Using Pain in Sensory Diet- Has Anyone Else Heard of This?

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My therapist/psychologist suggested I hold ice cubes until they melt in my hand. This causes intense pain but I feel it's calming when I'm stressed.

I looked this up online and yes, ice cubes are sometimes used with autism because some autistics crave pain or intense tactile experiences in general. Ice cube therapy like this is also used for people who cut or self-injure in other ways, to help get people to stop focusing on obsessive things, or to stop flashbacks with PTSD.

Have any of you heard of this or tried it?

I have never heard of that and have never tried it.

Do you fit in one of those categories of people who it's useful for?

Let us know how it goes, if you try it.

Yes. It's the intense tactile stuff. That's all certain types of pain are to me.

I did try it and it worked great. But, I'm worried about whether it could get compulsive or addictive, because it releases endorphins, like cutting does. I know it's not harmful like that but still I don't want a compulsion.

That is my main worry.

It's a least a healthy outlet. I wouldn't worry too much about it if it helps you throughout the day.

I'm beginning to get more comfortable with the idea. It just seemed freakish and weird when I first heard of it.

I have a hard time seeing a mere ice-cube stopping a flashback...I mean I imagine the theory is for it to ground you, which if you can successfully do will stop a flashback. However they come on out of nowhere so kind of hard to have any time to go get an ice cube to hold as its starting to stop it...by the time I could get an ice cube for instance I'd likely already be in a more full blown flashback by which time grounding techniques are useless and I have to ride it out...or try and take a Valium if I can steady my hands long enough to get the jar open.


That aside I don't enjoy the feeling of extreme cold...so it wouldn't be a good grounding technique for me, might aggravate me more, but in theory it does make sense it could help some people.

Yes, ice is not entirely harmless, but to let one average size cube melt in your hand is totally safe. That's why psychologists recommend it. And before my psychologist suggested it, he first asked, "How do you do with cold?" knowing that some autistics really can't tolerate cold well at all.

Interesting idea.
I might try it, but maybe with an ice pack? I just hate the thought of getting water everywhere.

It didn't when I did it. It melted incredibly slowly and it was possible to just dry off what few drips came off it at a time without releasing the ice cube.