How Do You Get People to Understand Sensory Sensitivities?

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finallyFoundOutWhy
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker

Joined: Dec 28, 2011
Age: 47
Posts: 51

Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2011 9:15 pm Post subject:

phaerie wrote:

Wow, holy shiz. I've never heard so many others talk about the same thing as what I go through...firstly. THANKS!!!. *breaths out heavily* Shocked

I have a question.....I am very non tolerant to shopping centers and things like movie cinemas and most of all...resturaunts.
These things are physically painfull and shattering for me- even though I try to fight it -. When my alert system tells me to "get out" I feels like an autonomic seizure. I get physical sensations in my head and feel kind of wonky as if my system is malfunctioning...its scary however as soon as I go to a calming place...it eases.

Does anyone else get anything like that? Embarassed

Phaerie, totally

crowds freak me out unless i am completely psyched to go in them. shopping is something i can only do for a few hours (3) at most and only if i am fully on my game. i usually have to go hide by myself after a shopping trip.

crowds and crowd noises cause me pain - literally

i can watch them, but not be in the middle of them.

one other thing i should note - i have a thing called Synesthesia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synesthesia. my senses cross over. for me, under given light conditions i can smell colours. under given light conditions or stress conditions i can feel things i touch with my fingers on my tongue and taste them - or smell light conditions

the messed up sight input that occurs can change my perceptions and my emotional reactions as well

i remember how embarrassed i was when i first told my sister ic ould smell colours sometimes (even when i wasn't on acid), and she said "yeah, that's called synesthesia - i have that". i had hidden it since i was a child and my teachers and parents chided and derided me for saying i could smell colours and taste touch and that i saw patterns (i now liken them to the patterns/visualisations on windows media player) when music plays or i am doing something rhythmically (can sometimes mess up sex i'll tell you - having asperger's and suddenly having distracting patterns and colours appearing while you are going at it...)

blah, blah, blah

hope you are not feeling as alone in feeling that way anymore
_________________
"Your Aspie score: 172 of 200
Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 51 of 200
You are very likely an Aspie"
Diagnosed 2010 at age 45
Asperger's and NVLD

munch15a
Snowy Owl

Joined: Nov 17, 2011
Age: 24
Posts: 153

Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2011 9:30 pm Post subject:

Yeah noisy restaurants crowded trains I too do not like movies at least as a rule for some reason my anxiety goes down if i have seen it before.

finallyFoundOutWhy
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker

Joined: Dec 28, 2011
Age: 47
Posts: 51

Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2011 9:53 pm Post subject:

my visual and auditory issues get exacerbated depending on the textures of clothes i am wearing. i try to be really careful about what textures and fabrics i wear i completely avoid artificial fabrics _________________ "Your Aspie score: 172 of 200 Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 51 of 200 You are very likely an Aspie" Diagnosed 2010 at age 45 Asperger's and NVLD

hartzofspace
Red Dragon
Supporting Member

Joined: Apr 15, 2005
Posts: 7610
Location: On the Road Less Traveled

Posted: Fri Dec 30, 2011 6:03 pm Post subject:

phaerie wrote:

Wow, holy shiz. I've never heard so many others talk about the same thing as what I go through...firstly. THANKS!!!. *breaths out heavily* Shocked

I do. It becomes fight or flight.
_________________
Dreams are renewable. No matter what our age or condition, there are still untapped possibilities within us and new beauty waiting to be born.
-- Dr. Dale Turner

mntn13
Phoenix
Phoenix

Joined: Jun 07, 2011
Posts: 1006

Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2012 5:23 pm Post subject:

I keep telling them each time it comes up - here's the most recent - "... if you open the door to my room fast and hard, it scares the pie out of me because for me door handles are really loud, (emphasis on to me), and when I get scared it automatically makes me really angry for a minute and then you ( insert name of person here) might get yelled at which causes both of us pain, so please open the door slowly so I know you're coming in." They don't remember anyway, but eventually, I figure they will. Probably. At some point before they grow up and move away.

phaerie
Butterfly

Joined: Dec 27, 2011
Age: 28
Posts: 10

Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2012 6:37 pm Post subject:

