ASMR

Kannon

I've been listening to ASMR for a few years now. I started listening when I began looking for ways to relax as I dipped into Buddhism.

A lot of us here are very interested in technology and new mediums of mindfulness. There's online Sanghas such as ours, meditation groups, guided meditation, mantras, and dharma talks at the tip of our fingers.

ASMR stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response. Generally, if you've experienced it you'll know immediately what ASMR means once you look up the definition. If you don't know, you haven't experienced it. Most people remember first experiencing it in childhood; I did at doctor/dentist visits, jewelry counters, elementary school... Just a vague sense of relaxation stimulated by specific voices or sounds.

For some it is a purely physical sensation, relaxing and sleep inducing. As ASMR has grown, people have become more passionate and personal. Now people can reach kind words, comforting thoughts, and relaxing roleplays whenever they want.

I think this is very interesting, people sharing compassion with strangers for the purposes of falling asleep, helping with depression/anxiety, or simple relaxtion. Many ASMR creators share their own personalities, views, and stories to their audiences. There are real connections and emotions being made/shared, without (much) monetary or face value.

There are hundreds of ASMR creators on Youtube and elsewhere. They all come from different countries and speak different languages and live different lives. But despite all those differences, anyone can listen in and relax and feel better. I was wondering if you all found this interesting.

https://asmruniversity.com/about-asmr/what-is-asmr/

This is an introductory video from Gentle Whispering. She is a creator who has been around since before ASMR became popular/widely known, and is 5 thousand subscribers from being the first ASMR creator to reach one million subscribers!

Some people are put off by personal attention and want simple sounds. Others enjoy the friendly and casual conversation. Some like roleplays which recreate safe environments like massage therapy, doctor visits, makeup applications, etc.

Jeroen

I quite enjoyed that... thanks for the introduction to ASMR...

Kannon

@Kerome You're welcome! PM me any time if you want specific suggestions for anything, or ASMRtist recommendations. (ASMR + artist - what creators are generally called within the community)

Tingle on!

Kannon

I will warn - as with anything, you can over-indulge in ASMR. If you like it too much you'll listen too much and then become immune to the tingles! It all kind of begins to sound the same, and very bland, like if all you eat is fast food. I used to watch multiple videos several times a day. Now they are just part of my nightly "routine". I also like to watch them if I am especially upset. I used to watch them if I was just plain bored - bad idea! Whenever I'm bored now I just wanna nap or lay down. But I am beginning to break the habit.

Vastmind

I found it too intimate...in an intrusive kind of way. I'm not going to call it weird....just uncomfortable, for me. After, I wondered if there was any science related to it... found this article:

https://www.theguardian.com/science/head-quarters/2016/jan/08/asmr-and-head-orgasms-whats-the-science-behind-it

ETA : this is a newer article .... 2017.
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/researchers-begin-gently-probe-science-behind-asmr-180962550/

Kannon

@Vastmind that is just fine. Some people do not like it. If you would like to give it one more try for experimental sake, there are people who make videos without talking or showing their face, exclusively working with sounds. But that too can be off putting... If it isn't your cup of tea, at least you tried a sip.

Thank you for the article link I had not read it before. There's a lot of neat information.

karasti

I will watch the video (and perhaps some others) later. My husband is watching a war movie and kids are playing chess, they are very animated when they play But I read the articles @Vastmind posted. Super interesting. Within a few paragraphs, I thought, "My son needs to try this."
I have a 20 year old son who suffers anxiety and seasonal affective disorder both of which affect his sleep while he is away at school, but he is absolutely resistant to doctor treatments because he is looking for a high security clearance job and doesn't want it to be impacted by any mental health stuff (sigh). Vitamin D has helped a lot. But he is a very sensory person. He is on the ASD and has typical sensory issues with being highly sensitive to some things, and not enough to others. I just get the sense this is something that might help him. Thank you for sharing I'll follow up later!

Kannon

in conjunction with my other thread, here is a new video from one of my favorite ASMRtists of all time, an all around cool guy:

@karasti any updates?