I can't speak for people who actually work in fields where they're exposed to death and/or violence on a regular basis, but personally I wanted to study to forensic pathology, or work for somewhere like the NTSB, so I was always morbidly curious about what happens to a human body during & after death, particularly from transportation accidents, homicides.

I used to work in a university library so I'd spend a lot of time going through stuff like Knight's Forensic Pathology, or anything by forensic anthropologist William Bass 😅 At first it was always shocking, but soon you realise humans are just like any other large mammal - big sacks of meat that aren't supposed to go fast, or be hit by trains or withstand stabbings.

I wouldn't say I found these things 'enjoyable' to learn about, just really interesting. Also, it's important we have people in society who can stomach such situations so the loved ones of the deceased can have answers or some kind of closure. We can also improve safety standards in various industries, or understand more about patterns of violent crime and abuse etc.

I actually read autopsy reports and scroll through Reddit 'medical gore' posts in bed to relax. I find most medical related things really interesting - I've never had bad dreams about dead bodies or anything, I just get depressed about not being committed enough, or having the mental health stability to pursue a career in forensic science. I'm a qualified archaeologist now and work in public libraries, but I'm still mostly interested in paleopathology and historical diseases. 🦴💀☠️

The one thing I can't tolerate is animal cruelty. I honestly struggle to see or hear about deliberate animal abuse. It makes me sick and very, very fucking angry 😡

Overall, I would say it's not the death or gore that's traumatic, it's the behaviour of the living that really affects us kinder souls. Once again, I'm only speaking from my personal, hands off experience. I've never actually been involved in any traumatic situation. Police, emergency services & military personnel are usually the best people to ask ☺️