Do Songs Ever Play Over and Over in Your Head?

[ZeroPTSD]

To the end of all time...

It's like being forced to attend a bad party...

-Dylan

For me it is more like being forced to attend a bad movie, cinematic short film or a concert. Funny that this is being discussed now because, well last night I could not sleep. I was totally stuck or "looped" on this hook, I felt like I was actually living in the song or in the head of the guy who wrote the song.

It's called "End of All Time" by Stars of Track & Field

"To the end of all time, just so I can see the light and climb, over you.
To the end of all time, just so I can see the light and climb, over me."

http://www.myspace.com/starsoftrackandfield

I hear the song even though I am not listening to it in my head. I think this might be related to an trauma that happened around christmas. October to December is always a lonesome stretch of road for the Zero.

Oh yeah this is also funny because I just started a [DLMURL="http://www.ptsdforum.org/group.php?do=discuss&group=&discussionid=47"]thread[/DLMURL] in the [DLMURL="http://www.ptsdforum.org/group.php?groupid=12"]Art, Music, Poetry & Photography Group[/DLMURL] called [DLMURL="http://www.ptsdforum.org/group.php?do=discuss&group=&discussionid=47"]Songs, Music or Musicians that help you through[/DLMURL]!

But I don't know if being "Looped" counts as "helping through" I guess it can go both ways either driving you batty or helping to pass time with the pain or externalize it.

 

[zula3679]

Pandora,

I admire your courage to ask a question that might make others (like me) feel we were crazy just to ask.

I have been hearing songs in my head FOREVER and always thought it was just my particular kind of crazy going on. It used to be that I'd get triggered and the songs I'd hear would be only the ones that caused additional anxiety.

Now, the songs I hear are the ones whose lyrics are appropriate to my current state...even if I'm not aware of it at the time. I'd hear the song/fragmented lyrics and have an a-ha moment that would clue me in to my true feelings.

Strangely enough, even though it's the holidays and I'm hearing holiday music all day long, the songs in my head are about relationships/happiness/unhappiness...which is exactly where my emotions are right now.

I've never heard of another person experiencing this and I give thanks for everyone who responded to Pandora's question. Now, I don't feel so alone/crazy for having this unique coping mechanism in my head.

Lisa

 

[MarkHutt]

Well, especially when stressed, say by work, some song can be playing in my head the whole day. Somehow some song pops into mind, perhaps heard it on previous day, who knows, and I find myself "listening" to it. Sometimes I'v even tried to "change the record", by starting thinking another song. Say, when Michael Jackson died, I was "listening" "I'll be there", for a few days.

20 years ago I was on university work exchange program far away in Canada, and that was extremely stressful - strange country, strange language, strange job.... - and I recall "listening" Canada's national anthem "O' Canada, my home and native land..." over and over - and over again.

I suppose thats one defence mechanism for a C-PTSD.

 

[pandora]

I guess I am treating this question just like a normal question. When I taught the personal support worker program, I always used to tell my students to ask..there are no stupid questions....

I know I am not crazy but I am very insightful and I know that this singing and the song playing is very distracting. I am so glad to hear I am not the only one. We are not crazy..that is a definate. We all have different coping mechanisms and though we may feel crazy..we are not.

 

[Cryptantha]

I get this. It's really bad when a sad/depressing song combines with bad PTSD days. The song repeating (or phrase of a song) can drive me to deep depression. Sometimes it's the whole song over and over again, and somehow that's worse. When I "find" another song (often without realizing it at all), that one repeats. For SOME strange reason I avoid the starting song for some time! (Hearing it for days does that sometimes! Doh!)

 

[rjtransient]

This is why I listen to noise.

Or I'll purposely choose one of the inanely catchy rock songs from the car radio and put that on repeat. If my brain insists on replaying song fragments, it might as well be a song I can tolerate.

Have any of you been able to switch the tracks?

Even my dreams have soundtracks. I'll wake up with something stuck in my head. If I can hunt down the MP3 and play it, it'll fade out, sometimes. But as someone else said above, it's a quick way to identify emotional states because the situation alters the background music. One of these days I'll go catatonic, dissociate, and communicate entirely in lyrics.

 

[Cryptantha]

I can switch the tracks with effort. Sometimes I can remember at least 5 full songs at once. If I'm really bad though I can't change it. I'm definitely not allowed to listen to depressing songs if I can help it! :^_^ Most times when I try to listen to more music to get another track to play it doesn't work. Has to be one my mind is storing at the moment.

 

[pandora]

I am amazed that others experience this too. I noticed it more in a counselling appt...I just could not hear or concentrate on her words because the stupid song would not stop..I asked her and she said it is a form of disassociation..it is confusing and frustrating but just another coping mechanism!

 

[onebravegirl]

Yep
And it is usually because there is something in the lyrics that rings true for how I was feeling. So I would go home, Find the song on the internet, Play it LOUD and it would go away.
For a while they were two songs that I needed to hear over and over. Johnny Cash's HURT, and Dixie Chicks I'm Not Ready To Play Nice. They were very therapudic for me.
O

 

[2notbedefeated]

I have both the good, encouraging songs that fit my taste for music,

as well as the stupid rhymes and songs my abuser sang to me in his attempt to appeal to me when I was very little and which he used to try and brainwash me.

I keep trying to replace these horrible tunes with the ones that bring peace, strength and encouragement. How long does it take a person to stop hearing the "horrible" ones and start to hear the hopeful and better ones? Do the bad oes ever go away? I hope so.

 

[jo74]

"There's a hole in my bucket." Over and over again. It's been in my brain for a week now!
It's driving me............NORMAL!

jo

 

[Coast]

Yes!

I thought I was the only one on Earth who did this! I am really surprised to find lots of people basically saying the same things I would. It's automatic, it can be infuriating, it's worst the closer I get to hospitalisation levels of unwell and it makes it hard to focus. It's often television jingles or fragments of songs rather than whole songs, same as others, and they can go round and round on a loop for hours.

I have tried singing them, as if they were an unresolved wish- it doesn't make them go away. I have tried singing something else, or even just playing something else loud but it's like someone turned on another radio and I can't focus on the one I want to hear. I've even had thoughts or imaginary fragments of conversation get stuck on the loop too, usually things of no significance at all.

I'd love to know why it happens? Anyone know?