Published on 12, July, 2020
Im finding it hard to figure out if I have any and I remember when I was young , I’d say no older than 6, I use to like it when I had a sibling each side of me, shouting in my ears. I’d eventually cry but then ask them to do it again lol. Could that possible be one?
I know I sometimes find it hard when there’s a lot of different noises all happening at once and someone is trying to talk to me, I struggle to focus on them and experience a wired cringing sort of grimacing feeling.
Also I like loud bass music but not sure if that counts either.
Are you familiar with the expression '"sets your teeth on edge"? That would be my stereotyped verbal description of your "wired cringing sort of grimaced feeling" But I like your description a lot too. I would agree also that it is an overloading distraction. I would also say that it is quite common with most people; but perhaps it is more a matter of degree and how much it leads to overload. A lot of people would say things like the sound polystyrene makes when it rubs up against something. In my case, it might be something like finding hairs in food. I reckon that reminds me of being forced to eat slimy rhubarb as a kid. It also reminds me of blocked sink traps. Now actually these are things I have learned to live with/work with over the decades. But the grimace and the distracting overload still occur, nevertheless.
I find this most interesting, because I have read recently that hypnotists use this cringe factor to figure out/test if a person is susceptible to being led into a trance. I suppose that is because the grimace and cringe are so readily noted, and are basically indications that you are temporarily entranced by the experience. One hypnotist used to imitate/produce the sound of long finger nails scraping down a chalk blackboard.
A more severe thing I used to get was a really horrible experience of an intense and exponentially increasing pressure in my mind; which often became almost painfully focussed on one spot in the ceiling. I find it almost impossible to describe to others in an easy to understand manner. I sort of imagine it might be the thing that some people label migraine, but it is very difficult to compare with other people's subjective descriptions. It would occur when lying down to sleep or relax. It was obviously related to childhood illness; but later in life it sometimes occurred after a stressful situation. It could become almost unbearably intense in just a few seconds Luckily, I quickly figured that it could be quite easily and quickly dispelled by just just looking away, closing the eyes and/or standing up. It initially occurred after very severe jaundice. (Bilirubin is a known neurotoxin) So many of my issues seem to actually be related to poor balance and coordination. Also I seem to find it almost impossible sometimes to decipher other heard languages. So I reckon there must have been some sort of inner ear neural damage.
Loud unexpected noises seem to cringe me down onto bent knees; an almost identical reaction to that I experience from a fear of heights. Again, that reaction seems to be an attempt to correct my equilibrium or balance. But I love loud music, and bass players hold a real fascination I suppose that indicates expected noises in certain contexts. That said, when working with a sound crew, I used to find it almost impossible to do on-the-fly repairs whilst a loud band were actually playing; which would of course lead onto tensions with the band itself. Obviously, I could also easily become overloaded even by sounds that were very familiar and usually welcome. Another abortive career!