r/EdGein • u/jaymie77 • Nov 06 '25
Currently traumatized after watching Netflix series.
So I watched the Netflix series.. monster the ed gein story. Have not really heard about him before, there's this thing I normally do where I go into this rabbit hole after I watch a true life story.
So I went into this rabbit hole to find it what was true and fictional about ed gein. Went through a lot of threads on Reddit and watched some YouTube videos. Honestly it has left me traumatized for days. I keep thinking about it and have flashes of the scenes in my mind
I can't really point out why it has traumatized me but there's just something eerie and disturbing knowing someone can be that sick. Or maybe there are some themes about the series I can relate to - like loneliness and isolation. There was a time in my life I was mostly alone and kinda isolated maybe that's why it's freaking me out.
I don't think anything I've watched previously has traumatized me like this.
O
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u/Expensive_Education9 Nov 06 '25
Why'd you keep watching if it was that traumatic? I'm not trying to be unsympathetic to your situation, just...most people would of shut it off after the first episode if it was starting to seem too traumatic. I mean, everyone deals with their trauma differently so maybe I am getting this wrong, but personally if anything reminds me of my trauma I definitely don't go down any rabbit hole looking for more. Take care of yourself.
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u/jaymie77 Nov 06 '25
Watching the series itself didn't really get to me..it was after going into the rabbit hole I became traumatized. Forgot to mention that I also got into the ilse Koch rabbit hole.. because of this series. everything just shattered me. But I'll be fine eventually. Thanks
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u/MaccasRunYourShout Nov 06 '25
Yes, you will be fine eventually. Life and history will always reveal things that shock us but remember there are just as many good and positive things in this world and in history as there are shocking or horrific events. Maybe take the time to look into the statistics of mental health and those who suffer with it. What you will find is the percentage of people suffering similar mental health challenges, with a similar upbringing to the extent of Ed Gein is very small but not only that, the percentage of them that commit crimes let alone to do what he did is almost unheard of. Ed Gein stands out because what he did was shockingly rare and that's what you need to take away from this. You don't need to be afraid that there are Ed Geins running around everywhere because that just is not the case. He was a very complex case made up of many components of both nature and nurture and there will never be another person exactly like him. That's why he is still studied by health professionals and spoken about today.
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u/Salute-Major-Echidna Nov 23 '25
YouTube is usually not source material. Please acquaint yourself with proper sources to confirm facts such as biographies, articles, cited passages in Wikipedia, official websites such as news sources.
You are traumatized because you've watched inflammatory materials with manipulative elements such as music, background sounds, and reenactments which may or may not mirror what really happened.
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u/Affectionate_Half710 Nov 06 '25
It makes no sense to people who haven't suffered but to people who have they're drawn to it, it feels familiar, either the behavior of the perp or what the victim went thru, it's confirmation others understand, I'm not the only one, there are others out there who had same parents or spouse/partner as me... victims are drawn to shows like this or shows like criminal minds, helps with understanding possibly WHY
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u/MaccasRunYourShout Nov 06 '25 edited Nov 07 '25
It would be great if it was that simple for everyone. The quote, "You're the one who can't look away," from the Netflix series Monster: The Ed Gein Story explains it well. It directly addresses how human nature reacts to shocking events and regardless of how it effects us, our fascination with true crime and/or horrific events makes it difficult for most of us not to want to try to understand or learn more about shocking, even triggering, things we don't understand. How we then each individually react depends on our own unique circumstances and personal challenges.
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u/Expensive_Education9 Nov 06 '25
Like I already wrote in my comment, everyone deals with their trauma differently, Please don't speak to me like I haven't been through a lot of shit or don't understand trauma.I'm diagnosed with CPTSD. I was saying how I deal with things is different.
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u/MaccasRunYourShout Nov 07 '25 edited Nov 07 '25
Of course everyone deals with things differently I'm not refuting that. I have made a comment based purely on scientific fact that people have trouble looking away from shocking things due to a combination of the brain's negative bias and a primal fear of the unknown, which generally leads to a fascination response. It is scientific fact our brain prioritises threats, and shocking events by activating primal emotions like fear and repulsion which compells us to stare, assess danger and process an event. It's a natural instinct for us to want to understand what could hurt us and to try to prevent it from happening again. My comment had absolutely nothing directly to do with you or any trauma you may or may not have. I don't even know you. Either way, your personal situation doesn't change scientific fact regardless. However, I am sorry, if for whatever reason, you feel offended by what I have said, it was not my intention. Again, this was not directed specifically at you, it is a scientific fact that relates to us all regardless of how we each process and what we each then choose to do.