Thanks for your reply's guys I have to go into the worlds worst shopping centre today, Garden City. It must have some harsh frequencies in there or something and its "white" and has lights and sky lights everywhere. It's the only place that has my black soap...:/ The door thing hurts me too ....I get really angry, hurt and hurl it all back at the poor person who use to want a chat when I lived at home. I could never make them understand, they would just be mad at me for days after, thinking I was satan. It feels like my whole world is made of glass and gets smashed with a baseball bat. I have never heard of (synethesia?) before....It sounds pretty awesome/confusing....I'm not sure if i have it, however I know numbers have colours, like 1=white, 2=blue, 3=yellow, 4=green, 5=red and so on....And I see faces in trees and when I walk or drive past houses I can feel what the energy is like inside, and the people who live there. And can also taste colours and they give me feelings and I can also use them as a shield (clothing) to how I handle the day. The media player visuals are what i get before I drift to sleep sometimes, and with them I feel like I'm rolling in a roller coaster however I haven't had that in a while.

hartzofspace
Red Dragon
Supporting Member

Joined: Apr 15, 2005
Posts: 7610
Location: On the Road Less Traveled

Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2012 10:40 pm Post subject:

The door thing hurts me too Sad

....I get really angry, hurt and hurl it all back at the poor person who use to want a chat when I lived at home. I could never make them understand, they would just be mad at me for days after, thinking I was satan. It feels like my whole world is made of glass and gets smashed with a baseball bat.[/quote]
My neighbors used to allow their screen door to slam every single time they opened it. It would make me jump a mile and then get the shakes, because now I had to brace myself for the next one. I finally asked them to please not allow it to slam? They were nice enough to comply, but occasionally they would forget, and then "BLAM!"

phaerie wrote:

I have never heard of (synethesia?) before....It sounds pretty awesome/confusing....I'm not sure if i have it, however I know numbers have colours, like 1=white, 2=blue, 3=yellow, 4=green, 5=red and so on....And I see faces in trees Embarassed

Same here! I also stim off of some colors; they give off the faintest of vibrations, and I feel incredibly good when I stare at them. Other colors have the power to make me feel ill, as well as certain musical notes. Some music has flavors and colors, too.
_________________
Dreams are renewable. No matter what our age or condition, there are still untapped possibilities within us and new beauty waiting to be born.
-- Dr. Dale Turner

munch15a
Snowy Owl

Joined: Nov 17, 2011
Age: 24
Posts: 153

Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2012 11:07 pm Post subject:

[quote="phaerie" I have never heard of (synethesia?) before....It sounds pretty awesome/confusing....I'm not sure if i have it, however I know numbers have colours, like 1=white, 2=blue, 3=yellow, 4=green, 5=red and so on....And I see faces in trees and when I walk or drive past houses I can feel what the energy is like inside, and the people who live there. And can also taste colours and they give me feelings and I can also use them as a shield (clothing) to how I handle the day..[/quote] yeah i get the same thing with each year new envocing a colour for long while and also some train stations envok a personality for me not all but some. The seeing faces in things in some what different bascil;y the human brain is hard wired to see faces and also hands everywhere really easily I guess the explanation would be so that it was harder for enemy tribes to ambush us from the bushes.

HighPlateau
Snowy Owl

Joined: Oct 20, 2011
Posts: 129
Location: Oz

Posted: Tue Jan 03, 2012 5:55 pm Post subject:

Beats me. I agree there is a right royal double standard at play. At work there are dazzling fluorescent light fixtures that cause me pain in the eyes. It is forbidden to turn off the bank of lights that covers my work area (I suppose that's fair enough, although there is another worker in the same row with exactly the same issue). So I got one of the tubes taken out in the fitting directly above my workspace, which diminished the pain. I wanted the other tube taken out, but management dug in their heels. They started bleating about 'occupational health and safety' disallowing removal of the other one, even though it's only above my desk and everyone else's space and all the thoroughfares would remain as well-lighted as before. What they really mean is they choose for rules to change their reality from fluid to rigid. This makes life easier on them, because it means a holiday from exercising intelligence. I see the purpose of OHS rules is to protect everyone, not just the majority. It is an impasse. Just to get this small bit of consideration, I would have to jump through all sorts of incredibly expensive medical hoops, or bring in unpopular union heavy guns; as for the AS card, I simply wouldn't trust them with it, so that is off the table. I told them I'm going to start wearing a cap to work, to shield my eyes, and they warned me I would get into trouble if I did that because it's outside dress code. In the end, all I could do was shift my desk so the light falls only indirectly before my eyes rather than right onto my monitor. This means I now have to live with the real OHS issue of being cramped in my diminished usable behind-the-desk area, which means I am constantly being knocked about and bruised trying to function with furniture and equipment crammed into a space that is smaller than regulation ... and I still get sore eyes. I used to feel really energised about tackling stupidities and injustices, but every time I tried to fix something - whether for me or for others - I would meet with so much resistance the personal cost to me was heavy. I now think my health is best protected if I stop caring so much about anything connected with that workplace, so I am no longer emotionally invested. Their loss, but you have to cut your own losses in the end, don't you.

