Sensory Stimulation Late Development ?

Hi Mark J

I am with a local support group for mental health. However I also join zoom meetings with an organisation called Frazzle which was started by Ruby Wax. There are several sessions a day and anyone can join. It is not a specific support group but people with different issues join in.  I have grown to like it. There are people from the UK and America and it is easy going. 

Hi there for years I thought all of my problems were to do with multiple early childhood trauma. But I was encouraged to get an assessment and diagnosed with Dyspraxia. As well learning difficulties/disabilities run in the family together with other indicators.  It was explained to me by a Professor of Dypraxia how if things combined then there can be combined effects.

So sorry you have PTSD and wish you all the best. Yes I have had various therapies.  Some unravelling and now another stage of all that.

I also have PTSD. That could also be part of your answer as tactile things can be part of how you ground yourself. It's a far more complex topic than it sounds on the surface. If you aren't speaking to someone professional, it might be worth it. I learned quite a lot through my PTSD treatment. You could tease out a lot of information by talking about it to a counsellor.

Hi Mark J  yes I also struggle to to express it with words. The words you used, rows and uniform I feel now could be applied to what I was trying to describe. Yes new stuff can be scary.  If it is part of Autism though as far as I understand it is nothing to fear and won't cause any harm.  It is all what’s it all about at the moment.  I hope your assessment goes well and is helpful whatever the result.

Thanks for your post Loz.  I thought it was to do with lockdown leading to more awareness because of less distractions etc.  As well I am only just learning about all the fluidity and co-conditions with autism etc.  As such I am also theorising could it be a symptom of something else triggered by lock down. I wonder how many other people have developed this during lock down.  This morning I was eating bran with milk and saw a metal snap button and wanted to put it in my mouth, slide my teeth and taste buds through the soft bran and have my teeth clink onto the metal button.  I resisted lol! 

Thank you for the link for stuff to chew.  I also have PTSD because of accidents and had temporary mild psychosis with that. I wondered if there was a link but then lots of people with similar symptoms don’t get the same stuff.

Hi loz, thank you for the website, they look like they sell a few products which might help me. ! This is a little off topic but are you or Aaron members of any support groups? I think I’d really benefit from some kind of group sharing session and wondered if you attend or know of anything that exists - thanks! Mark 

I know it's a different experience for everyone, but I've been on Sertraline before and never had these kinds of intense reactions to objects. Perhaps it has something to do with the lockdown? You may find that you've had more thinking time than you used to and it's simply made you more aware of things? As for chewing, best to resist. You can get things that are safe to chew. I've heard of a company that does a good range called Chewigem... just had a look and it looks like they are now under these guys. Sensory Processing Difficulty Products - Shop for the best SPD products (sensooli.com). Most are aimed at kids, but doesn't mean you can't find something for yourself. 

Hi Aaron,

I can relate to this, I have very similar sensations (I struggle to  express it in written / verbal way), so I enjoyed reading your post. On a walk yesterday I can spend hours fascinated by rows of corn; mesmerised, but this extends to all kind of things, sometimes uniform things such as pebbled walls, brick walls, pens in pots, textured surfaces like rugs. It’s quite a scary feeling as it feels so new and I’m not sure where it’s coming from.. (I’m 39 and waiting for an ASD diagnosis) yet it’s developed incredibly during l lockdown. 

I read online it can be present at times of change, 

Hi 

No prob. I just saw it as a joke. You have nothing to be sorry about.

Weed makes me very ill :(
I wasn't thinking about SSRIs.
I'm not a doctor so I shouldn't be speculating. Sorry!

Hi JJ

Funny weed smoking cartoon lol! I only dabbled a little bit with weed around 1974. Never taken any drugs since so don’t think it will apply.

Hi Thanks.  I was prescribed Sertraline just before lock down. Have not taken meds for decades. I will look it up.

“brain changes” nothing serious I hope lol!  I have been enjoying the experiences and embracing them.

Ummm - certain classes of medication can produce these experiences, as can some brain changes....