What is hypersensitivity like?

[Wireless]

Could you give me some examples of what hypersensitivity feels like in every day life?
As a NT it is really quiet difficult for me to even and try imagine what it's like.
Thanks!

 

[Asperganoid]

Could you give me some examples of what hypersensitivity feels like in every day life?
As a NT it is really quiet difficult for me to even and try imagine what it's like.
Thanks!

On the positive end; a good song runs through the bones, when people talk about "the zone" which artists/athletes enter during moments of high concentration;

I barely need to focus, just close my eyes and ten minutes later somebody is shouting my name complaining about how dangerous it is to play the earphones too loud (they're not on that high).

Point is, the beautiful stuff is so concentrated it zones you out.

Food, Movies, Books, even a positive social experience with a close friend; a beautifully engrossing experience. A friend who consumes psychoactive drugs says it sounds like a pot high.

The negative stuff; well, as with all things generally human, it varies person to person. for me, a crying baby feels like I've been insulted. watching a young kid run around makes me very nervous for them. as if they're my kid, as if I'm weaving them between falling boulders and lava spewing crevices!

Mildly bad news makes my heart pump rather painfully; It's as if a toxic cloud is surrounding that sensitive organ. The thoughts swirl and I'm pacing up and down looking for a solution rather hopelessly most of the time.

Bad food, bad aromas, they stick; and my mind won't let them go.

Memory is a big factor; I suffer from intense regret because i record events (some) rather vividly.

I can barely watch a video with poor quality, I cannot read poorly written books;

this may not seem like anything special; but it's POWERFUL revulsion which makes it a hypersensitivity problem. as though I am being insulted by a negative experience; and the mind refusing to let it go.

There's obviously more. But I've gone on for too long I feel. Thanks for asking/wondering. And For reading (whoever that may be.)

 

[Peeta]

I'm personally very sensitive to sound. When a baby or small child starts to cry near me, it's like someone hit my eardrums with a mallet. It echos in my head and sometimes it even feels like I can see the noise in my eyes. It basically completely wraps my head and it can even get to the point of hurting.

Also I guess some sensitivity can be described as an itchy sweater you can't take off, or a chill in your spine that you can't scratch but need to.

 

[royinpink]

This is a bit more intense than what I, at least, experience (everyone's sensitivities are different) but it's a great representation of overload. Of course, hypersensitivity comes with positives, too, not just overload!

 

[Judge]

An example?

For me something like a an abrupt, extremely high or low-pitched pitched sound instantly induces a momentary fight-or-flight response. It subsides, and I know it will. I can recover easily in such instances.

Or if I'm in a place with simply too much concentrated human traffic (such as a crowded shopping mall on a holiday) where the fight-or-flight response is so sustained that I simply have to leave or risk going into a shutdown.

 

[Kari Suttle]

Could you give me some examples of what hypersensitivity feels like in every day life?
As a NT it is really quiet difficult for me to even and try imagine what it's like.
Thanks!

Aspies can be hypersensitive with certain senses. I'm hypersensitive to sound, so for me its like everything is on a higher volume setting for me than everyone else. I'll have the tv on volume 40 and think its just fine but everyone else around me will think its on low and want it turned up. I'll flinch at sudden loud noises more than is necessary - not because it scared me, but because it was loud.

 

[AsheSkyler]

Could you give me some examples of what hypersensitivity feels like in every day life?
As a NT it is really quiet difficult for me to even and try imagine what it's like.
Thanks!

I can tell ya what some of mine are like.

Sound hypersensitivity: I feel loud things more than hear it. It vibrates my bones and puts a terrible pressure in my head. Sharp noises feel like they're ricocheting around in my head like a ping pong bullet and gives me such a headache. Certain electronics put off the high-pitched whine of a mosquito, and that makes a pressure build up behind my ears. But with hypersensitive hearing comes the ability to hear things others cannot and it's hard for some to sneak up on me.

Sight hypersensitivity: Imagine when you step outside or drive at night, you have stepped into an FBI interrogation room. There's a blinding light and you can't see anything but the light. Maybe some shadowy figures. It makes your eyes burn and parts of your skull feel like they have extra pressure building up. But on the bright side, you can see very well in dim like, almost like a dog. Where other people are bumping into things, you can see it anyway and move around it.
Sight hyposensitivity: Well, one time when waiting in a restaurant with my parents, I remarked to my mom how cute a guy was who was walking through a door. It was my husband. I didn't recognize him even though I saw him just five minutes ago.
I also have trouble distinguishing dirt on the floor and it makes me a terrible cleaner.

Smell/Taste hypersensitivity: How most people react to death and decay is how I react to certain mundane smells. My stomach feels like it's suddenly been punched or twisted into knots and I start getting nauseous. If I'm lucky, I'll just get a headache. (Sorehead that I am...) Here recently I walked into a store that had a thorough cleaning the night before. I was literally in there less than ten minutes, but by the time I came out, I was pale, shaking, a bit disoriented, and horribly nauseated.
Smell/Taste hyposensitivity: Ya just can't get enough of certain smells and tastes, like you're an addict. I'm slowly turning into a pepper freak!

