When I was in 6th grade, I remember the teacher giving us an assignment to draw something as part of our seatwork. I had decent skills in art - for a 6th grader - and immediately started to sketch.
About 10 minutes later, a friend of mine scooted her chair up to my desk and started watching me. The classroom was warm and toasty, and the sounds of pencil grazing across each paper was so soothing. It was almost like you could feel the combined concentration of little artists scattered about the room, laying like a soft heavy blanket draped across your shoulders. My friend had finished with her drawing, and decided to quietly watch me finish my drawing - a clown. She was enthralled. She loved the colors I chose, she loved how realistic he looked, she loved that my work stood head and shoulders above the talent in the room. It felt so nice to be praised, but something started to happen as she kept whispering her compliments.
It almost started like a tiny shiver, like when a frosty raindrop hits the back of your neck and you get an uncontrollable chill.
Or... remember the game "spiders crawling up your back", and the gooseflesh that would make its way up your arms?
It was similar to that, but then it intensified. As she continue to praise me quietly, (so as not to disturb the rest of the class, and more importantly, to not alert the teacher) my brain started to focus specifically on certain consonants in her whispering: S, T, P, D, K..... all of the soothing clicks and hisses started to put me into a trance-like state.
It felt like her words were playing with my hair, running down my neck and back, radiating heat across my shoulders and descending down my arms. She was unaware of the effect, but I immediately became so relaxed and soothed, that it was hard for me to hold my pencil to finish drawing.
Photo credit: bogitw, pixabay.com
Unusual experience, but I chalked it up to a singular occurrence.
"I must have been tired."
"It was the end of a long school day."
"It was really warm in the room."
A few years ago, I was telling my daughter about an artist that I used to watch after school. I kept telling her how calming he was, how soothing his voice, how lovely his paintings. Immediately, I recalled that his show had the same effect on my state of relaxation in those 30 minutes each day. It was a very similar feeling to the one I had in 6th grade. Not as intense, but definitely similar. I had to show her - so I immediately looked up "Bob Ross" on YouTube.
Nothing. Every video that I would try to reach had the message that it had been taken down due to copyright infringement.
I started to scan the internet for any trace of any of his videos (without having to purchase the $60 video series for a season) -and that's when my world shifted.
Apparently - other people felt the same way about our good friend, Bob.
Photo credit: BRI Productions
There was this huge following, almost like an underground society. Whenever a new Bob Ross video would pop up on YouTube - they would quickly tell as many people as they could - while still trying desperately to keep it hidden enough as to not awaken the "BobRossYouTube" task force that seemed to be intent on ridding the world of our much-needed "fix".
It was really humorous, because they were all really protective of these videos. When one person would alert others too loudly - and the video was taken down - you should have seen the comments. I too felt disappointment - because he seemed to be the only source of this "gift" - the only one who could reproduce these sensations at will in an entire group of people. But I wasn't as angry as some. The wrath that would fall when another of Bob's videos were taken down.... ha!!! God help you if you were the one to squeal.
I was loving the fact that there was this community - this group of "oddities" like me - who could have this physical response to auditory stimuli. I had tried a few times to tell people about it before - but after they looked at me sideways (it does seem a very odd thing) I started to feel a little bit ashamed of it. Everyone seemed to think it was so taboo - and borderline sexual. And it really truly wasn't... and isn't. But I couldn't explain it well enough until I started to connect with other people who experienced the same thing.
We were able to finish each other's sentences, and connect the dots, and finally "belong" - but there still wasn't a name for it. No title could identify or easily convey to another person that "THAT" is what we experienced......until Jennifer Allen came along on February 25, 2010.
She definitely did not discover this phenomenon, but she most certainly united a group with the words:
Autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR)
You can read as much detailed information as you'd like here: ASMR
My post is specifically about my own experience.
Once I had a label, it was like finding a map to the treasure. Now, instead of people searching "what's that weird feeling that I get when people kinda talk quietly - it's kinda like shivers - or like a warm feeling - or maybe a trance" (NOW if you type those exact words in - first thing it pulls up is ASMR hahaha - but good luck with that search back in 2008, Google)
After Jennifer labeled us - we could put "ASMR" into the search box and we were instantly rewarded with articles and videos and groups and and and...
It was amazing. To this day, I think the person whose name is associated most with ASMR is still Bob Ross. ha!
He was the founder - without even knowing it. He was the one who thought he was painting beautiful paintings in 30 minutes - but he was really putting an entire society of people into a hypnotic state every day, afterschool, 4:00 pm. (well... AND creating beautiful paintings, too)
Interestingly enough, his videos are now allowed on YouTube. The BRYT task force must have finally figured out there was money to be made.
Bob was the original, but I've since upgraded.
Every night, I put on the same YouTube channel as I'm about to go to sleep. All my life, I've suffered with horrible insomnia. I used to stare at the ceiling as a child until 1 am in the morning.
Awful.
When I put my earbuds in at night now - I cannot keep my eyes open longer than 7 seconds. I am not exaggerating. If a new video is posted on this channel, and I choose to fall asleep to it, you could offer me 1 million dollars to tell you ANYTHING about the video the next day. I can't. I can't tell you anymore than the first six or seven words and then I am instantly asleep. The deepest, most peaceful, most hypnotic sleep imaginable.
I've tried to explain the feeling again, show some videos to people - I wait for the tell-tale signs that they too are getting that soothing sensation, those warm rays of sunshine that are tickling down your spine...
Nope. Nothing. They just say I'm weird. (true. but I DO also have ASMR)
Apparently I'm one of the few that can experience it.
Most people need a drug to fall into that sweet spot of relaxed euphoria.
I just need Bob Ross and a blanket.
Day #5 for the 30 day Challenge by 
Steem on!