Eva as therapy?

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Eva as therapy?

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Postby Ollli » Tue Jun 29, 2010 8:46 am

Have you ever used Eva as therapy for your poblems?
I've been suffering of major depression for 10 years now and I discovered Eva when I was in high school. Everytime I have suicidal thoughts or feel the imminent anticipation that things are getting worse, I always turn to Eva.
At first, I thought it was helping me understand myself and advance but lately I'm not so sure about it-- has it become a reaffirmation of my selfdestructive intentions rather than a means to move on?

Especially komm susser tod has become like an anthem for me. I think that happy music while on the verge of dying is close to truth: numbness is happiness in the face of chronic pain.

Have you ever used Eva in any way to help you with your problems?
Did it work?
...

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Postby Sachi » Tue Jun 29, 2010 9:00 am

I used to feed off the depression in Evangelion in order to cheer myself up, especially Komm Susser Tod. However, in the last year or so, after coming to realize true loss and pain, this shit really does depress me and brings back bad memories. However, because of that, I find that I can no longer relate to the characters as well as I once did, and seeking solace from them no longer works. Essentially, I grew up and out of my Shinji-state and have been better than ever.
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Postby Sailor Star Dust » Tue Jun 29, 2010 10:20 am

Eva can help, yes, though actual therapy (and/or meds) is a must. (I've had Double Depression and Anixety for about 10 years, too.)

IMO, Komm Susser Tod makes shit worse than better, although something about Everything You've Ever Dreamed calms me down despite the somewhat-upsetting lyrics.
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Postby Killer Bee » Tue Jun 29, 2010 10:43 am

I've been dealing with depression for... well, a long time now. When I watched EoE when I was 15, it completely turned me off of Evangelion and made me come dangerously close to hating everything about the series. The day I watched it turned out to be quite a shitty one, so that could've contributed to the effect the movie had on me. Anyway, while EoTV remained one of my favorite anime, I really didn't have anything to do with it until 1.11 came out. I bought it because I wanted a nice-looking anime for my new HD TV. After watching it, it got me thinking about EoE for the first time in years.

After hesitantly musing about it in my head for a couple days, something clicked. It was like an epiphany, if you'll allow me to claim such a thing. I suddenly understood what it meant. "It's the same as me," I thought. The result is that I'm now utterly obsessed with everything Evangelion. I have Komm Susser Tod on my iPod and listen to it all the time. It makes me feel better knowing that, if I ever got to speak to Hideaki Anno, we'd probably get along just fine.
Last edited by Killer Bee on Tue Jun 29, 2010 10:50 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Postby The Bastard King » Tue Jun 29, 2010 10:48 am

I used watching the episodes as a distraction to the fact that I had failed an important test once, but that's it. I find almost no positive influence that can be gained from the series, given the constant downward spiral of emotions and the always-imminent shitstorm that would hit every other episode.

However, I do suggest marathoning Gurren Lagann to anyone who appears to be suffering from anything. I mean, broken bones, stubbed toes, hyper depression, anything. Just clear 12 hours on your calendar, buy a 24 pack of coke and a box of pizza. Cheaper then the drugs would cost, plus you'll feel immense satisfaction when you're by yourself and try and use a giga drill breaker in front of the mirror the next day.
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Postby Xeroko » Tue Jun 29, 2010 10:50 am

Honestly the series does the opposite for me and awakens feelings I'd rather not feel, especially the episode with Arael, that just sends me into a whole different space. I find music is more therapeutic for me.
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Postby ZapX » Tue Jun 29, 2010 10:57 am

CBT and other counseling and medication are therapy for depression. If you're feeling the way you are you may want to get with a psychiatrist and look into those things.

Of course, if Eva makes you feel better when you're depressed, that's a good thing to do for a boost. I agree with you that it reaffirms and, in a way, empathizes with you if you're feeling the same way that the characters are, but that's true of any book/film/game/&c.
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Postby SaltyJoe » Tue Jun 29, 2010 11:05 am

I have never suffered from depression in a medical sense, but i was pretty down when i first watched Eva.

And, seeing a much darker mindscape than my own burnt onto animation somehow made me feel less sorry for myself. It was sort of liberating, a one-of-a-kind experience of obtaining a new perspective.
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Postby DevRei17 » Tue Jun 29, 2010 11:26 am

Yeah...I would say no.
Looking to a kid like Shinji, who's life is already a shitty one, would not be for the best.
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Postby Bomby von Bombsville » Tue Jun 29, 2010 11:51 am

Yeah. Somehow depressing anime helps me deal with the "depression" phase of my bipolar disorder. This is why I actually really like episodes 25 & 26, because I feel like they do a decent job of replicating a human mind headed toward self-destruction, and then finally just deciding to... not self-destruct.
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Postby Meghan » Tue Jun 29, 2010 4:25 pm

Ten years ago when I began to first watch Evangelion, I was a 14 year-old social shut-in. An introvert I guess.
I'd come home from school, wrap myself in a blanket on my bed and peacefully doze-off to the sound of the series in the background (I only had the dubbed VHS copies at the time).