Touch hypersensitivity: Best analogy I got is that light touch when something just brushes against you is like being tickled by a scalpel. Some people compare it to the sensation of having walked into a spider web. I can take showers, but some people with severe touch sensitivity can't take showers because it feels like thousands of little needles hitting their skin, kinda like how you hold your hand out the window on the interstate when it's raining. Certain sweaters feel like they were woven with briers for some people. Or like that one hemorrhoid advertisement where the toilet paper was made of a Brillo pad.
Touch hyposensitivity: Ya know how most people like going to the masseuse for a good deep tissue massage? That's what heavy blankets feel like to those with touch hyposensitivity. It feels goooood.

 

[Wireless]

Thank you for your useful replies, everyone.

 

[Aspergirl4hire]

I can say what it's like for me...

1. Ugly things in the visual field make it impossible for me to focus. What that means: I avoid people with ugly or frightening avatars/t-shirts/Halloween masks if I can, because if they really upset me, I can't even fully process their posts/words. Similarly, "loud" colors or artificial color combinations can make me physically very tired, as can depressed colors (beige and "dirty" colors, like oatmeal).
   
2. Ugly words, spoken or written, cause me to hyperfocus on threats and over-react to them. What that means: Heightened anxiety causes me to react faster and with more aggression, or I quit reading a thread or post early.
3. Too many people talking at once (for me, that's two) send me into a retreat in my head or a shutdown. What that means: I don't hear either of them because I can't process all the syllables, it's cacaphony.
4. Perfume or fragrance don't always hurt, but they can. What that means: Headache within ten to fifteen minutes.

EDIT: Effects are persistent and I "flashback" on them, from hours to days.
Does that help?

 

[Judge]

I can say what it's like for me...

Too many people talking at once (for me, that's two) send me into a retreat in my head or a shutdown. What that means: I don't hear either of them because I can't process all the syllables, it's cacaphony.

That's a big one for me as well. One of the reasons I considered when I stopped attending my hobby club meetings last year. There's a standard protocol at the beginning of each meeting where the chapter president gives a presentation and then entertains questions. And at ever meeting without fail, there's always this one guy who insists on talking with others at the same time.

In essence, I too have a very difficult time of hearing someone when another in the same proximity is talking at the same time. It's made me reflect on just how badly this may have impacted my ability to learn through lectures, class presentations, etc.. It causes me to lose concentration, irritates me and I often end up losing maybe a third to half of whatever is being verbally imparted to others at the time.

Same dynamic occurs at social functions as well. Music, too many people talking all at once...inevitably I end up retreating.

 

[Wireless]

I can say what it's like for me...

1. Ugly things in the visual field make it impossible for me to focus. What that means: I avoid people with ugly or frightening avatars/t-shirts/Halloween masks if I can, because if they really upset me, I can't even fully process their posts/words. Similarly, "loud" colors or artificial color combinations can make me physically very tired, as can depressed colors (beige and "dirty" colors, like oatmeal).
   
2. Ugly words, spoken or written, cause me to hyperfocus on threats and over-react to them. What that means: Heightened anxiety causes me to react faster and with more aggression, or I quit reading a thread or post early.
3. Too many people talking at once (for me, that's two) send me into a retreat in my head or a shutdown. What that means: I don't hear either of them because I can't process all the syllables, it's cacaphony.
4. Perfume or fragrance don't always hurt, but they can. What that means: Headache within ten to fifteen minutes.

Does that help?

Yes, thanks, everyone's posts have been really helpful.

I'm actually in awe a little bit at how hypersensitivity allows people on the spectrum to perceive the world. As people have said, hypersensitivity comes with positives and part of me wishes I could experience the world as you do.
Sometimes I feel that my senses are muffled, perhaps hyposensitive, certainly they are compared to everyone who has posted. Everyday noises, smells, colours, images will make me feel only a little bit, with only the tiniest of impact. Only very extreme things will leave a lingering impression, e.g. the sounds of screaming, a picture of survivors of natural disasters, Van Gogh's Starry Night painting, my Christian faith. But, nothing much else.

 

[AsheSkyler]

Too many people talking at once (for me, that's two) send me into a retreat in my head or a shutdown.

I get in sooo much trouble in those situations. I have a couple of relatives who feel the need to carry on about three conversations at once and talking over each other. Me say: "SHUSH! One at a time! Your turn? Good. Your turn? Good. Your turn? Good." And I'm the rude one??