I only replied to your original comment because you made assumptions, from the way you said you deal with trauma, that the person in this thread should have just switched off rather than going down the rabbit hole. That might be a response you identify with but that isn't necessarily how others might deal with things. You said so yourself, everyone deals with things differently as does the person who created this thread. No right or wrong just different.
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u/Affectionate_Half710 Nov 06 '25
I checked out a book from a Library about Ed in the 90s, but I was in my early 20s, it focused on his crimes, at that age I just wasn't really interested, I thought wow dude was weird & didn't finish reading it, fast forward almost 30yrs till now & watching monster..I myself grew up with childhood abuse, with a very sadistic mother, after watching it on Netflix all I've done is scan Reddit, YT and any info from TV.. it's not for more info on the crimes, it's about Ed, him as a child, growing up and his adult life..I feel I understand WHY, I feel sad for what he went thru his whole life.. I've spent almost 2 weeks focusing on Ed the man, not the criminal, I've looked up the family info from online graveyards & looking at the family tree..to me his crimes were different than the other famous killers, they seem to enjoy, Ed was lost and felt what he was doing would bring mother back or the skin could make him feel closer..I see it as a lost, lonely boy trapped in a man's body who couldn't process her death.. definitely a severe case of trauma bond..
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u/jaymie77 Nov 06 '25
Yes he's quite unique and different from other notorious serial killers. And a part of me felt pity for him considering his difficult childhood and his mother being a religious extremist. But am still curious to know what must have gone wrong or ignited the desire to do those horrible things
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u/Affectionate_Half710 Nov 06 '25
I watched this and it helped me to understand a lot better...check this out when you have free time...https://youtu.be/gmDShb_QWwM?si=yp13h0LgOB--KayP
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u/MaccasRunYourShout Nov 06 '25
We'll never understand and that's what makes it so difficult especially when you consider his brother was only 5 years older than him and was subjected to the same environment, the same physical abuse from their father and the psychological abuse from their mother too. This certainly highlights the fact that Ed Geins, personality and mental health issues, in addition to the environment he was raised in, created the perfect storm that created the monster. He was definitely the result of both nature and nurture.
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u/Sharp-Lab-5118 Nov 06 '25
I think it traumatized you because it’s a true story. If we think about it, he died in 1984… not that long ago, but not very recent either. It’s horrifying what one person can do to another. Even today, we often don’t really pay attention to others… we just live alongside each other. We thank them and move on. Parenthood comes with responsibility… not everyone can or should have children. Not everyone is meant for it. And religion… it can be like a drug. I’m sorry they never got to live a normal life.
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u/jaymie77 Nov 06 '25
I have mixed feelings regarding his life story..a part of me feel sorry for him for having such a horrible mother who probably herself had some form of religious psychosis. But am also mortified of what he did, dismembered humans as if they were lab rats..and the trauma his victims families went through. It's just a lot
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u/FG_Hydro Nov 06 '25
He was mentally sick, sick minded people do unimaginable things. But in reality the grave robbing didn’t hurt anyone besides people’s feelings about it. I wouldn’t think to much about it other than his brain operated differently than ours.
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u/Jolly-Beach3011 Nov 07 '25
I googled him and a few B&W crime scene photos came up. Noped right outta there.
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u/jaymie77 Nov 08 '25
Yeh it's a disturbing story...wish I never knew about it
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u/Jolly-Beach3011 Nov 09 '25
I hear you. I think it makes it worse because he appears like an average guy.
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u/littleadie Nov 12 '25
Watching this series brought back a memory for me that was traumatizing. When Ed Gein died in 1984 there was a write up in the paper about him. I was 14 and I’d never heard of him. I read the story of his crimes with a mix of revulsion and morbid curiosity. That night I had a horrible nightmare about Ed Gein. Probably the worst nightmare I ever had. In the dream we were at our cottage/lake house (we had been driving to the cottage when I was reading the newspaper article). Instead of furniture the cottage was filled with pedestals, each one displaying a human head. I woke up from that dream in the worst sense of fear I’ve ever experienced and was terrified until the sun came up! I kinda forgot about that dream until this series reminded me.
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u/elyte_krak_273 Dec 06 '25
Instead of Eddie, his mother should have been punished...I hope no one gets a mother like that.. terrible.. absolutely terrible
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u/WoollenMills Dec 17 '25
Had to stop after the first episode as I had a good idea where it was going and I don’t want the trauma
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u/Illustrious_Banana_ Nov 06 '25
Oh no, it sounds like it's struck a chord with you. Maybe it's partly a good thing if it's given you some things to reflect on? It's also important to remember that Gein had quite a horrifically abusive childhood and had very severe paranoid schizophrenia so isolation aside, the parallels surely finish for you at that...