UnderTheSea
Butterfly

Joined: Jan 02, 2012
Posts: 9

Posted: Tue Jan 03, 2012 10:52 pm Post subject:

I always have the lights off in my office; I can't stand the intensity of the light. So far, no one asks me about it. I also have a sensitivity to clothes. I don't like clothes that are right out of the dryer; they are too tight. I also don't like clothes that have been worn more than three days; they are too loose. It's a difficult balance. I also sometimes get attached to a particular shirt or pair of pants. Then, I tend to wear only that particular shirt or pair of pants. I also have a sensitivity to sound. I can't stand the hum of a light or the sound of a fan. However, if I can discern some pattern to the sound (i.e. a clock ticking at regular intervals) then I can become consumed by the sound. It's hard to explain. As far as trying to get people to understand these sensitivities, I believe it is nearly impossible. I have tried to explain, through the use of logic, to family members. However, it seems that eventually the family member will stop listening (i.e., they walk away) or sometimes the family member will start talking about something else.

munch15a
Snowy Owl

Joined: Nov 17, 2011
Age: 24
Posts: 153

Posted: Wed Jan 04, 2012 10:51 am Post subject:

Yeah the shirt pants thing is very common with those on as spectrum i when not going to be seeing people swap between about 3 shirts 4 pairs of shorts and 5 pairs of underwear(washed after one days use of course ) its just because that's what I'm used to and like doing what I'm used to

hartzofspace
Red Dragon
Supporting Member

Joined: Apr 15, 2005
Posts: 7610
Location: On the Road Less Traveled

Posted: Wed Jan 04, 2012 12:49 pm Post subject:

munch15a wrote:

Yeah the shirt pants thing is very common with those on as spectrum i when not going to be seeing people swap between about 3 shirts 4 pairs of shorts and 5 pairs of underwear(washed after one days use of course )

its just because that's what I'm used to and like doing what I'm used to

I have a pair of sweats that are made of a 50/50 acrylic/cotton blend. I've had them since 2003, and I practically live in them. I want to own at least six pairs, but unfortunately, it seems that this blend is no longer made. Sweats that are sold nowadays are made of other blends; such as polyester and cotton, and these are not as kind to my sensory issues.
_________________
Dreams are renewable. No matter what our age or condition, there are still untapped possibilities within us and new beauty waiting to be born.
-- Dr. Dale Turner

finallyFoundOutWhy
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker

Joined: Dec 28, 2011
Age: 47
Posts: 51

Posted: Wed Jan 04, 2012 6:00 pm Post subject:

phaerie wrote:

and when I walk or drive past houses I can feel what the energy is like inside, and the people who live there. And can also taste colours and they give me feelings and I can also use them as a shield (clothing) to how I handle the day.

The media player visuals are what i get before I drift to sleep sometimes, and with them I feel like I'm rolling in a roller coaster however I haven't had that in a while.

um, yeah

you've got synesthesia - if numbers have colours - bingo

if taste colours - bingo

don't know if it is part of the synesthesia, but i see faces in almost any random pattern - floor tiles, clouds, trees, stucco on ceilings, snowflakes and frost on windows, blah, blah, blah

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synesthesia

http://synesthete.org/
_________________
"Your Aspie score: 172 of 200
Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 51 of 200
You are very likely an Aspie"
Diagnosed 2010 at age 45
Asperger's and NVLD

munch15a
Snowy Owl

Joined: Nov 17, 2011
Age: 24
Posts: 153

Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 5:20 am Post subject:

No the faces thing is common however may be more common among some then others basically its because we have a particular bundle or nerve cells that fire every time we see a face be it your own or someone else or 2 dots and a line for this reason we are hard wired to see faces with great easy I wonder the clothing thing is that part of the hypersensitivity part of having as or is it part of just part of our love for habits.

hartzofspace
Red Dragon
Supporting Member

Joined: Apr 15, 2005
Posts: 7610
Location: On the Road Less Traveled

Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 11:23 am Post subject:

munch15a wrote:

I wonder the clothing thing is that part of the hypersensitivity part of having as or is it part of just part of our love for habits.

I think in my case it is hypersensitivity. I have had items of clothing that, while I liked the color and style, I couldn't stand the texture or if the fabric was "noisy."
_________________
Dreams are renewable. No matter what our age or condition, there are still untapped possibilities within us and new beauty waiting to be born.
-- Dr. Dale Turner

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