As a whole, the series was (and for the most part still is) a sort of comfort zone for me. Not necessarily an escape or self-therapy. Just that zone of familiarity with the characters I had grown to love over the years.
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Postby TehDonutKing » Tue Jun 29, 2010 4:29 pm

I guess I might as well tell my story.

I started Eva this year. Due to other things completely unrelated that I'm not elaborating, I fell into a deep depression. Around episode 15, I contemplated suicide, but postponed it so I could finish Eva. Around 22, I began to draw parallels between myself and Shinji, culminating with episode 24, as I also accidentally killed a friend that I only knew for a short time. I watched 25, and wondered what was going on. I finally understood after watching 26. EoE fucked my interpretation, causing me to support weak concurrency.
Unfortunately, my depression worsened, but I thought of Shinji, Rei, Yui, and Gendo. They kept me from killing myself. Eventually, I sat down and talked to myself EoTV style, and reached a congratulations moment of my own.

But I still didn't understand End, until NAveryW linked me here from DeviantArt. And for that, I thank him.
/hj

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Postby Killer Bee » Tue Jun 29, 2010 6:21 pm

View Original PostTehDonutKing wrote:Around episode 15, I contemplated suicide, but postponed it so I could finish Eva.


Neon Genesis Evangelion: It's just that good! :asuka_thumbsup:

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Postby Eva Yojimbo » Tue Jun 29, 2010 8:13 pm

Cinelogue & Forced Perspective Cinema
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Postby oOoOoOo » Tue Jun 29, 2010 8:43 pm

I've already dropped a billion words on this forum about my own mental health adventures, but I do think NGE really touches what it's like to be a bit (if you'll excuse the term) crazy. It seems a lot of people in this thread feel the same way.

Like Zappy-kun says, though, there's lots of stuff like this. After all, Anno-san's not the only depressed person who has gone on to make good art. ^_^
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Postby child of Lilith » Tue Jun 29, 2010 8:46 pm

I’ve never really used the show for therapy reasons, but I do remember for a time I would watch that scene from Death/Rebirth where the Eva series is circling Asuka from above while music starts playing just before everything fades to black every morning before going to work.
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Postby Halicat » Wed Jun 30, 2010 1:29 pm

I first seen Eva about eight years ago, back then though, I never got the chance to watch it all the way through, so it played no part in the years between then and now where I did go through a depression over my family. In fact, I was happy and adjusted by the time I 'discovered' it properly, and nothing bad has happened since then so no, I haven't used it as therapy but I probably would when something does happen since I get the feeling I'll be hit hard more so in future than I ever was back then [Probably because I finally have something in my life I am utterly terrified of losing.]

I think the most Eva could do for me in future is probably prevent me from giving into that self-harm vice of mine. Though, I was capable of dealing with that shit without anything because I always told myself other people have it worse off than I do. I guess since I always drilled that idea into my brain I never really 'suffered' enough to need anything as a therapy, expect perhaps music and drawing, but I need those things pretty much constantly anyway despite my moods.

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Postby Ardorius » Thu Jul 01, 2010 12:40 am

I first discovered Eva in my late teens when I was suffering from one of the greatest depressions in my life.

A lot of what Misato, Shinji, and to a lesser extent Asuka go through in the last couple of episodes really helped me. I seemed to have a problem with defining who I was. Shinji's instrumentality really struck a chord, and I believe that it really did help me find at least a stepping stone to the start of beginning to understand myself.

That's why to this day Eva on a whole holds a special place in my heart, and it always will.

That, and the fact it's one of the most complex storylines ever created and a landmark in the history of visual entertainment.

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Postby The Fourth Evangelion » Thu Jul 01, 2010 6:05 am

I've never had a depression, but two years ago, I was a lot like Shinji-kun. I've managed to stand up, however and arise. I've went trough quite the stuff to overcome my problems and actually become a socialized being. When I watched EVA last year, I recognized Shinji. Tis had led me to keep him in my mind as what might've happened to me, if I hadn't stood up. He's my reminder that I don't want to end up like him, with nobody to talk to...
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Postby carla » Thu Jul 01, 2010 9:06 am

i don't remember ever being in a state i would consider "depression" so i can't say how i would react if i ever got to that point, but i don't think i would watch EVA to make myself feel better. i do recognize the "hopeful" part of the ending, of course, but in all honesty it's always been a bit of fridge logic for me. i never get hit with "oh, but there's always hope" part straight away, but mostly the idea that everybody dies and that people can't understand each other. even upon rewatch, it's only hours later that i find myself thinking "well, it wasn't all bad."

i don't think i would go for it in a "oh, these people are so much more messed up than i am, that it makes me feel better about my problems" way, either.

but of course, i haven't been in that situation yet. i'm pretty sure actual therapy wouldn't work in my case, so who knows.
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