Why Graphic News Stories May Not Be Safe for Everyone |
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Graphic news coverage is not psychologically neutral for all audiences.
Exposure to graphic content can overwhelm highly sensitive people or those who have experienced major trauma.
Hyperphantasic people may be at risk for dissociation or hyperarousal after exposure to explicit material.
Trauma histories can heighten susceptibility to retraumatization even from indirect exposure.
Recently, the internet has been awash with stories and commentary related to Jeffrey Epstein's sex crimes, many of which are saturated with graphic and disturbing details. Some social media influencers appear to even be counting on Epstein-related content to increase their reach.
Not everyone should consume this kind of material, however. When engaging with the Epstein coverage in particular or with graphic news stories in general, some people may be at an increased risk for re-traumatization or vicarious trauma. These include:
1. Highly Sensitive People (HSPs)
High sensitivity is an innate trait. In biology, it is called sensory processing sensitivity. Both genetic and environmental factors contribute to this personality (1). It is even found in animals, too, with some youngsters appearing shyer and more withdrawn than their peers.
A widely used scale to measure high sensitivity contains 27 diverse but interrelated items (2). An HSP may exhibit some of the following:
A rich and complex inner life
Being deeply moved by the arts and music
Becoming easily overwhelmed
Difficulty performing a task when being observed
Being easily startled
Heightened sensitivity to pain, caffeine, and hunger
Strong attunement to inner bodily sensations
Readily notices sensory changes
The trait is not a disorder and is associated with many positive qualities, such as giftedness, creativity, and empathy. However, under certain circumstances, the trait has been related to increased risk of psychological concerns.
An HSP’s nervous system is wired for deep processing. The graphic and detailed nature of the Epstein material can overwhelm an HSP’s nervous system. Also, the gruesome details may reside and reverberate in the sensitive nervous system for a long time. The cognitive and emotional residue of this information can become disruptive and intrusive, impairing daily functioning at work/school and straining social relationships.
2. Hyperphantasic People
About 3 percent of the population experiences intense visual imagery, a trait known as hyperphantasia. When asked to imagine a plate of fruits, they may "see" in their minds vivid colors and textures as though they were looking at a picture taken with the newest smartphone (3).
At the other end of the continuum, people with aphantasia lack this mind’s eye. When asked to imagine a green apple, they may see the silhouette of a black apple or see nothing at all. This is a spectrum. The Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire (VVIQ) is used in research to determine a participant's position on this spectrum.
The hyperphantasic nervous system might lead a person exposed to graphic details to vividly imagine the scene and play it out like a movie unfolding in real time. In rare but extreme cases, strong mental imagery of these gruesome details could even escalate into pseudo-hallucinations or even pseudo-delusions and paranoia. In other cases, a hyperphatasic may dissociate and blur the boundary between their own lived reality and the suffering of the victims.
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3. Trauma-Exposed Individuals
Individuals with a history of trauma—particularly sexual abuse, exploitation, violence, or betrayal—may be at the greatest risk. Graphic descriptions of related events, as in the Epstein case, can activate suppressed, offline past traumatic experiences. This may result in a flood of:
Panic/anxiety attacks
Dissociation or emotional numbing
Sleep disturbances and nightmares
Increased hyperarousal or mistrust
Relapse after therapeutic progress
Notably, even indirect exposure to this explicit material, such as headlines, could trigger an overwhelming response in trauma-exposed individuals. This can seriously impede healing and stagnate the therapeutic process.
Other factors that warrant cautious exposure to explicit material include:
People with poor emotional regulation
People with low distress tolerance
People with a heightened sense of moral injury
People prone to empathic distress
People with strong ruminative tendencies
People experiencing active depressive or manic episodes
These individuals may be at risk of somatically absorbing others’ suffering and can experience strong guilt, sadness, and helplessness when exposed to these victims' stories. They may struggle to separate their emotional baggage from the victims'.
How to Consume Graphic News Coverage Smartly
If you decide to engage with graphic or disturbing news stories, there are steps you can take to minimize risk and protect your mental health. When consuming emotional material:
Budget your exposure—don’t immerse yourself in graphic details.
Check in with your body for signs of tension, numbness, or overwhelm.
Ask whether this exposure is interfering with performance at work/school.
Notice if loved ones report changes in your mood or behavior.
Reflect on whether the stories are altering your sense of trust and hope in others.
Monitor for growing feelings of helplessness, which can precipitate or worsen mood disorders.
The unprecedented 24/7 accessibility to graphic information through social media has undeniably played a positive role in democratizing access to information—or, as in the Epstein case, exposing seemingly powerful and invincible predators. This transparency is crucial.
However, exposure must be practiced cautiously and sensibly; more information is not always better, especially with repeated exposure to graphic and highly emotional material. This risk is likely amplified in children and adolescents, whose nervous systems and worldviews are actively forming.
In short, nervous systems vary widely in how we respond to emotional material. For those with high sensitivity, vivid mental imagery, poor emotion regulation, active mood disorders, and/or previous trauma, prolonged repetitive consumption of graphic material can be triggering and should likely be limited or avoided altogether.
(1) Aron, E.N., Aron, A., Jagiellowicz, J., 2012. Sensory processing sensitivity: a review in the light of the evolution of biological responsivity. Pers. Soc. Psychol. Rev.16 (3), 262–282.
(2) Aron, E.N., & Aron, A. (1997). Highly Sensitive Person Scale (HSPS). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/t00299-000
(3) Zeman, A. (2024). Aphantasia and hyperphantasia: exploring imagery vividness extremes. Trends in Cognitive Science, (5), 467-480. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364661324000342