Have you ever experienced ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response)? Meridian Response)?

Although I might not remember what I had for dinner a week ago, I can remember some things from 85-90 years ago.

I remember kindergarten. We each had a blanket we stored in a cupboard. Every morning, at about 10:30, we would take out our blankets, unroll them, lay them on the floor, and nap. I loved naps then and still do.

I also remember my first experience with ASMR in third grade. It may have been earlier, but I distinctly remember the experience itself. It was that pleasant.

I was sitting at my desk writing something. It may have been arithmetic.

I remember my teacher, a lady, coming up the aisle and squatting just behind me and to my right.

She touched my shoulder and said softly, “That’s good, Rodger.”

I especially remember my ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response), which I almost can feel now.

It’s a very enjoyable tingly feeling in the scalp that runs from my forehead, up the top of my head, and down my neck.

Over the years, I have periodically experienced ASMR, though less frequently recently.

It always arrives the same way.

I am sitting and doing some small-muscle activity that requires some focus, usually writing. A female comes up behind me, touches my right shoulder, and says something softly.

It has to be a female, and it has to be my right shoulder. Don’t ask.

And that’s it. That’s what the ASMR community calls a “trigger.”

Apparently, everyone has a different trigger. It can be a touch or a sound, and you have to be in a quiet, receptive moment.

For the past 80 years, I thought it was exclusive to me, so I never discussed it with anyone. Now, 80+ years later, I just discovered it’s a real thing, far more common than I could have guessed. You can look it up here.

There even are websites devoted to ASMR.  Here are several.

They primarily consist of people, usually women, doing mundane things like slowly painting or giving a soft massage, all while whispering. This is an example.

Sadly, I found them useless, almost embarrassing. I would call it “ASMR porn.” I assume others have different responses.

I don’t know why it exists. As infants, most of us were softly stroked and whispered to by our mothers, and this pleasant experience may be the origin of ASMR, though I cannot say why it manifests in that tingly feeling on the scalp.

Whenever I visited my wife in the hospital, she liked me to touch her hair very softly, just the whisps, not even touching her scalp. I don’t know whether she was experiencing ASMR, but her outward reaction was indicative.

Not only is ASMR more widely felt than I imagined, but it may also not be exclusive to humans.  Grooming is common among mammals, though I don’t know whether they experience ASMR the way we do.

My friend has a dog that can sit patiently while being softly petted, and when I stop, she uses her front paws to move my hands back in place.

In short, if you have not experienced ASMR, you may not be able to imagine what I’m talking about, but if you have, you may have been like me, thinking you were the only one.

And now you know there is a name for this quite pleasant, fleeting experience.

Enjoy.

Rodger Malcolm Mitchell

Monetary Sovereignty

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Source: https://mythfighter.com/2024/09/01/have-you-ever-experienced-asmr-autonomous-sensory-meridian-response-merid/