Existential Dread in The Amazing Digital Circus Gummigoo and the Abyss — Therapist Analysis

Even fictional characters like Gummig Goo face existential dread, reminding us that questioning our purpose is a universal human experience.

I really felt such a kinship with Gummig Goo; I just really adored him. The thing that I found the most compelling about Gummig Goo was his humanity. So, I thought that we would go through Gummig Goo and his own existential dread because I think that the psychology of that is something that many of us go through at least at one point in our life. Let's take a look at Gummig Goo and a little bit of his journey.

I think that any of us would have an anxiety response when everything around you isn't what you thought it was. It causes this shock value, and for Gummig Goo, it is his own reality—who he is, what his meaning is. But I think that for a lot of us, we end up with this feeling of existential dread, and that can happen at any time when we're dealing with life changes, when we're dealing with what we want to be, or when we have to make changes in our life that we didn't expect to have to make. This brings all of these thoughts of our meaning, the purpose of the world around us, what brings meaning to our life, and why we are here. So even though Gummig Goo has a very specific situation, I think that this is something that is very common—those feelings of existential dread, of feeling so small in this huge world. This picture can cause full-blown panic attacks.

A lot of times, existential dread comes from questions that don't have any real good answers or ones that you're not ready to grasp yet because it is an unsolvable problem, an area that is unknown, or one that you feel trapped in. This causes us to have this feeling of fight or flight, and when you can't solve the problem, especially for people that are natural problem solvers, it causes them to spin. They want to get answers, but there are no good answers to get.

For Gummig Goo and for all of us going through this, the good part is that he has someone else to talk to, to run through these questions with. But a lot of times, these types of questions happen when we're alone. They don't actually occur when people are around because we're too busy thinking of other things. These are the kind of things that would happen when we're alone at night, when there are no distractions, when we have moments to be left alone with our mind. This can be a good thing if your mind is being kind to you, but it can be really difficult if you're going through trauma, stress, depression, or one of these life changes.

The question of "What am I?" is one that we often ask. Sometimes it's not just "What am I?" but "What is my purpose? Why am I here? What does any of this actually matter?" Not having answers to these questions can cause an anxiety that will keep on building upon itself. The more that you cycle, we often believe that we can think our way out of anxiety, but the part of our brain that deals with that can only cycle us deeper into it. That's why I would say this is the time to either speak to someone that you find soothing or to journal it out yourself. Writing things down, and I actually mean writing them down with a pen and paper the old-school way, slows everything down. Then you can look at it analytically, which starts to engage the cognitive part of your mind. You would want to answer those questions: What gives meaning to you? What matters to you? It doesn't have to be the perfect answer; there often aren't perfect answers, but the good enough answer and one that you believe is true.

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Writing down your thoughts with pen and paper can slow your mind and help you find what truly matters to you.

When you find someone soothing or when you are able to journal it out yourself, it is important to slow down your mind. Writing things down with a pen and paper in the old school way can help with this because it slows everything down. This allows you to look at it analytically, engaging the cognitive part of your mind. You would then want to answer questions such as what gives meaning to you and what matters to you. It doesn’t have to be the perfect answer, as there often aren’t perfect answers, but a good enough answer that you believe is true. These answers should be based on your own reality and belief system, not just idealistic views like unicorns and rainbows unless they genuinely matter to you. This approach ensures that the answers stick not just for your cognitive mind but also for the emotional part that is worried in the first place.

The character Gummy Goo, who cares deeply about his mom, illustrates this concept well. His journey is particularly heartbreaking because he seems like one of the most human characters despite not being human. His worries and questions, such as "Where's Mom? I have a mom, shouldn't she be here with everyone else?", resonate deeply. This feeling of loss and questioning reality can often happen with major life changes such as job losses, relationship breakups, deaths, or moving to a new place. During such transitions, you might reflect on what mattered, what didn’t, what was real, and what wasn’t. These reflections can shake up your entire relationship with yourself and those around you. However, these transitions can also make you into a better, stronger person, even though change is often accompanied by risk and discomfort. Holding onto old pieces of the past can hinder growth and becoming a better version of yourself.

In moments of panic, such as a panic attack, the body goes into fight or flight mode, preparing for danger. The brain does not distinguish between emotional and physical danger, giving the same response to both. This is what Gummy Goo experiences, preparing to run or fight. An anxiety response is not a weakness but a beneficial trait if actual danger is present. If not, it is important to calm yourself and avoid filling up your anxiety cup, which can lead to a panic attack.

For Pomy, comforting Gummy Goo is challenging because all his beliefs and relationships are fake. In such distressing situations, it is crucial not to throw out lies, as they do not provide genuine comfort.

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Sometimes, the best way to help someone is to show them they matter by needing them too.

You're filling up your anxiety cup, which is going to eventually cause a panic attack. No, you want to talk about it? What is there to talk about? That doesn't matter in the slightest. I'm nothing—my life, my memories, my friends. It's so...

