Do you have a stim that puts you in a "trance" lik

Post Reply New Topic

The question was supposed to read "do you have a stim that puts you in a trance like state?"




When I go to bed I rub my feet together and it's so relaxing that I feel my body relax so much I feel like I'm in a semi-trance. Is this common that a stim can do this?

With me it's the other way around, when I relax on the couch, or in bed before I go to sleep, I tend to rub my feet together. I relax first, then rub automaticly.

However, my other stims do put me in a state like that. Skin-picking is not the best of stims. When in a "trance" I can pick on a zit or insectbite or irregularity in the skin, only to "wake up" to look at some bloody fingertips. I am half-aware of whats happening, so I wouldn't call it a real trance though.

Stims serve a purpose. They relax, calm, and can even help us focus. As long as it is not harmful, and not too weird in public there is nothing wrong with it. If you have weird public stims, it would be wise to find less weird alternatives, like carrying a squeeze ball around. These are used by people with hand injuries and athletes to strengthen the hands. Another okay public stim is doodling--carry around a pad and something to write/draw with. Bouncing a leg while sitting isn't too weird, lots of people do that--including me. It is often done unconsciously when someone is under stress, but not always while stressed, as it is a stim. I am not always stressed when I do it. If someone ever calls you on it, just tell them that it burns calories. Yet another "safe to use in public" stim is pacing. Lots of people pace--and that also burns calories. Twirling utensils and pens is okay, too. None of those is too weird.

So as long as it doesn't hurt anyone, and isn't too weird when out in public, go ahead and stim--and burn those calories.

Sometimes gaming can. Something about plunging into a regular, predictable world controlled by numbers on every front is very mentally stimulating and relaxing.

When I'm lying down doing something I like picking at the makeup on my face and rubbing it between my fingers. I know, it's a pretty gross habit. All of the foundation powder on my face. I like rubbing my fingers together when I'm in a trance as well.

Sometimes if I've engaged in tactile stimming for too long a period, I will tend to go into a trancelike state.

I find that I often go into a trance-like state when stimming. Like many other posters, I rub my feet together as a way to relax when I'm getting ready for bed or just generally sleepy. I rock from side to side or back and forth when I'm concentrating deeply on something, I flick my nails together when I'm anxious, and I've chewed on a particular bit of the inside of my lip for so long that it's developed scar tissue. Now that I'm an adult and I've learned to be more personable and developed a sarcastic sense of humor, my stims are much more tolerated than they were when I was younger.

If I'm alone and I listen to the right song on repeat (some stuff by Annie Lennox on her "Diva" album or a couple of different tunes on the "Hair" movie soundtrack, for example) I can experience a kind of "high". I can do this lightly and safely enough while driving, but I can also do it at home and get more into it deliberately. If I could tolerate headphones better, I could probably do this even more profoundly.

I think the repetitive nature of stims lends itself to meditativeness and possibly trance and, depending on the stim, possibly a kind of high. So, this is no surprise to me. After all, what do NTs do to get themselves into a meditative or a trance state? Often something repetitive, such as repeating a mantra, drumming, or swaying.

Meditation is likely good for Aspies, and I've found it to be good for me. Perhaps those who meditate, or those who might naturally be prone to it anyway, find their stims to be more easily trance inducing.

Rocking. It's so easy to do this for hours because it is so comforting.
I also stroke my nose a lot without realising, usually after a while it becomes too sensitive and actually hurts, but I don't stop.

I think many things that might be trance-inducing stims for others would bother my fibromyalgia. In general, I have this struggle between stims I might use and my sensitivity / intolerance to pain. I think that's been a big factor in which stims I have and how long I can carry out certain ones.

I pick at the makeup and skin on my face which somehow comforts me, I'm usually tranced out when I'm doing this.

A trance? Mine does, literally. I'll find myself comforted by the act of staring at a wall, unable to pull my eyes away. I've done this for years. It gives me a "warm fuzzy" feeling that I can't describe. Unfortunately, my gaze often rests on places it shouldn't - like the chest of a cashier in the store. It's not that I'm staring at them, rather through them. Once my eyes are locked on a spot, it's impossible to pull them away for several moments. These fleeting occurrences happen all the time.

Air guitar on a fave Van Halen solo.