Random bursts of Euphoria

Hi everyone,

Just thought I would bring up this topic as it is something I have experienced since I was a kid, and i was wondering if there are others out there who have had similar experiences.

Very rarely, maybe 2 or 3 times a year, I have this amazing euphoric feeling.

The trigger for this euphoria is always a social interaction with someone.

It is quite hard to explain as it only happens occasionally, but it seems to happen when making a connection with the another person in a one on one situation.

It happens most often when being taught/shown something by someone or vice versa. But it has also happened during meaningful conversation.

The euphoria only lasts for a few moments but it feels great when it happens. It feels like I am bonding with the person on a different level.

Over the years I have never actually asked the other person if they had the same feeling, as to avoid ruining the moment.

Anyone out there know what I'm talking about? If it has happened to you you would definitely remember it.

PS Im really not too sure if this is the right forum to post this under so MODs please shift it if neccessary.

a reply to: Leeyum
I think I know what you mean. This has happened to me on a few occasions during my life and it's like this really overwhelming feeling whilst conversing with someone.

This is going to sound weirder but it's made me feel like crying but from joy, not sadness.

Who knows why it happens and, like you, I've never asked the other person if they felt it too.

a reply to: Buttercup79

Yeah its bizzare. I know what you mean by overwhelming too. Usually when it happens I can't stop smiling and feel like laughing, so I can understand how a super intense 'burst' could make you unleash tears of joy.

I'm glad someone else knows what I'm talking about! haha

sounds like some kind of temporary 'eureka!' type vibe. moments of clarity in the fog.

a reply to: RoScoLaz4

Yeah I think you're right. That would explain why the learning/teaching thing induces it.

The strange thing is though, the euphoria feels like its linked to the person rather than the actual subject.

I just remembered an example from a few months back. I was showing my dad how to play a beat on the drums and as soon as he locked it in, I got the euphoria burst. It was more that fact that we were in that situation, where I was teaching him something rather than the fact that he had actually learnt from me. Maybe that was me picking up on his 'Eureka' moment?

It's called "autonomous sensory meridian response", or "ASMR". I know of an MRI study of it done recently at Dartmouth, but I'm not sure what exactly they were looking for or what they discovered.

There's a huge community on youtube dedicated to this phenomenon. They have thousands of videos intended to induce the sensation.

a reply to: Prime8

Awesome thanks for that!

I just did a bit of reading on ASMR and I have to completely agree with you. The triggers and feelings associated with it are exactly what I have experienced.

originally posted by: Prime8
It's called "autonomous sensory meridian response", or "ASMR". I know of an MRI study of it done recently at Dartmouth, but I'm not sure what exactly they were looking for or what they discovered.

There's a huge community on youtube dedicated to this phenomenon. They have thousands of videos intended to induce the sensation.

Autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) is a neologism for a perceptual phenomenon characterized as a distinct, pleasurable tingling sensation in the head, scalp, back, or peripheral regions of the body in response to visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory, or cognitive stimuli. The nature and classification of the ASMR phenomenon is controversial,[1] with a considerable cult following and strong anecdotal evidence to support the phenomenon but little or no scientific explanation or verified data.[2]

In other circles it is called kundalini/chi/light flow and one of the reasons some people play around with Reiki/Tai Chi/meditation. It gives of the Bliss experience in the body and can be used to relax people to advance natural healing/placebo effect since the calmness effecting the body and the mind.

Other Somatosensory Symptoms of energy flow.

Somatosensory Symptoms
5. Spontaneous deep ecstatic tickle or orgasmic feeling.
6. Physical sensations starting in the feet, legs or pelvis, and moving up the back and neck to the top of the head, down the forehead, over the face, then to the throat, and ending in the abdomen.
7. Extreme sensations of heat or cold moving through the body.
8. Moving pockets of bodily heat or cold being extreme enough to burn or otherwise affect someone else or an inanimate object.
9. Pains in specific parts of the body that begin and end abruptly.
10. Tingling, vibration, itching or tickling on the skin or inside the body.

a reply to: LittleByLittle

Thanks for the extra info!

Its nice to be able to put a name to it.

I've been reading a lot about other peoples triggers and it has made me remember a lot of instances where these triggers have worked for me. I remember that when I was at primary school I experienced ASMR every time I would be showing a teacher some of my school work. I'm not sure why exactly this set if off for me, but it must has been of combination of different catalysts.

For example; there proximity to me, the fact they would be analyzing/critiquing something important to me and which I would have worked hard on. The fact I would have been paying very close attention to what the teacher was doing. There voice, which probably would have been soft. As well as other things that would have been happening at the time, like the turning of pages and writing.

I think its so cool how a certain combination of sounds, visuals and mental focus can make you feel so good!

I also love how you can extend it or make it more intense just by focusing on whats happening around you!

a reply to: Leeyum


This is a post I did about ASMR nearly 2 years ago, so the videos may or may not be active, but the video list should still be valid. Hope it helps you understand this more.

Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response

Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) is a physical sensation characterized by a pleasurable tingling that typically begins in the head and scalp, and often moves down the spine and through the limbs.

Most ASMR episodes begin by an external or internal trigger, and are so divided for classification. Type A episodes are elicited by the experiencer using no external stimuli, and are typically achieved by specific thought patterns unique to the individual. Type B episodes are triggered involuntarily by an external trigger, via one or more senses, and may also involve specific thought patterns associated with the triggering event. Both types of triggers vary between individuals, but many are common to a large portion of ASMR enjoyers.

Common external triggers:

Exposure to slow, accented, or unique speech patterns

Viewing educational or instructive videos or lectures

Experiencing a high empathetic or sympathetic reaction to an event

Enjoying a piece of art or music

Watching another person complete a task, often in a diligent, attentive manner - examples would be filling out a form, writing a check, going through a purse or bag, inspecting an item closely, etc.

Close, personal attention from another person

Haircuts, or other touch from another on head or back

ASMR Research

Research Goals

Document physical and psychological aspects of ASMR
Obtain funding for further research
Explore potential beneficial personal and social applications of ASMR
Determine the natural progression of ASMR through an enjoyer's lifetime
Develop a method to replicate ASMR in those who do not yet experience it
Study effects of ASMR on depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, etc.
Research Efforts

Research efforts are currently focused on expanding our understanding of ASMR as an experience, and cataloguing the aspects of ASMR in a scientific, discrete fashion. Data compiled through our questionnaires and video trials will be used to build a complete research portfolio. Our portfolio will ultimately be the foundation of documentation used to request a full research grant and funding for a broader range of studies.

Current

Video Trials - Exposure to known video triggers, and documenting reactions

General Questionnaire - A basic questionnaire to compile statistical data of ASMR enjoyers
Future

Physiological monitor - EEG, GSR, Pupil dilation, etc. - during ASMR episodes

Health screening of ASMR enjoyers to determine possible linked medical conditions

Controled profiling of triggers to isolate areas of the brain active during ASMR

Controled survey of serotonin and other neurotransmitter levels before and after ASMR regimen

Psychological profile and benefits or problems associated with routine ASMR experience

Social anthropological implications of ASMR.....


...Currently, the team is preparing to run a series of video experiments. This involves a participant watching a provided video link, and then answering a set of questions about the video, such as the below examples:


"How often did you hear the speaker breathe?"

"How did you feel when the painter slipped?"

"Did you like or dislike the way the colors matched the video?"

"How often did you feel the video almost, but didn't quite, elicit ASMR?"...


...If you would like to participate as a volunteer, you can fill out the form at the bottom and a team member will contact you with full details of the next round. You should be aware of these details:


This is a non-funded effort, so you will not be paid...

AMSR Trigger Videos:









Click Here for a YouTube Playlist of 34 ASMR Trigger Videos

YouTube user ASMRNoises has several ASMR videos on their page.





This is a claimed trigger video, but it does the exact opposite to me, even frustrates me and leaves me annoyed at the video and even the person who made the video... haha I guess

There are many other reports out there of people who experience this as well, I am to some extent, maybe we all are to some extent, or maybe we are all capable of this, but for some reason we do not all experience this.

Similar to my experiences with OBE and Astral Travel, incredible experiences we are all capable of, but not everyone experiences. Some people believe the possibility of such extraordinary experiences does not exist as described, though they absolutely do exist and are incredibly real.




Here is the thread I originally posted this in: Does Anybody Else Experience This?.

Here is another thread related to ASMR: It is not a Head Orgasm... Pervs

There may be some more good info in there for you.

a reply to: Leeyum

I've found that vicodin can induce it, which is why I take that stuff very sparingly (haven't needed any for over a year). I wonder if there is a chemical response in the brain that can is similar to what an opiate does.

So there is a name, ASMR, interesting! I experience this often as well!

Hi.

Rarity that it is may it stand out in your mind more...

What kind of connection is made when a model 'makes love to the camera' with her eyes?

I felt it too, and I'm not a photographer...

it must be something subliminal.

a reply to: Leeyum

I know that feeling bro. I think it happens when two souls think alike or two similar souls meet. Kindred spirits really.

Whenever I get these ASMR moments it really feels like I'm one with the Universe and everything has clicked into place oh so perfectly. Like doing a really complicated math formula or trying to design things. It frustrates me at first and then I get that feeling and everything turns out alright.

I think it's the human consciousness tapping into the energy of the Universe that connects us all.

Or it could be that we're having mini-seizures that are brain interprets as a warm fuzzy feeling.
*shrugs shoulders*

I think this this natural rush of feeling good is just a normal response we all should have, but some have tuned it out or turned it off by lack of empathizing with other people. I think this goes into the intimate bonding that best friends share, though not limited to only best friends. It can happen in other situations or along the way to becoming good friends.