# The unamed feeling/ ASMR



## Agape (Jan 22, 2012)

Before I started to do research on this I thought that everyone experience this but apparently is kind of rare. Curious it is more common on NFs or Introverts. For those that don't know what ASMR is:





> Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) is a physical sensation characterized by a pleasurable tingling that typically begins in the head and scalp, and often moves down the spine and through the limbs.
> 
> Most ASMR episodes begin by an external or internal trigger, and are so divided for classification. Type A episodes are elicited by the experiencer using no external stimuli, and are typically achieved by specific thought patterns unique to the individual. Type B episodes are triggered involuntarily by an external trigger, via one or more senses, and may also involve specific thought patterns associated with the triggering event. Both types of triggers vary between individuals, but many are common to a large portion of ASMR enjoyers.


Another definition:




> a strange, but pleasurable feeling that felt like tingles in the head – which some described as akin to an orgasm or perhaps being on a high after recreational drug use.


Another name for this is AIHO( Attention Induce Head Orgasm).I have experience this since little...one of my triggers is music..specially classical/instrumental. Sometimes the sensation gets so strong that tears flows out from my eyes. When it happens I don't want it to end. It is a very nice sensation .


Anyone else has experience this?....if yes, what are your common triggers?


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## HWard (Aug 24, 2011)

I get the shivers at times - that's quite odd.

With my ex, when they touched me and traced their fingers over my body it would have a really odd yet really pleasant sensation (most profound after orgasm) which would propagate if stopped in certain places up or down the area.


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## unico (Feb 3, 2011)

I've had this experience and didn't realize it was rare. I have it sometimes during meditating or reflecting on things that make me happy.


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## L (Aug 12, 2011)

I think I'm a type A, the only reservations I have about this is that I don't experience it as strongly as others have reported. Makes me wonder if what I experience is actually something else.


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## Aelthwyn (Oct 27, 2010)

I'm not sure just by the descriptions there if I know what you're talking about.....but shivers, yes, and tingling hair-standing-on-end feeling in my head sometimes.....and I lovelovelovelovelovelovelove having someone trace their fingers over my upper back, especially along the spine it gives me such delicious shivers that wash all over me....soooo *shrug* does that count? or is that actually normal?


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## Agape (Jan 22, 2012)

I have been thinking that most people that experience ASMR are introverts.All the people that have replied to this post up so far have been introverts..coincidence?...who knows. The science on this subject is very scarce, almost non-existent. The triggers varies from people to people; here is a list of some of them:


-Exposure to slow, accented, or unique speech patterns
-Viewing educational or instructive videos or lectures
-Experiencing a high empathetic or sympathetic reaction to an event
-Enjoying a piece of art or music
-Watching another person complete a task, often in a diligent, attentive manner - examples would be filling out a form, writing a check, going through a purse or bag, inspecting an item closely, etc.
-Close, personal attention from another person
-Haircuts, or other touch from another on head or back




HWard said:


> I get the shivers at times - that's quite odd. With my ex, when they touched me and traced their fingers over my body it would have a really odd yet really pleasant sensation (most profound after orgasm) which would propagate if stopped in certain places up or down the area.



That's interesting . Thanks for sharing. If I remember well...sex for some people actually decrease the sensation. But the triggers are different for each one that experience ASMR.




L_Lawliet said:


> I think I'm a type A, the only reservations I have about this is that I don't experience it as strongly as others have reported. Makes me wonder if what I experience is actually something else.



I remember one night while I was doing some abdominal breathing exercises and listening to music...the experience was so strong that tears started to flow out my eyes. The sensation/shivers move in wave like across all my body..from head to toe.




Aelthwyn said:


> I'm not sure just by the descriptions there if I know what you're talking about.....but shivers, yes, and tingling hair-standing-on-end feeling in my head sometimes.....and I lovelovelovelovelovelovelove having someone trace their fingers over my upper back, especially along the spine it gives me such delicious shivers that wash all over me....soooo *shrug* does that count? or is that actually normal?



