Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response

[notathing]

I think we had a whole thread about that awhile back, how just because people don't have a word handy for something doesn't mean they don't have the concept.

i always like the way the germans have approached this problem.

Rinderkennzeichnungs- und Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz.

[notathing]

That's it's job. Luckily, language also features the statements "I understand" and "I don't understand." As long as two people are confident that they have cleared up a concept and understand each other, why would you assume they really don't? Ideally, the conversation won't end with a single one-way transmission. There will be back-and-forth clarifications which would take care of any noise. No, that ideal doesn't always happen. The point is to get as close as you can.

you bring up some good points, especially in saying that conversation isn't a one way signal.  I can concede that language can allow enough communication to allow accord on some matters. I guess my point was that semantic noise still manages to creep in and can influence interpersonal communication in subtle and perhaps significant ways.

Regardless of your explicit hopelessness about communication, you're still trying to communicate with me, in the belief that we can reach mutual understanding. I hope you realize that.

I don't think that there is necessarily dissonance with my position and the fact that I am utilizing a form of communication with others. I think we can achieve a degree of mutual understanding.

[Epimetheus]

That's it's job. Luckily, language also features the statements "I understand" and "I don't understand." As long as two people are confident that they have cleared up a concept and understand each other, why would you assume they really don't? Ideally, the conversation won't end with a single one-way transmission. There will be back-and-forth clarifications which would take care of any noise. No, that ideal doesn't always happen. The point is to get as close as you can.

you bring up some good points, especially in saying that conversation isn't a one way signal.  I can concede that language can allow enough communication to allow accord on some matters. I guess my point was that semantic noise still manages to creep in and can influence interpersonal communication in subtle and perhaps significant ways.

Absolutely. Imperfection's what we get for being mere fleshy mortals 

I don't think that there is necessarily dissonance with my position and the fact that I am utilizing a form of communication with others. I think we can achieve a degree of mutual understanding.

Okay, cool. I guess I misunderstood your point.

[Xicked]

I think it has something to do with the body releasing tension (whatever 'tension' is).  I get that feeling whenever I get a good massage, and have had people describe the same feeling when I massage them.  Some of the triggers mentioned in the article are interesting... someone digging through a handbag?  I guess anything that a person associates as being 'soothing' might induce that feeling.  Maybe we all have mental 'tension blocks' that can be released by various images or stimuli. 

[Telarus]

I agree that it has to do with muscle tension, and thus plugs into (weirdely) Reichian muscle-armor/orgone/'subtle-energy'.

The quick notes follow(I have many tabs open). I will attempt to synthesize this information later today or tomorrow, or sometime.

Mirror Neurons (the trigger of watching others focusing intently on a task, awareness is drawn to the muscle cortex because the mirror neurons queue up the signals necessary to do the same)

Pranayama / Breath Control (placing your awareness on your muscle cortex by following your breath while using meditative techniques to clear other sense data from your mind relatively quickly)

Most other triggers on the ASMR sites pull awareness (where we focus our attention) from where it normally rests, our sight/center-of-vision-focal-area, sometimes it seems, through the above secondary triggers.

Having practiced a few Zanshin techniques, I can say that this pull away from the center-of-visual-field changes the way visual information is sent to the brain, placing focus on spatial relationships over form/detail (by tracking multiple points in the focal and peripheral visions). This seems to queue up spatial relationship information in the body via the kinesthetic sense (Proprioception+Balance, look it up).

The word "Prana" in pranayama comes from the "Upper vortex" or Prana-Vayu

– located in the head and centred at the point of the ajna chakra (third eye) this is known as the inward moving wind as it governs all receptive activities including inhalation, sensory stimulation and mental recognition. This energy also pervades the thoracic region and is the fundamental force feeding the other vayus.