That's a really difficult situation for Pomy to be in. She wants to be able to comfort Gummig Goo, but in this case, all of the beliefs and relationships that Gummig Goo has are fake. You don't want to just throw out lies for someone, especially when they're under distress. They're just going to dismiss all of that and then actually not trust the next things that you say. So, the next statements that Pomy makes are really important. They have to be based in truth, but she also wants them to be soothing.

You can think to yourself, what would you do or say to best comfort Gummig Goo that would be based in reality and comforting at the same time? I think I know the feeling. Feeling like you're nothing is kind of normal. I mean, people even feel like that in the world I came from. But you still care about your buddies up there, don't you? I like that she grasps hold of something that is true for Gummig Goo—the care that he has for the people around him.

It's a really difficult balance, especially when you say, "I know how you're feeling." For some people, that can be something that immediately makes you want to push them away because they feel like the gravity of their pain doesn't really matter since someone else is trying to share it. For other people with different personality types, they'll actually feel comforted by that because they're not alone, not looked down upon, or not judged. So, your reaction to that would be very different depending on your personality type.

I'm sure they still care about you. What does it matter? What do we have when you people leave? That goes to the meaning of life and what we're here for. The meaning of life is what you make of it; it's what you bring to it. I think that's what Pomy is trying to say: because you care, because this matters to you, it matters. You choose what are the things that are important to you, not just through your words but through your actions, and that shows what are the things that are grounded in your reality.

Maybe you could be somebody real there. Why are you trying to cheer me up? I think that matters to so many of us—to be something real to someone else, to matter to someone. That feeling of at least not being forgotten is often one of the things people have when feeling lonely or wondering what they are going to do in this world to leave their mark. For Gummig Goo, it really matters that this is genuine, that she actually wants this for herself, that he's not just some charity case, or she's not just doing this to make herself feel better or out of sympathy.

A lot of people, especially with Gummig Goo's tough outer coating, don't want sympathy or to be looked down upon. They would probably rather just be alone. I don't want anybody to feel like that, but I'm not even a real person. Would I even belong? I'm sure you wouldn't belong any less than me, and I could use a friend.

A friend. That switch in the way Pomy said it—not "you could use a friend" or "I could be your friend" but "I could use a friend"—made a huge difference in this conversation. Gummig Goo, by being her friend, would be doing a favor for her. That's part of his makeup: he's there to solve problems, help his mom, and do what he has to do to help others. This perfectly fits his personality type, greatly increasing the chances that he's going to accept this.

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You can't fill your emptiness with others or things; you have to matter to yourself first.

Would I even belong?" I'm sure you wouldn't belong any less than me, and I could use a friend. A friend. That switch in the way that Pomy said it—not "you could use a friend" or "I could be your friend," but "I could use a friend"—really made a huge difference in this conversation. By being her friend, Gummy Goo would be doing a favor for her, and that's part of his makeup. He's there to solve problems, help his mom, and do what he has to do to help others. This perfectly fits his personality type, which greatly increases the chances that he's going to accept this offer.

"You're a strange little character. Suppose I could give it a try." You hear some of that Gummy Goo toughness coming back. He puts back on his hat, ready to be the hero or the villain of this story, to rescue someone. This is another technique to remind people of who they are and what they can do. They've dealt with worse and survived, and they'll be able to deal with this too. Sometimes, wondering and worrying about the world around you is okay, but that doesn't mean you want to be swallowed into that existential dread. It's a place you want to visit and then pull yourself out of by doing different activities, staying busy, giving yourself a purpose, and knowing that you matter.

I'll just say it: I know it's very therapy-like, but you have to matter to yourself first. You can't fill that void with everyone else, things, money, or titles. It feels good in the moment, but in the end, you will end up with your bucket still empty. "All I ask is that we don't tell The Lads about this. They are a couple of broad audio boys, and I don't want to drag them down with me." That makes sense. How sweet. Gummy Goo is just so sweet. He is also trying to protect his friends from having to go through the trauma he's experiencing. A lot of people would want to tell everyone to share the trauma, but that would just cause secondary trauma to everyone else. I love his natural protective nature.

"What's your name, by the way?" "Gig." "Wow, that's just about as dumb as my name." He's been through so much, but I guess some light-hearted humor and a little touch of truth at the same time. "So this is the circus, huh? Not going to get used to this." "Oh, looks like one of these guys made it through. Wait, what?" "Wait, what?" I know you guys love your NPCs, but if I start losing track of who's a human and who's an NPC, that was the most heartbreaking scene for me. I didn't expect it at all. Sometimes, what happens in life is that the path you're on is one you have to switch without any warning, causing huge shell shock.

If you are dealing with your own feelings of existential dread similar to Gummy Goo, it could be a life transition, a career change, or choosing what to study. You want to journal everything down. Write down the questions that happen inside your head, and when you feel more calm, not in the spin, answer them. If you have anyone you trust or a professional in the field, they can give you some answers and thoughts. Make it something true to you. Keeping busy, doing other things, being creative, and expanding your mind will help your brain cycle through feelings of darkness, negativity, or dread. Remember, the more you do something, the better you get at it. Neurons that fire together wire together.