Very popular in video on YouTube, ASMR is a relaxation technique that consists of listening to sounds or watching satisfying images. What does it mean ? What are the benefits? Effective on everyone?
In video on YouTube, in podcast or elsewhere, you have surely already heard of ASMR? If we translate, ASMR means “Autonomous meridian sensory response“. Concretely, it is a relaxation technique triggered by a sensory stimulus, usually visual or auditory (sounds of food, water, lapping…). What are the (real) benefits of ASMR? Does it work for everyone? How it works ? How to practice it alone?
What does ASMR mean?
ASMR comes from English”Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response“which could be more accurately translated into French as “Autonomous response of the sensory meridian”. This acronym designates a relaxation technique by feelings. The sensations are triggered by a sensory stimulus (a “tigger”) most of the time auditory and/or visual: thelistening to a soundthe presentation of an object gently and slowly. “It’s about giving a very relaxing sensation. This sensation can manifest itself as tingling and/or shivering in response to an auditory stimulus. This technique offers great introspective power” as defined by Lina Tea, specialized ASMR hypnotherapist.
What are the benefits of ASMR? To sleep ?
The benefits of ASMR on health have not yet been demonstrated, but its effects are of interest to the scientific world.
► Listening to pleasant sounds has the power to loosen, it is in this sense that ASMR can decrease stress level And help get to sleep easier and sleep better.
► The focusing of the thought on an object or on an inspiring music also generates a feeling of pleasure in the one who receives it. Pleasure induces the secretion of several hormones in the body : dopamine, the hormone of happiness. And serotonin, a neurotransmitter found in antidepressants. The practice of ASMR triggers pleasant sensations. A study conducted in 2015 by Nick J Davis and Emma L. Barratt shows that ASMR temporarily improves the mood of depressed people.
► The association of ASMR with mindfulness meditation or hypnosis would further reduce the level of stress and slow down brain activity.
What is the origin of ASMR?
The practice of ASMR is recent. She was appointed to the late 2000s by an American, Jennifer Allen. She called it Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response to refer, according to her, to the energy pathways of Chinese medicine (meridian) and to the reaction specific to each individual (autonomous) in the face of external elements. This reaction is described as a feeling of pleasant tingling which spreads from head to lower back. The craze for ASMR began in the 2010s with videos on the Internet (YouTube): Youtubers distinguished themselves in front of their camera by whispering stories in a soothing way, by scratching or patting objects with their fingernails, chewing and crunching fruit, or by performing in “role-plays”. Their purpose is to cause a pleasant sensation in the listener and watcher of the video.
Does it work on everyone? What feelings?
The exact physiological functioning of ASMR on the brain is not yet fully determined, but it is scientifically conceivable to establish direct links between the chills experienced and the technique developed with ASMR. Recently, in 2018, a British psychology researcher Giulia Poerio demonstrated that ASMR videos elicited several physiological reactions in certain subjects sensitive to ASMR: decrease in heart rate, calm, increase in electrical activity on the surface of the skin . His study also shows that the autonomic meridian sensory response (ASMR) does not work for everyone: 50% of its subjects were not sensitive to it. ASMR triggers for those who receive it sensations of tingling or tingling on the surface of the skin, on the scalp, throughout the body. “The person may feel “goosebumps”, micro contractions on their face. The reactions are brief and show that the body reacts and relaxes, describes Lina Tea. Other people experience shivers of pleasure in the head and upper body. It even happened to me, in session, to have people moved to tears by the emotions conveyed by the sounds. And sometimes ASMR induces jubilant relaxation, leaving a more or less lasting feeling of euphoria depending on the person.
Examples of Sound ASMR Noises
ASMR triggers are often noises or sounds, the most common of which are:
- THE whisper,
- the bursting of bubble wrap,
- there chewing a biscuit,
- THE fingernail tapping on an object
- THE rustle of a leaf (regarding sound triggers).
Examples of visual ASMR images
The flashlight is often used for visual triggers, says Lina Tea. “Watching someone brush another person’s hair and our brains will function as if the person is brushing our hair is a common perception” says Dr. Pierre Lemarquis, one of the French neurologists to take an interest in ASMR.
“During the session i use tibetan bowl, gong, chime, star drum or a cushion or a coconut that I pat or caress”, details Lina Tea. The sounds of nature imitated, for example by a rain stick or a crackling candle, are good carriers of sensations. But to succeed in an ASMR you also need a context: a safe environment around you and a sensitivity to the sound or visual proposal useful or interesting from the prescriber. “I use a binaural microphone which restores to the helmet a sound environment in the most natural way possible while amplifying it, in a three-dimensional space (angle, height, distance), says Lina Tea. Sound enters the right ear, then the left. I thus create closeness with the person, as if we were together in a hypnotic bubble. She sometimes has the impression that I am next to her, or behind her, and sometimes even in her head! This disorientation makes live an even more powerful sensory and emotional experience and accentuates the suggestibility of the person, who will be even more receptive to the stories that I tell him to help him free himself from his blockages.
ASMR videos on the Internet are short sequences (often on YouTube) in which the Youtuber whispers in the ears of Internet users, scratches a cushion, crumples a sheet, unrolls an adhesive strip… “Among people who watch ASMR videos, many do it at night, lying in bed. Some watch, others just prefer to listen with their eyes closed, without worrying about the objects used – their goal being simply to let themselves be “lulled” by the sounds and fall asleep, explains Lina Tea. ASMR videos have their limitations, however. The same sound can cause a feeling of relaxation and pleasure in one person, and be neutral or even unpleasant for another person. “This is very different from the practice of ASMR in the office, emphasizes Lina Tea. During the session, the practitioner can observe and listen to the reactions of his consultant and thus adapt the sounds to what he likes. This makes it possible to offer them maximum well-being before working on their problem by associating another technique which is hypnosis.
Thanks to Lina Tea, certified hypnotherapist, ASMR specialist, in Vincennes (94).