That's counts as ASMR . Think is normal but not common. I thought that everyone experience this but most people that I have asked don't feel this.




unico said:


> I've had this experience and didn't realize it was rare. I have it sometimes during meditating or reflecting on things that make me happy.



That's interesting. One of the possible causes of ASMR that people have thought so far is that when we feel ASMR we are actually experiencing the release of happy neurochemicals in the brain.. I meditate too but to this day don't remember it to have trigger ASMR for me.


Here is link to a reddit group with a list of triggers...have fun finding what triggers it for you  :


ASMR. Massages for your brain!


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## E_N_T_P (Aug 9, 2011)

Agape said:


> I have been thinking that most people that experience ASMR are introverts.All the people that have replied to this post up so far have been introverts..coincidence?...who knows. The science on this subject is very scarce, almost non-existent. The triggers varies from people to people; here is a list of some of them:
> 
> 
> -*Exposure to slow, accented, or unique speech patterns*
> ...


I lived in Europe for 15 years, so I have a slight European accent that seems to arouse American women. Is that what you mean by “accented, or unique speech patterns”?


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## Agape (Jan 22, 2012)

E_N_T_P said:


> I lived in Europe for 15 years, so I have a slight European accent that seems to arouse American women. Is that what you mean by “accented, or unique speech patterns”?



For me speech patterns are not a trigger(so far). The speech patterns are usually soft speaking. I will not classified ASMR like something that arouses you. It is very pleasant( people compare it to orgasm) but has a different nature. Here are some videos of speech patterns that seems to trigger ASMR on some people:


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## tjoonz (Jul 1, 2012)

I'm an ENTP that has enjoyed type B asmr forever. Usually comes with close attention or relaxing sounds/experiences. I also don't think the fingers tracing the spine qualifies as ASMR, because that's shivers caused by nerve-endings, and is more akin to tickling than asmr imo.


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## Konstantin DL (Jul 3, 2012)

every time i get a haircut i always felt this feeling and never knew there was a name for it XD
it seems that when singers sing certain notes it triggers the same effect at least for me


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## iwontrememberthis (May 4, 2012)

I just learned about this recently, but I can recall may times when I have felt it. Usually it's been when people played with my hair, or someone whispered in my ear.


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## Laguna (Mar 21, 2012)

Agape said:


> I have been thinking that most people that experience ASMR are introverts.All the people that have replied to this post up so far have been introverts..coincidence?...who knows. The science on this subject is very scarce, almost non-existent. The triggers varies from people to people; here is a list of some of them:
> 
> 
> -Exposure to slow, accented, or unique speech patterns
> ...


huh
Yes- I get this.
Not from any of the things on your list. Not the type A type. Definitely B- external sources.
An instructional video will put me to sleep and never ever produce this reaction in me. lol


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## ujellyfish (Apr 15, 2011)

Woah I never knew there was a term for this. I guess I'm type B. I get this every now and then when people touch my head softly, mostly when they play with my hair gently (gently being the key word here... people tugging on my ringlets because they jiggle funny never quite cut it for me...) I've experienced this. Sometimes it can even happen just from someone putting a hat on me or something of the sort. It happens more often when I'm not expecting it entirely. It's kind of like the warm equivalent of a shiver which starts slowly at the top of my head and works down from there. It's only a couple of seconds but I'm just kind of overwhelmed with a peaceful happiness and I feel really warm and appreciated.
How interesting!
I'd be surprised if it wasn't a universal thing though... I suspect that there just haven't been enough studies on the subject.


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## nádej (Feb 27, 2011)

This happens to me _so_ often. From music, from physical touch, from intimate one-on-one conversations, from witnessing something that hits at my soul, conversations with people who speak a certain way, etc, etc. There have been a few times when it's happened out-of-the-blue, more due to my thoughts than anything external, but typically it's a response to external stimuli of some sort.

I had no idea that not everyone experiences it - it's always been such a part of my life.


