, or not watching them at all. Serkis added that people who are passionate about ending domestic violence may be better off channeling their energy into activism and fundraising rather than watching disturbing footage.
“We have to be very careful and aware of how these videos can affect us,” del Toro previously told USA TODAY. “Ultimately, it’s our choice whether or not we watch these videos. Therefore, if you think it might have a negative effect on our overall health, we strongly recommend that you don’t watch it. Sometimes we don’t know how much it will affect us until we see it.”
