History Main / PsychicNosebleed

* In the demo for ''VideoGame/BioShockInfinite'', your partner character Elizabeth can actually get a nosebleed from using too much of her psychokinetic powers as seen [[http://bioshock.wikia.com/wiki/File:20100918_ch311.jpg here.]] In the final game, Booker experiences nosebleeds as a result of traveling through rifts in space/time.

* In ''[[FanFic/SovereignGFCOrigins Origins]]'', a ''Franchise/MassEffect''[=/=]''Franchise/StarWars''[[spoiler:[=/=]''[=Borderlands=]''[=/=]''[=Halo=]'']] MassiveMultiplayerCrossover, an unscrupulous asari experiences this. [[StarWars Disruptor]] blast 1, biotic barriers 0. The encounter is ultimately fatal even though she doesn't end up vaporized.

* The '80s movie version of ''Film/{{Dune}}'' involved a scene in which several Bene Gesserit (psychic witches) cried blood when Paul drank [[PsychoSerum the Water of Life]].

* ''Series/{{Heroes}}''
** Telepathic cop Matt Parkman in the first season

* In the fifth season of ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', Willow gets some of these after using a teleportation spell on Glory.

* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine''

** In the episode "The Muse", Jake experiences a Psychic Nosebleed ([[spoiler:twice]]) because an alien creature is [[spoiler: stimulating his creativity in order to feed off his mental energy]].
* ''Series/{{Lost}}''

* Used in ''Film/TheWizardOfGore'' to show that Montag had the morgue attendant hypnotized. It's later revealed that the attendant died from the experience.

* Three years prior to the TropeMaker, ''Film/TheFury'' presented an UrExample. Gillian's unfamiliarity with her powers causes bleeding on people who touch her, especially if they're already injured in some way (i.e. a wound opens back up). At the end, [[spoiler: she weaponizes her by-then enhanced powers to kill the BigBad by making him explode]].

* The 80s movie version of ''Film/{{Dune}}'' involved a scene in which several Bene Gesserit (psychic witches) cried blood when Paul drank [[PsychoSerum the Water of Life]].

* In the Chevy Chase comedy ''Film/ModernProblems'', he uses his new psychic powers to make someone else's nose bleed.

* This happens to all [[PsychicPowers mentalists]] in the ''Roleplay/GlobalGuardiansPBEMUniverse'' when they overstress their powers past their normal limits.

->''I, I must remind you that the, uh, scanning experience is usually a painful one, sometimes resulting in nosebleeds, earaches, stomach cramps, nausea.''

[[quoteright:320:[[Film/{{Scanners}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nosebleed.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:320:[-Cameron Vale [[PstandardPsychicPstance ponders]] and [[TropeMaker bleeds]].-] ]]

** ComicBook/JeanGrey and Rachel Summers. Hardly surprising, since the second is the first's time-travelling daughter from an alternate future.

* Gabrielle the witch from Roleplay/WeAreAllPiratesRevenge bleeds from her nose (and sometimes even her ears) whenever she uses her psychic powers. Naturally, since the rest of the crew on the ''Zenpance'' are not magically inclined, they get worried whenever this happens, but [[DontYouDarePityMe she brushes it off]].

* ''Film/TheDarkTower2017''. The BigBad has a CompellingVoice that few have the power to resist. When a seer tries to do so, she starts bleeding from the nose to show the effort she's putting into it. ResistanceIsFutile and she dies from the strain.

* This happens to Zorg in ''Film/TheFifthElement'' when having a telephone conversation with the BigBad.

* In ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'', after using his Amaterasu Sharingan technique, one of Itachi's eyes begins to bleed profusely and becomes extremely bloodshot. [[spoiler:After using Amaterasu and several other similar techniques repeatedly, Sasuke's eye bleed ''even more'' and are so bloodshot they look like they're about to '''explode'''.]]
** [[spoiler: While trying to trap the 9 tailed fox inside his Chibaku Tensei meteor, Pain gets a nosebleed from the strain of the technique.]]

* In ''[[FanFic/SovereignGFCOrigins Origins]]'', a ''MassEffect''[=/=]''StarWars''[[spoiler:[=/=]''[=Borderlands=]''[=/=]''[=Halo=]'']] MassiveMultiplayerCrossover, an unscrupulous asari experiences this. [[StarWars Disruptor]] blast 1, biotic barriers 0. The encounter is ultimately fatal even though she doesn't end up vaporized.

* Taken one [[{{Squick}} squicky]] step higher in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3''. The Sorrow's ''[[EyeScream eye]]'' bleeds when he uses his psychic powers to "test" Naked Snake.

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]

[[folder:Mythology & Religion]]

Purely mental battles are hard to show with special effects. Sure, you can have the characters sweat, strain, or show [[CrossPoppingVeins veins swelling on their forehead]]. But when a character with {{Telepathy}} or other PsychicPowers [[DeadlyUpgrade pushes them to the limit]], or when a character is under [[MindProbe mental]] [[MindRape attack]], nothing quite exemplifies the true state of affairs like a thin trickle of blood oozing from their nose.

* In ''[[FanFic/SovereignGFCOrigins Origins]]'', a ''MassEffect''[=/=]''StarWars''[[spoiler:[=/=]''[=Borderlands=]''[=/=]''[=Halo=]'']] MassiveMultiplayerCrossover, an unscrupulous asari experiences this. [[StarWars Disruptor]] blast 1, biotic barriers 0. [[CaptainObvious The encounter is ultimately fatal]] even though she doesn't end up vaporized.

* In Creator/SimonRGreen's ''Literature/{{Deathstalker}}'' series, Espers and the Maze People have this happen rather often, when pulling off big time abilities.
* In the Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse novel ''Literature/DeathStar'', a marginally Force-Sensitive stormtrooper called Nova Stihl is hit hard by the [[EarthShatteringKaboom destruction of the prison planet Despayre]], the Death Star's first test. Nova woke up screaming and felt like he had heard a million people cry out, all at once, as they were killed. Shortly afterwards the Death Star destroys Alderaan. For that, Nova was awake, but he was knocked unconscious and woke up with a nosebleed and intense muscle tremors. Poor conflicted bastard.

* Happens to [[{{Literature/Nightside}} John Taylor]] when he pushes his gift too hard, either by using it too many times in quick succession or by forcing his perceptions past some kind of mystical/psychic barrier.

* In ''Literature/{{Abarat}}'': Days of Magic, Nights of War Malingo suffers from this when Carion is interfereing with his control over the glyph.
* An odd case occurs in ''Literature/DarknessVisible'': Though venturing is not a purely psychic talent, there is a lot of mental strain involved, particularly the way that Lewis does it. When he pushes himself too far, the first outward sign is a nosebleed.
* Happens in ''Literature/TheShadowSpeaker'' when Ejii tries to search Dikeogu's mind.
* Christine Feehan's ''Ghost Walkers'' series has this happen as well as cerebral hemorrhages. But it's also said that the high numbers of hemorrhages and strokes in Shadow Game are anomalous.