Man on bed using his laptop and a headphone
Nearly six per cent of people each year are affected by some form of an anxiety disorder. This affliction ranges from mild worrying to extreme cases of panic that can make someone feel as if they are literally moments away from their death. It can be terrifying to experience and many who are only at the beginning of their battle with the mental illness are unsure of their options.
Amanda Robbins is a 22 year old woman, she deals with an anxiety disorder that can at times be considered severe. She shared one of the tools she uses to fight it off.
“It mainly comes at night when I’m going to bed. On most nights if I’m having a hard time sleeping I go to ASMR videos to help me go to sleep. I find that it is a type of meditation, its really calming sounds that help you think about something else.”
ASMR or audio sensory meridian response is a biological function that occurs while listening to soft noises from close up. Most people who experience the response, estimated to be around 40 per cent of the overall population, describe it as a tingling sensation in the back of their head that fills them with a sense of comfort.
It is also incredibly popular online. ASMR video content on YouTube gets listened to for millions of hours every month.
It can be a strange concept for people to wrap their head around at first. You may find yourself thinking ‘how do videos of people tapping on glasses or making mouth sounds relieve anxiety?”. Robbins says that while it does that for her, it can actually do the opposite for others.
“Everyone is different in that sense. Some people it can cause anxiety listening to it.”
Knowing that a simple audio track can have a profound experience on someone’s mental well being, it seemed prudent to look into why and how this works.
Nicole Cormier, a psychologist with London Psychological Services, sat down with XFM News reporter Sam Cook to discuss the topic. Watch below ↓