Which is roughly analogous to the "Upper Dan Tien" in WingChun/Qigong. Both systems say that the human body habitually falls "out of balance", and when this happens the 'subtle energy' from the upper energy point cannot fully enter the lower before getting cycled back out. In these systems, these feelings always have "flow-directions" (something Richard Bandler took advantage of with some of his NLP tricks, more on that later on when I collect my thought on all of this).  Also, many of these systems claim that moving the focus of attention from our forehead/visual field to lower in the body is supposed to have noticeable results in the rest of our day-to-day lives.

In these systems, we find descriptors like this:

When the prana is concentrated in the anahata chakra (the "green" heart/lung chakra), the seat of the gaseous or "air element," a variety of changes can happen: spontaneous rapid breathing or trembling, called kampa; or blocking of the voice so that one cannot speak and only hoarse sounds come out (svarbanga); or pulaka, when the hairs on the scalp prickle or stand up, goosebumps arise on the skin, and there is a feeling of joy in the heart.

The practive of "moving the attention willfully" is calles Sati in Thai Theravada Buddhism.

Use a posture that will keep your back straight without strain. A simple upright chair may be helpful, or you may be able to use the lotus posture. These postures may look awkward at first, but in time they can provide a unique balance of gentle firmness that gladdens the mind without tiring the body.

If the chin is tilted very slightly down this will help but do not allow the head to loll forward as this encourages drowsiness. Place the hands on your lap, palm upwards, one gently resting on the other with the thumb-tips touching. Take your time and get the right balance.

Now, collect your attention, and begin to move it slowly down your body. Notice the sensations in each part of your body. Relax any tensions, particularly in the face, neck and hands. Allow the eyelids to close or half close.

Investigate how you are feeling. Are you expectant or tense? Then relax your attention a little. With this, the mind will probably calm down and you may find some thoughts drifting in - reflections, daydreams, memories, or doubts about whether you are doing it right! Instead of following or contending with these thought patterns, bring more attention to the body, which is a useful anchor for a wandering mind.

Cultivate a spirit of inquiry in your meditation attitude. Take your time. Move your attention, for example, systematically from the crown of the head down over the whole body. Notice the different sensations - such as warmth, pulsing, numbness, and sensitivity - in the joints of each finger, the moisture of the palms, and the pulse in the wrist. Even areas that may have no particular sensation, such as the forearms or the earlobes can be "swept over" in an attentive way. Notice how even the lack of sensation is something the mind can be aware of. This constant and sustained investigation is called mindfulness (sati) and is one of the primary tools of Insight Meditation.

I lost a lot of my meditation bookmarks when an online bookmarking site I used went under, so I'm still finding stuff. Oh, I have PDFs on my computer from an old hard-drive where I found some, too. I'll look those up.

More later.

[Triple Zero]

I would get it from watching Bob Ross paint.  Also I can make the sensation happen at will and even direct it through different parts of my body.  yes even that part.

Until we chatted about this in IRC, however, I just assumed everyone could do this and it happened to everyone.  You know, just nerves releasing endorphins.

There's a whole subreddit dedicated to this subject, I forget what it's called, maybe just /r/ASMR. They collect animated gifs and videos that trigger the effect. Bob Ross is a popular one there too.

Also, for some reason, there's videos of girls doing pretend make-up, but instead of on a doll they apparently put a webcam and a stereo microphone where the head goes. It's simultaneously weird, creepy and exceptionally boring to watch.

I dunno if I'm sensitive to the effect, if I am, it's not much. Watching a couple of those vids with proper headphones (not the makeup ones though), did give me a very eerie and unreal feeling, it wasn't quite without effect, but nothing immediate or instantaneous like what I've read from descriptions (and probably because some of the videos were in fact quite eerie stop-motion surrealistic animations).

[Epimetheus]

Okay, I think it may not be what I was thinking of, because this whole thing about recognizing that specific stimuli trigger it and being able to list them is alien to me. :shrug:

[Anna Mae Bollocks]

I think we had a whole thread about that awhile back, how just because people don't have a word handy for something doesn't mean they don't have the concept.

i always like the way the germans have approached this problem.