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## Aqualung (Nov 21, 2009)

I've watched my arm during a song that gives me goosebumps. Kind of interesting. Goes from flat to bumpy instantly. And that headrush from my brain to my body that almost makes my ears ring. The song's over & it's slowly going back to flat again. Weird that they finally named it. Knew what it was, didn't know what to call it.


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## HonestThief (May 28, 2012)

Yeah this happens to me often, I didn't know it was rare


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## Jewl (Feb 28, 2012)

Agape said:


> Before I started to do research on this I thought that everyone experience this but apparently is kind of rare. Curious it is more common on NFs or Introverts. For those that don't know what ASMR is:
> 
> Another definition:
> 
> ...


I don't think this is all that rare. 

But yes, I do get this a lot. Of course, it can come with physical sensation, but music is a big one for me. Or sometimes just drinking in an experience to the fullest... like walking through a city, looking at the people, taking everything in all at once and just realizing that there's something powerful and wonderful about it. Perhaps just taking a walk. Listening to a choir or an instrument -- sometimes it's just a single note, sometimes it's a phrase, or sometimes it's just the entire thing. Having a deep conversation. Having a sudden and important realization. Looking at something utterly beautiful. Sometimes just receiving a smile... 

Lots of things can trigger this feeling for me. ^_^


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## hallrann (Jun 13, 2012)

I am bursting with happiness that someone posted about this. I've been thinking about doing so, but I'm always worried that my interpretation of...any given subject at hand doesn't make sense--and then add on top of that discussing a feeling that is an oddity. In any event, this phenomenon helps me cope.


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## hallrann (Jun 13, 2012)

I am bursting with happiness that someone posted about this. I've been thinking about doing so, but I'm always worried that my interpretation of...any given subject at hand doesn't make sense--and then add on top of that discussing a sensation that is an oddity. In any event, this phenomenon helps me cope with rough days, the best being when I experience unexpected 'triggers.' : D


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## Pointless Activist (May 22, 2012)

@unico

Sorry. I have to say that your avatar is adorable. 

And, as for me, I get this feeling too. Oh, and it happens seemingly randomly, although I've noticed it's more likely to happen when I am listening or watching something incredibly moving.


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## Charles Mount of Oil (Jul 15, 2012)

It happened to me something similar at least two times. Feel so fortunate because the last time was a month ago: I called it _unwarranted happiness_. I even feared it because it was terribly absorbent. It lasted just seconds, cause i backed...


At least for me, i find so difficult to induce myself in that state being alone. ¡¡and I fucking want moar now!!


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## See Above (Oct 4, 2011)

Interesting to learn that there is a name for this unnamed experience.

For me I think the trigger is usually thought (it happens in the absence of any other stimulus) and, since I do most of my thinking when I am by myself, I don't usually have companionship at the time, - though, that isn't meant to say that it can't happen while I am alone in a place crowded with people. 

It is a cross between lightning and an ocean wave, and it doesn't have any particular physical location (skin, etc.). It is solidly a cascading internal feeling, like my brain just lit up all the tiny incandescent bulbs in every cell of my body The sensation is quite strong. It doesn't happen often (which is just as well) and I never know which kind of thought will trigger it. It certainly makes me pay more attention than usual to that train of thought, though. It generally seems so random that it sometimes crosses my mind that some being, somewhere in the ether, is trying to point at something urgently....although, it is _more_ likely some sort of genetic quirk, I suppose.


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## MooseAndSquirrel (Apr 10, 2012)

See Above said:


> Interesting to learn that there is a name for this unnamed experience.
> 
> For me I think the trigger is usually thought (it happens in the absence of any other stimulus) and, since I do most of my thinking when I am by myself, I don't usually have companionship at the time, - though, that isn't meant to say that it can't happen while I am alone in a place crowded with people.
> 
> It is *a cross between lightning and an ocean wave*, and it doesn't have any particular physical location (skin, etc.). *It is solidly a cascading internal feeling*, like my brain just lit up all the tiny incandescent bulbs in every cell of my body The sensation is quite strong. It doesn't happen often (which is just as well) and I never know which kind of thought will trigger it. It certainly makes me pay more attention than usual to that train of thought, though. It generally seems so random that it sometimes crosses my mind that some being, somewhere in the ether, is trying to point at something urgently....although, it is _more_ likely some sort of genetic quirk, I suppose.


