ASMR is something I’ve recently found to help combat my anxiety and insomnia. This is in no way a cure, but it helps ground me. What is ASMR? ASMR stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response. Whoa, that’s a long scientific definition. What it really is is an experience in the body that cause what ASMR artists and therapists call “tingle,” which is a bodily response to the sounds. It’s kind of like sound therapy but can often involve massage, Reiki healing, brushing sounds and other sounds meant to calm you. For everyone, the type of ASMR that calms them is different. For example, I prefer the whispering ASMR artists. I live in a very fast world with a lot of meetings where the abundance of voices makes me feel boxed in. So the whispering helps me focus on one singular voice and bring myself down. I know some people who like the brush sounds because they kind of sound like the ocean. Some like mouth sounds, like crunching or chewing. To each their own.
ASMR is also used to induce sleep and relaxation so a lot of ASMR artists and therapists ask that you do not drive while listening to them or that you wait after your ASMR massage to drive because of the drowsiness it induces. ASMR causes drowsiness with things called “triggers.” This is not like a flashback trigger or a trigger for mental health. What it is is specified stimuli like whispering or the sound of lotion being put on someone’s hands. These stimuli are meant to trigger a part of the brain that controls relaxation. Hence why it helps with anxiety and insomnia. Whispering triggers are effective for over half of the world’s population so if you were to go on Youtube and look up ASMR, 9 times out of 10, they will be whispering. But they also have videos that cater to those in which whispering doesn’t help.
Since I’ve been using this to ground myself in anxious situations or to help me focus, I’ve also slept so much better because my anxiety doesn’t flood into my dreams. It’s helped me become more present. If this sounds interesting to you, you can find ASMR on Spotify but more commonly on Youtube where the ASMR community is constantly growing with every video. They also have ASMR podcasts and even ASMR radio.
To start off, here are my Youtube recommendations:
– WhispersRed
– ASMR Darling
– ASMR Magic
– And Sophia Chang, even though she just recently has started doing ASMR on her channel her videos are still quality.
If you struggle with anxiety, feel free to check this out and see if it works for you.