Crying and recovery work

[treesgrowslowly]

Found a nice short article about benefits of crying.

https://www.ptsduk.org/why-does-ptsd-make-you-cry/#:~:text=Scientists%20believe%20that%20crying%20can,that%20someone%20without%20the%20condition!

I realize we are all different. Some people cry quite often and some do not cry very often. I can relate to what they say about tears and crying in this article. After a good cry I usually feel 'wrung out', and I can try to find something quiet to do while my nervous system continues to re-regulate.

Trees

[countrygirl]

Hi,

This is a very interesting article about the many benefits of crying.  The body is really a wondrous mechanism.  It turns out that tears can provide pain-relief, plus rid the body of harmful toxins, in addition to being an emotional release.

I remember starting to cry really hard at my father's funeral, and then feeling like I wasn't representing him well, so I stopped.  Wish I hadn't done that! You could make the point that crying means that you truly loved the deceased, and that is honoring them.  At any rate, after reading the article, I had that memory. 

The article says that in Japan, apparently they hold crying parties, where they go to see a sad film, so that they can experience the benefits of crying.  Now I want to research crying in other countries.

I really recommend this article.  And thanks to Trees for posting the link!

[NarcKiddo]

Yes, it is interesting. Thanks, Trees.

I was interested in the crying parties because I had issues with crying as a child. A display of emotion would usually cause a problem with my mother, especially something she viewed as a sign of something negative. Although mirroring her emotions was generally safe, if she was angry or crying it was not safe to mirror that. Then I would be expected to pacify or comfort. If I cried I would attract her attention and be engulfed as she tried to stop the crying. I cried once as a child when reading a sad book and my father mocked me. My mother used to mock her friends who cried at films so I didn't and eventually didn't respond emotionally at all. And then I went to stay with a friend when I was 15 and we went to the cinema to see "Against All Odds." I felt relaxed with my friend and we both bawled at the end. It was an astonishing release to me and even now I can't hear the song without feeling a rush of emotion.

Another aspect of crying, I think, is that it may be designed to elicit an emotional response in others. If the others are caring then it would make them want to comfort us or see if they can help in some way. That was part of the problem for me as a child because of the engulfing by my mother. But now I find myself very emotionally affected if someone else cries, even if it is a character in a film.