Discussion Why does a dead body "traumatize" people?

[tommyhalpinkelly]

This is an anti-choice platitude you hear often, "think of those who will find your body"

I thought our culture was obsessed with violence and gore on TV. If so, why does a dead body from a non-natural death bother people so much? If we go by evolution, a dead body would only be avoided if there were worms, maggots, or a putrid smell eminating from it to ward of danger of disease or sickness.

Why does a dead body from suicide even when there's no "mess" bother people more than a dead body from someone with cancer? I'm just wondering.

 

[Susannah]

Maybe it's like the difference from seeing caged animals vs animals in the wild. It gets more real. Death isn't a pretty sight. I know, cause I've seen several died bodies. It's anyway was.

 

[voool]

Because its macabre

 

[NoOneKnows]

This is an anti-choice platitude you hear often, "think of those who will find your body"

I thought our culture was obsessed with violence and gore on TV. If so, why does a dead body from a non-natural death bother people so much? If we go by evolution, a dead body would only be avoided if there were worms, maggots, or a putrid smell eminating from it to ward of danger of disease or sickness.

Why does a dead body from suicide even when there's no "mess" bother people more than a dead body from someone with cancer? I'm just wondering.

it seems another one of those strategies, they want us to feel guilty ,playing on our emotions, how it affects others, well who was there for us.
Until they fix the society such, that suicide rates will plummeting, they will have to deal with it. It should be a kick for an action for them - if people are capable to go ahead and kill themselves like that, imagine the suffering they must have been through. Why we, suicidal people ,should take care of everything, its us who society failed, they have to deal with the consequences, its the least they can do. if they dont wnan see that ,they can choose to research why is it happening and come up with solutions, which such a group of people would benefit from. Until then its their problem, Anyways the authorities are desentized to such images, they ve seen it plenty of times.

 

[Jodes]

They assume it was an unpleasant transition

 

[TooLate2582]

In most developed countries, death has been conditioned out of people. The process is hidden, its not reported, publicized or shared. Best I can figure, this attitude started in the Victorian era when everything became more refined.

 

[Xerxes]

A dead body that died from cancer looks pallid, morose, but as if that person was sleeping. Suicide or deaths by violence are gruesome, distorted, twisted, done in a moment where fear and contemplative silence clash together. Death is beautiful, yet disturbing. To see one of your own is a shock to the system.

 

[Help_Me]

Death and suicide is a taboo in society, so it's pretty unexpected for others to witness real human corpse with all accompanying processes. People are being taught since childhood that everything connected with death is "unnatural".

 

[TooLate2582]

Death and suicide is a taboo in society, so it's pretty unexpected for others to witness real human corpse with all accompanying processes. People are being taught since childhood that everything connected with death is "unnatural".

Having been to several unveveloped countries, dead bodies, including suicides, are just a part of daily life. The taboo is more specific to developed nations.

 

[Misanthrope]

Because life is not T.V. If you jump through a plate glass window you won't be chasing down bad guys still, you will be needing A&E. If you shoot a car it doesn't explode. If you crack someone over the head and they go unconscious and don't get up after ten or so second you have likely caused a medical emergency. The media consistently gets portrayals of death and violence entirely wrong and inadvertently creates distorted views of reality that are then believed erroneously.

The sight of cadavers can cause a traumatic response. It is a well documented and studied occurrence. Sometimes it is the core source of some ones PTSD. A lot of professionals get exposed to corpses and it stays with them. Especially the smell… If you know that corpse it can be even more distressing, especially if you have had emotional investment in them. Suicide also creates a lot of unresolvable emotions, people can ruminate on what they could have done differently. That generally doesn't occur with cancer, because you can't talk cancer down and fix it with your own actions, so there is no lingering feeling of responsibility or failing that person on some level.

I wrote more about it here.

https://sanctioned-suicide.net/threads/corpse-exposure-consideration.7772/

 

[TAW122]

it seems another one of those strategies, they want us to feel guilty ,playing on our emotions, how it affects others, well who was there for us.
Until they fix the society such, that suicide rates will plummeting, they will have to deal with it. It should be a kick for an action for them - if people are capable to go ahead and kill themselves like that, imagine the suffering they must have been through. Why we, suicidal people ,should take care of everything, its us who society failed, they have to deal with the consequences, its the least they can do. if they dont wnan see that ,they can choose to research why is it happening and come up with solutions, which such a group of people would benefit from. Until then its their problem, Anyways the authorities are desentized to such images, they ve seen it plenty of times.

Well said. We shouldn't have to bare the burden of guilt and shame when in fact society is the one responsible for creating conditions in which allow people to suffer and end up like us. Then denying us the right to die (peacefully and under our own terms) while preaching about how we are the problem. Absolutely vile society.

Death and suicide is a taboo in society, so it's pretty unexpected for others to witness real human corpse with all accompanying processes. People are being taught since childhood that everything connected with death is "unnatural".

The sheer amount of indoctrination by society is really toxic to such impressionable minds.

 

[[NoName]]

This is an anti-choice platitude you hear often, "think of those who will find your body"

I thought our culture was obsessed with violence and gore on TV. If so, why does a dead body from a non-natural death bother people so much? If we go by evolution, a dead body would only be avoided if there were worms, maggots, or a putrid smell eminating from it to ward of danger of disease or sickness.

Why does a dead body from suicide even when there's no "mess" bother people more than a dead body from someone with cancer? I'm just wondering.

https://ecobear.co/unattended-death-cleaning/psychological-impact/

"One type of psychological fallout that oftentimes accompanies the discovery of a dead body is what is known as traumatic grief. Traumatic grief oftentimes is associated with the discovery of the remains of a family member or other loved one. In a majority of cases, the discovery of a dead body is made by a family member or some other loved one.

Research by psychologists has further revealed that traumatic grief can arise from the discovery of a dead body of an individual with which the person finding the remains has no prior association or connection. This particularly is the case when it comes to a situation in which a person is called upon to deal with dead bodies with regularity, in a war zone for example. It can also arise when a person discovers the remains of an unattended death in which the decomposition process is well underway."

https://www.theguardian.com/global/2009/jul/25/dead-bodies-body-parts

In the above link it has multiple people talk about their experience with finding dead bodies, if anyone wants to know what that is like for some.

 

[Made4TV]

Totally agree about how in developed countries we are so removed from death. If we see someone dead they are usually in a casket, made up to look normal. Also - we're visual beings. Pictures can get stuck in our heads forever, and it's usually when it's combined with a shock that this is the case. So for some people, they will always see the "last image" in their mind of a person when they think about them passing. I get why people say it...but given that this society does not give people a nice way out...on some level, this is what is the product of that. People have to use unpleasant methods to die. We can't all kill ourselves over an empty grave and have a forest full of dogs around ready to refill the grave with dirt. Sadly.

 

[TooLate2582]

I saw death as an emt and it was horrific. I also saw autopsies. Wish I never saw half the shit I did

The first one costs you everything. The rest are free.