It has a NAME!?! Oh thank god. I thought I was loosing my flipping mind! I've had both type A and B experiences. Type A tends to happen while I'm sleeping or just coming out of sleep and type B is triggered predominantly by music which being a musician I guess makes sense. I had to quote @See Above because that's probably the best (and evocative) description for the effect I experience with this too.

I don't know how rare it is but I know my ESTJ doesn't experience it. I've tried to describe what it's like to her and she's nothing short of intrigued by it.


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## Happy about Nothing. (Mar 24, 2011)

I think I've experienced this as well. Type A. I have been trying to explain this feeling to people for awhile, but I usually just give up, because I'm helpless at describing it. Thanks so much for posting.


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## Chiaroscuro (Jul 10, 2012)

Yes this happens to me all the time. I never really thought much about it, though i knew it was strange. I get tingles in the back of my neck and have a little euphoric episode. Well, not really an episodr but for a few seconds i get this huge grin and my mind identifies something really hilarious that i just cant put my finger on. Its amazing really. It really feels like being on a drug for a moment.


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## InternalWonderous (Sep 1, 2012)

I use to get that feeling (type B) all the time when I was younger. It would only happen when I was interactiong with someone I felt was very different or bizzare. I never really paid attention to it, and I have no idea what that means. Maybe it has to do with my bizzare tastes and interests?


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## SirQwertyO (Oct 1, 2011)

I tend to experience it during a period of deep thought, or after a sudden rush of emotion. I used to be able to feel it at will after concentrating when I was younger.


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## stayawake (Dec 21, 2011)

This happens often when I pray, I never knew it was *called* something, or that others didn't share it!
Also when I listen to a friend of mine speak, who is an articulate barritone with an incredible speaking and singing voice
sometimes when I'm out in a forest and all I can hear is the wind in the trees
once it happened when I was floating in a pool, and felt completely peace-filled
hmm.... I am trying to think of other triggers but can't quite place them.


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## destiny_laughed (Aug 29, 2012)

Thank you for this information and the name for this experience. I have always experienced this. When I was a very young girl, I wouldn't let anyone but my mother touch my hair because I would be embarassed by the strong physical shivers/spasms I would have. 

Someone touching my hair, especially at the nape of my neck can still elicit this response in me. It's made for some interesting dates! lol

But, I've also had similiar, weaker reactions while listening to classical music or meditating with breathing exercises. 

Wow! So great to know I am not the only one.


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## Aelthwyn (Oct 27, 2010)

I know I answered before but I keep seeing this thread on the front page, and I didn't say much before anyways.

I get this quite frequently, and always have. I can't exactly call it up, but when I get a hint of that tingling I can usually make it grow stronger and cover more of me if I focus on it or on the thought that triggered it, and can prolong it for several minutes. I think a word I associate with this feeling is 'rapture'. It's usually triggered by a 'profound' thought, a sense of deep understanding or wonder, but sometimes it is kind of random and not triggered by anything I'm specifically aware of. Instrumental music will often cause it as well when I'm really paying attention, and again it's usually a point of the music that feels like it is swelling up with grandure, or in some other way seems very poignant, like when a resolution comes after the moment before has been drawn out till the very last moment. Sometimes it's also caused by touch as I mentioned, in which case it starts where I'm actually touched but can then wash over the rest of me from there. I find the edges of my hair tend to elicit it a well as my spine, particularly right at the bottom of my neck. I did always assume everyone experienced it, and when playing with friends hair would scratch lightly along the edge of their scalp figuring it would make them feel the same as it does me, but perhaps it doesn't. Someitmes it will be so intense that I'll actually shudder, but that's usually when it passe quickly. Normally it lasts longer and feels more like swelling inside and tingling under my skin. Although it feels like the surface of my skin must be tenseing as the hairs raise, it tends to leave me feeling very relaxed. 

