A TECHNIQUE TO DEAL WITH INSOMNIA AND ANXIETY DISORDERS

PSYCHOLOGY AND ASMR

Try connecting to Youtube and typing «ASMR», you will be amazed by the amount of content present: people whispering into a microphone, others making various kinds of noises using paper, bottles, plastic objects and even those who create real role playing games in which they play call center workers, beauticians, psychologists, doctors etc.

ASMR stands for autonomic sensory meridian response (ASMR) and is a term used to refer to an experience characterized by a tingling-like sensation that typically begins on the scalp and moves down the back of the neck and upper spine. The bodily experience is accompanied, as reported by the people who use it, by a sense of quiet, muscle relaxation, calm and peace.

ASMR is most commonly triggered by specific auditory or visual stimuli and less commonly by intentional control of attention. Furthermore, when viewing an ASMR video you will notice different sensations, some of us tend to prefer certain types of noises, while others seek this sensation by listening to whispered or inaudible voices and will, instead, be annoyed by certain noises. It is important to underline, in fact, that not all people experience this effect: sometimes it is necessary to discover the right trigger by searching among the available sources.

ASMR is usually perceived by stimuli called “triggers”. THE activates ASMRwhich are most commonly acoustic and visual, can be sexperimented in interpersonal interactions deeveryday life (for example talking to someone). Furthermore, ASMR is often triggered by exposure to specific audio and videos and on Youtube you can find content created for the specific purpose of experiencing the ASMR effect.

Since 2009, approximately 2 million videos relating to ASMR have been uploaded; some YouTubers record millions of views per single video and, at present, ASMR represents a world of continuous evolution and experimentation. Such important numbers cannot go unnoticed and, as a psychologist, I began to be interested in it, initially as a user and, only later, I began to propose it to my patients as a supplement to psychotherapy for anxiety and sleep disorders.

Let’s talk about triggers. Stimuli that can trigger ASMR, as reported by those who experience it, can be:

• listen to a whispered voice;
• hearing low-intensity, repetitive sounds resulting from someone engaged in a mundane task such as turning the pages of a book, eating, etc.;
• watching someone carefully perform a mundane task such as preparing food;
• chewing loudly, crunching, swallowing, or biting food, drinks, or gum;
  receiving attention (someone who takes care of your need).

A PERSONAL INTERPRETATION OF THE PHENOMENON

The ASMR effect is an individual and localized sensation that could correspond to the pleasure felt by the small child when he is cuddled, reassured, caressed by his mother on certain parts of the body. It is possible that each of us has memorized these sensations (tactile, emotional, auditory) during the neonatal period and that particular triggers can again activate the same sensation of calm and pleasure. For example, the mother’s voice and its calming power could be recalled by similarity (frequency, tone, etc.) to a voice (whispering, etc.) or a sound (bottles, paper, etc.), eliciting reactions on the body similar to those we felt as children. The area of ​​sensitivity where each of us feels the ASMR sensation could correspond to the point where we were caressed or touched as newborns. It is well known that mothers use certain techniques to put their babies to sleep, telling stories, caressing them, whispering words or using particular objects that make particular noises. There is also an extreme subjectivity in the ASMR response, which brings to mind the different ways in which each of us experienced caregiving in childhood. For the category of people who experience ASMR from sounds or noises, it is not difficult to trace these perceptions back to those experienced by the child during his first years of life. For example, while Mom was trying to put me to sleep by massaging my head, there might be a noise in the same room coming from some particular source, such as a rattle. Through a simple conditioning mechanism, the child will come to associate the moment of tenderness and pleasure with the sounds present in the room and the evocation of just one of these stimuli will activate those specific sensations.

At this completely personal level of interpretation, we could consider the ASMR effect a response capable of counteracting the arousal deriving from internal or external stimuli. If it is true that the child at birth expresses his own basic temperament which influences the ability to manage the appearance of adverse stimuli, it will be the caregiver’s contribution to providing, through care, those consolatory responses, made up of caresses and reassurances which will build and implement the ability to manage negative emotions. The ASMR effect could constitute a «recall» to those very pleasant sensations of care that our brain has memorized and has not forgotten.

WHEN TO USE ASMR

• Whenever you feel particularly anxious or are ruminating about something that worries you excessively
• When you want to help you fall asleep and relax

WHO CAN USE IT

• Everyone can use it: Even if you don’t experience the effect fully, it can still relax you. The important thing is to find the source that’s right for you!
• Anyone suffering from chronic disorders where the psychological component plays a significant role: tinnitus, fibromyalgia, etc.

SOME USEFUL TIPS TO BENEFIT MOST FROM ASMR

• Make yourself comfortable, preferably lying down or sitting in a comfortable position
• Eliminate all sources of distraction
• Wear a pair of headphones
• Reduce the lighting in the room