 

[Pondering]

Hypersensitivity feels like every single sound is amplified. Moderately loud sounds are deafening and nerve-racking. Every light, blasting and blinding. Most smells, as if it were right up to my nose. Few sounds and sights escape my notice though I process few. There is a strong emotional connection to the sensory. Some normal everyday and non-threatening sounds can even be frightening. I am not hypersensitive as far as taste and touch go so I cannot say for those. Often times hypersenitivity can be a little painful and overwhelming at times but there are other times when it is helpful and I can pick up on subtle sights, smells, and sounds that others may subconsciously disregard. Blasting music I find to be most excruciating and it is almost certain to cause me a shut down. As far as vision goes, again, it is excruciating to go outside without sunglasses regardless of the weather. Its like there's a giant fire ball directly in front of my eyes. it burns. I cannot go anywhere outside without sunglasses, not even for a few seconds. On the other hand, I can usually hear very quiet noises. It really is a complicated subject and is different for everybody.

 

[carbon12]

Well, let's see... I hate babies, claps and other people's restrooms, because they smell differently or sound horribly to me. I can tell where I am or who it is from the smell, or know if the TV is turned on because of the "pumps" I feel of the waves of sound (Yes I feel sound like that) (I don't know why nobody can hear them). And...other than that, I can combine flavors or smells in my mind (ha, that made me a good cook) or the perfume a person's using (that bothered many people). It is like being a superhero, but with a power that just gives you headaches everyday.

 

[unsurewhattoname]

For me sound is the biggest.

So when it's very quiet (at night mainly) I can hear very far into the distance - I can hear my parents' cars more than a kilometre away, I can hear the traffic in the distance, I can hear the electricity in chargers that are on, can hear where everyone is in our house etc.

But I can't turn it off. I have no way to filter sound out (most people can focus on people talking and automatically make the background noise into background noise but this just doesn't happen - I am unable to do it, so everything is too loud yet I can't hear anyone). It is constantly this sensitive. Combine that with a noisy environment with lots of people talking, lots of sounds (most public places) and it's just too much, it's just too loud. Ear plugs only make it slightly quieter. And I hate it because it's constant and never goes away, ever.

 

[unsurewhattoname]

Oh, also:

www.autism.org.uk/15691

Click "view article as single page"

 

[Cinnamon115]

I'm very sensitive to sound. I can usually hear things that other people can't, like the hum of a tv or charger. It feels like something in my ear is ringing. I've had this so long that it doesn't bother me much anymore as long as the sound isn't too high pitched. I remember one time at easter my cousin played a video of a high pitched noise that she said only a few people she met could hear. No one in my family could hear it.... except for me, covering my ears and moaning in pain.

 

[RidingDutchman]

My sensitivity to sound can be a blessing and a curse
I don't really have the super hearing some say they have here, but my filter is pretty botched. I can't follow conversations in busy environments and music just dominates everything. Downside of this is that I can't focus on anything when music is playing but the great thing is that when I'm feeling down and my brain won't shut up about my insecurities and suicidal tendencies I can just turn on my music and completely focus on that.
(I'm also unable to listen to people with one earplug in, what most people are perfectly able to, so I get really annoyed when people disturb me and want to ask something because I either have to pause my music or miss a bit and I hate that. On a side note I can't have just a single on my mp3, it has to be the entire album or nothing)

I am quite sensitive to light as well, I always look like I'm frowning on pictures because of it, people always comment on why I have the brightness of my phone so low and wonder how I'm able to read anything on it.

And touch... I have so many weird touch related things... I can't not wear socks and shoes, walking through sand on the beach is such hell, all the stuff between my toes. I can't stand having things like dirt or grease on my hands and I hate being touched by other people. I wear long jeans and shoes all summer long, no matter how many people complain about it. Oh and getting a beard is the best decision I ever made, the perfect stim where people even think you look smarter while doing so :3 (i personally feel like stimming is a side effect of hyper or hypo sensitivity to touch)

I can't comment on sensitivity to scent because my nose is always blocked, maybe my allergy is a blessing in disguise

 

[Sindri]

Hypersensitivity definitely has it's pros, but for me it has many cons as well. The aspects of being hypersensitive that make it difficult for me to function are, but not limited to, things like tags and specific fabrics that feel like sandpaper on my skin, like nylon and wool. Just seeing those words sends this cringe through my body. People dragging their feet even a little on a carpet, or if someone is wearing socks and walking on the carpet, that paralyses me temporarily..I cannot think until it stops. Small sounds and lights keep me from getting enough sleep.

On the positive end of things, I'm a lights and colours girl, and a synesthete. Assuming it's a small group of friends and not too loud, I love a house rave once or twice a year. I feel like maybe the world is a bit more illuminated for me somehow. I can hear a conversation happening downstairs with my door shut if it's quiet. It's nearly impossible to scare me because I always hear and feel you coming!

 

[Southern Discomfort]

I wouldn't say I'm hypersensitive but I am sensitive to light, I need sunglasses on a bright sunny day, riding my motorcycle can be a nightmare without them, it's downright dangerous. Also when I get tired lights can be problematic for me. I remember one Guy Fawkes night many years ago, I couldn't watch the display properly because it was just so bright. On the bright side (no pun intended) I can see quite well in the dark once my eyes have adjusted. I quite like the dark and it's anonymity it gives.