if he has fallen asleep, he will recover

Sometimes obsessions aren't what they appear to be. Sometimes what's being repeated isn't the action itself but some underlying feeling. Sometimes they're another XXX-ion. Maybe for instance diversion.

I've seen the Lord of the Rings: the Return of the King in its entirety an obscene number of times: 31. 15 times in theaters; 5 times on hotel pay-per views; 7 times on DVD on my laptop on the road; and 4 times at home. And those are just the times I've seen the movie from start to finish. There are particular favorite scenes I've seen literally a hundred times. On its face, I'm an obsessive fan, one to be genially teased and mocked. You've seen it how many times? Maybe if they understood that many of these viewings were for relief and not for entertainment it would be encouragement I'd be receiving and not mockery.

During the first week of the movie's release, I watched the movie seven times. During the first week of its release, I wanted to sleep forever to stop the bickering in my head. During the first week of the movie's release I memorized the film line for line. During the first week of its release, I wept without reason and withdrew without consideration. Coincidences?

The movie for me is like Ritalin for ADHDers -- something that provides a measure of such intense focus, all else is drowned in silence. And when all you crave is silence some end to the screaming some end to the mental noise some end to the overwhelming some end some end

some end

Well, what if for 3 hours and 20 minutes you could stop them all? That for 200 minutes all that was before you was that something golden and all of it would stop and not talk but listen? What if you could weep from being moved by visual stimuli rather than from frustration and self-contempt? What if the internal peace you'd dropped on the way to the corner store had made its way to the Loews and had saved you a seat?

Obsession? No. Distraction from depression.