It seems like I've heard shivers like this mentioned in writing relatively often, so it mustn't be too rare *shrug*


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## TheGirlWithTheCurls (Feb 2, 2012)

I get it and I think I'm definitely a type B. I'm not an NF though.


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## cue5c (Oct 12, 2011)

I experience both A and B. B is most prominent, though. It's something I've had for a while and pretty much only through music or when the world's lighting somehow becomes otherworldly. (I'm not very good at descriptions. ) 

I didn't know what this was called, so thanks for this thread. I always thought it could be synesthesia.


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## posedeia (Sep 21, 2012)

wow, reading this thread and realizing this is a real thing actually gave me the sensation.  I've had both A and B triggers, it happens most when something happens to make me feel fully present in my body and the moment. (I think other INFJs would know what I mean by that. :b) After a eureka moment, or something that pleasantly surprises me.


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## Agape (Jan 22, 2012)

A few months ago I experience an unique type of ASMR. Curious if anyone here have experience something similar. I was listening to a very beautiful female voice when it happened. It was waves of pleasure from head to toe. The sensations were so intense that I had tears in my eyes. It lasted think almost 5 minutes 0.o. Best sensation I have ever feel in my entire life. By the end of it my body felt tired/drained...it was like the sensation overwhelmed the capacity of the brain/body to feel pleasure. I experience something similar the next day.

In that period I was eating very healthy and also practicing sexual abstinence. Curious to hear if you have found an association between those two and the frequency or intensity of ASMR?


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## nádej (Feb 27, 2011)

Just felt it would be appropriate to post here that ASMR was talked about on This American Life a few days ago. 

Tribes | This American Life (Act Two)


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## FootJoyGolf (Apr 4, 2013)

I've had ASMR since I was 7 years old and just recently found trigger videos a couple months ago. So easy to go to sleep consistently now


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## I am me (Mar 4, 2013)

i shiver when i am alone and thinking about myself sometimes, or when i'm sad. Someone told me it was goosebumps, because all the hairs on my body stands up as well. Does this count?


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## Aelthwyn (Oct 27, 2010)

Agape said:


> A few months ago I experience an unique type of ASMR. Curious if anyone here have experience something similar. . . . It was waves of pleasure from head to toe. The sensations were so intense that I had tears in my eyes. It lasted think almost 5 minutes 0.o. Best sensation I have ever feel in my entire life. . . .
> 
> In that period I was eating very healthy and also practicing sexual abstinence. Curious to hear if you have found an association between those two and the frequency or intensity of ASMR?


Sometimes it's pretty intense or long for me - quite lovely isn't it  
I'm not one for noticing patterns related to physical routine things, but I don't think my diet affects it. However, I will say I honestly prefer that sensation to sex, so.... *shrug* maybe that is a factor in my disinterest in sex? again I can't say that I've noticed any other effect related to that.

...which actually brings up an odd question here.... see, I'd rather have those shivers induced by someone tracing their fingers along my spine than any sexual stimulation, however nice that may be, but....the awkward thing is then, if that's sort of my substitute then uh... well... that makes it seem kind of wierd to ask say a friend or my mom to do that eh? only it's not intimate like that.... but... it kind of seems mentaly awkward when I actually stop and think about that, even though it's not, or doesn't feel like it, ehem... um... anyways... just putting this odd thought out there - any one else thought about that???? :blushed:


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## INSANiTY (Dec 16, 2011)

I experience type b often when I read or hear strange/odd things. Not exactly tapping noises and such but strong, surreal stories trigger it more than anything. And when people whisper real close to me. I hate when people do it cause I don't like feeling it all through my body.


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## cheburashka (Jan 4, 2013)

ooooo! i was going to make a thread about asmr but i'm glad there is already one. i follow tons of asmr channels on youtube; has anyone checked those out? there are many channels and an entire community there. it's extremely nice and always helps me chill out and calm down before bed. so those would mostly be type b, then.


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