Rinderkennzeichnungs- und Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz.

I just put that through google translate.

Is real. 

[The Good Reverend Roger]

i always like the way the germans have approached this problem.

Rinderkennzeichnungs- und Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz.

BY BLUDGEONING IT TO DEATH WITH GERMAN.

[Faust]

RISE!

This is one of the weird hobbies that has started turning into an obsession, filling my background at work and before I go to bed.

A few years back I heard a video called the virtual barbershop which weirded me out but was an oddly enjoyable sensation, from there I went looking for other hair cutting or layered audio videos and saw there were a lot of different types of videos which have over the last two years flourished into a massive community with some very cool sound editing, audio themes and roleplays.
It seems very much entrenched in relaxation which the sensation doesn't necessarily have to come with but it's nice that the default style of communication method is to try and sooth people.

There are some really fantastic videos out there so I thought I'd share some of the creators that have impressed me (earphones are necessary):

Ephemeral Rifts creepy character Margaret
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwTJ50jDl9E
His Soporific lampshade
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1WjNBD6hHE

Heather Feather is one of the most widely known creators because her videos are always very good sound quality with interesting audio use but also because she is very funny
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRMtiYQaRzs

There is a guy who doesn't seem to have many followers, which is a shame because he's a sound engineer and his audio is some of the best out there, he does have jarring sounds, that are not relaxing at all, but really cause the ASMR trigger to kick in powerfully because of how unexpected they are
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGVOGldvzLo

ASMR Jellybean Green does a lot of role plays but the sounds she focuses on are very relaxing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eI0MDDxoxk

[Bu🤠ns]

There is a guy who doesn't seem to have many followers, which is a shame because he's a sound engineer and his audio is some of the best out there, he does have jarring sounds, that are not relaxing at all, but really cause the ASMR trigger to kick in powerfully because of how unexpected they are
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGVOGldvzLo

Well that certainly is mindfucky enough lol.  I'm not sure if it's asmr or not but wife and I use to fall asleep listening to Ken Nordine - Word Jazz on the chicago radio on sunday night.  This guy here, reminds me somewhat of Ken Nordine.

I found a couple of asmr reiki videos.  i have to wonder if one could get a "legitimate" reiki experience via youtube.   

Heather Feather seems like a very sincere person -- in that "couldn't hide it if she tried" kind of way. 

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I just hope that in the future, ASMR videos are a source of vast bemusement and perplexity.

[Bu🤠ns]

I just hope that in the future, ASMR videos are a source of vast bemusement and perplexity.

Some are pretty outlandish

[P3nT4gR4m]

I just hope that in the future, ASMR videos are a source of vast bemusement and perplexity.

I hope in the future most avenues of human culture are perceived this way. I'll feel vindicated

[Faust]

There is a guy who doesn't seem to have many followers, which is a shame because he's a sound engineer and his audio is some of the best out there, he does have jarring sounds, that are not relaxing at all, but really cause the ASMR trigger to kick in powerfully because of how unexpected they are
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGVOGldvzLo

Well that certainly is mindfucky enough lol.  I'm not sure if it's asmr or not but wife and I use to fall asleep listening to Ken Nordine - Word Jazz on the chicago radio on sunday night.  This guy here, reminds me somewhat of Ken Nordine.

I found a couple of asmr reiki videos.  i have to wonder if one could get a "legitimate" reiki experience via youtube.   

Heather Feather seems like a very sincere person -- in that "couldn't hide it if she tried" kind of way.

These a new zealand guy Massage ASMR who does Reiki videos, I don't get much out of them because they are more about the hand gestures, but he has an amazing video with the tuning forks and Tibetan singing bowls and those are very relaxing. https://www.youtube.com/user/MassageASMR/videos

I'm fairly certain that Ken Nordine guy is trying to hypnotise me.