ASMR for relaxing

[breakinglight11]

There's this concept called "autonomous sensory meridian response," or ASMR, which describes kind of a pleasant tingling sensation that accompanies deep relaxation. Not everybody seems to experience it, but many people find it's triggered by whispering and other forms of white noise. A lot of people on Youtube have made videos where they roleplay some low-key activity, using guided imagery in a whisper to induce the reaction in the listener.

I only occasionally have the tingling response, but I do find the videos to be good for relaxing, particularly when I can't sleep. Sleep has been a bit funny for me recently-- I have a harder time falling asleep and a harder time waking up, which seems to have started around when my mother died. The videos I like and work best for me are usually have the maker roleplaying giving the listener a massage or facial and describe the process as they go through it. If I had the money I would get those things on a regular basis, but even just the idea of them is relaxing for me. It's a bit silly when you think about it, listening to some random person on the Internet whisper about pretending to give you a skin treatment, but it works for me. And it's a damn sight better than pills or drink or something.

Comments

[youareverysmall.livejournal.com]

Sam has ASMR, too! I'm not sure she uses it for relaxing...she gets head tingles whenever she listens to early music. I don't think she knows anyone else who gets that response.

[laurion]

I don't have ASMR, but I get wonderful emotional and intellectual tingles when I listen or perform early music.

[laurion]

Not silly at all. Often to settle my mind and body if I am not falling asleep I will visualize each part of my body getting massaged and relaxed and I can use this to consciously loosen up. Of course, I'm old, and this is a technique I developed pre-YouTube. And it sounds like this is similar - a soothing voice with guided imagery is helping you visualize, if not actualize, an experience that has been designed to be a relaxing one. How is this different from people who listen to the sound of waves, or rain, or the woods?