Why do I never hear about hyposensitivities?

Post Reply New Topic

Isn't that rather common? many people consider it a pleasant smell, as far as I know.


I'm pretty insensitive to pain, touching hot stuff doesn't really bother me. The fact that my skin never seems to develop any scars from burns (or other superficial injuries) probably helps.

I'm hypersensitive to smell, light, and sound, but vey much hypo-sensitive to physical pain. I wish I could "turn off" my sensitivity to smell, light and sound, the way I can turn off what others consider intolerable pain. Case in point, I can nearly have a meltdown if somebody has stepped in dog poop, or if anyone is frying something in grease, as I cannot tolerate the stench. But I had no problems and thought nothing of it, to stitch up a 3" slash in my leg using veterinary tools and sutures. And I did my own nipple piercings effortlessly with an 8-gauge cannula. And as the postor above me mentioned heat, I can reach into a camp fire barehanded (QUICKLY OF COURSE), and rearrange the wood without getting burnt, even though I lose the hair on my arms doing that.

Charles

I wish it were possible for it to be turned on and off so that anyone could experience both. I can't no for sure but after being one way for most of your life it would probably be a nice break/change to be the opposite just for an hour.

For me I'm constantly trying to overwhelm myself even though I can't. I crave more stimulation than my brain will allow me to feel. I feel like I want more and more and I won't be satisfied until it's too much. It would obviously be just as or more unpleasant to be constantly overwhelmed as it is to be constantly underwhelmed but just being overwhelmed once would probably make me content or scare away my drive. At least then I'd have one moment without the invisible blast shield and perpetual ear plugs. It might not be any better and it could in fact be worse but at least it'd be a break.

It's probably easier for most people to imagine why you'd want a break. It would give you a rest and your memories of your hyper-arousal would probably keep you from feeling deprived for a while in a dull blunted state. 20 years of it though...

This is a more off-topic response to someone's mention of the desire to turn of hypersensitivity. I wish anything could be controlled that way not just to make things more comfortable but in a way where people would have access to experiences they normally wouldn't have access to.

I hate that our brains aren't 100% malleable because it means we're limited to a single way of perceiving things. Sure some things can change but most sensory perception doesn't change that much. Levels of absorption are also pretty constant personality traits. It would be my dream world if every person could experience what it's like to be able to be absorbed in things, to not get that way, to feel things intensely, and to feel them not at all. I would want colour blindness to be an experience any one could have and I'd want people who are colour blind to also be able to experience colour. I wanted to satisfy that fantasy with hypnosis when I heard some people could be made to become temporarily colour blind. I started exploring hypnosis when I was about 12 and even though I never got to see a hypnotist I tried as much as I could on my own and I suspect I might have a harder time entering the hypnotic state than most people. That's another neurological change that I wish were possible, hypnotic susceptibility.


One person's experience is so limited as it is. I wish there was a way to completely alter and create experiences. Turn off the hypersensitivity. Turn it on. Turn off the colour. Turn it on. Turn on absorption. Turn it off. Turn off bodily awareness. Turn it back on.

I check my body for any injuries I might have sustained on a daily basis.
My mother insisted on teaching me I'm a danger to myself and through the understanding of my severe deficiency in cognitive empathy I learned to be wary of injuries I might cause to other people (by proxy the emotional ones as well).
On the one hand, I can go on with training in various forms of "artistic performance" release for an extended period of time, on the other hand I know how much suffering my body is physically capable of sustaining.
The balance I'm trying to achieve teaches me about my limits and what I'm capable of.
Being hypo-sensitive is a blessing or a curse depending on your perspective.
I choose to see it as a positive thing when I'm willing to achieve something, but in a way as a curse when I know my persistence is going to bring harm to others.
I do feel a degree of pain when my body is healing though

You don't find the hyposensitivity psychologically distressing? It's killing me. I don't even feel like a living person.

I can not afford the luxury of finding it psychologically distressing.
I would rather accept myself as I am than bend to the pressure of someone's idea of how I should feel about my mind and body.
I try to explore my limits in order to find a balance within myself and the severity of the perceived pain is a means to that end (as lacking as the pain is. The key is to learn how to be gentle and sensitive about your body).
It might sound a bit extreme, but as long as I understand how to achieve something I want with my will, the consequences of the injuries are something I can deal with.
Overdoing it is a certain shortcut to your grave though.
I'm not telling you to go out and find out how many times you can bang your head on a hard surface (sorry for the implied insensitivity), but to go out and be considerate of your innate ability to do what other people will balk at while you do it.
Just live and accept what you are and the consequences will teach you how to deal with yourself with the utmost gentleness as you mature.

That's not what I meant at all. I think the misunderstanding happened when I said I don't even feel like a living person. Maybe you don't understand. It has nothing to do with other people. I was talking about it feeling like you're actually dead.

I think I grasp what you're getting at.
Pain is one of the indicators that tell you you're alive.
I "circumvented" my diminished ability to feel pain in order to attain that sensation by working on my perception of what it means to feel pain.
I can only speak from my own personal experience and am not willing to give you specific advice (everyone is different, even if generalizations may apply).
I experimented with pain and it's consequences (through accident mostly, but sometimes by my own device) and can only say for certain, that as you age, you'll be able to "substitute" for it with comprehension.
There is a difference between pain resistance and insensitivity to it.
The first is more psychological and the other is more neurological.
I've noticed that at times, depending on my state of mind I can bring myself to feel pain in an acute manner. But that requires a lot of attention and concentration.
Certain substances also help with attaining that state of mind (surprisingly opioids make me more aware of pain).
If you desire to experiment, then be very careful and avoid any permanent injury at all costs (basic anatomical and medical knowledge might suffice, but the risks tend to outweigh any benefit when it comes to exploring the realm of pain).
Hope this explains my point a little better.

I seem to be hyposensitive to most pain.
Not all pain though. If I unexpectedly hit my knuckles I get in a completely irrational rage....

I have both types,,,,i am hypersensitive to temperatures,, and tactile sensations,,such as clothing,,but hypo to pain,,dentist was amazed at last extraction,,that i handled the pain so well.. what pain,, I had cracked ribs,,only took advil..it but ac or heat blowing on me is very uncomfortable.

Yeah, the heat isn't really a taste but it gives it a kick which is something. I find, though, that I am happier eating the more bland foods than the fancy foods, which seems contradictory to hyposensitivity to smell and taste. I wonder if you are like that too, or do you seek out foods/meals with stronger flavours? I could eat just chicken on its own, every day, for example.

Are you asking me? I don't think you're asking ellingtonia because he already said he smothers his food in spices.

I do usually eat pretty basic food, but I think this has as much to do with my hypersensitivity to food textures as it does my hyposensitivity to food smells/tastes. My interest for spicy food only started a few years ago, prior to that I ate very blandly when I could. My father and elder brother sometimes spent hours making some overly complicated thing they found in a cookbook and I invariably hate it. When I cook for myself I still make very simple meals, but now I had a dollop or two of extra hot chilli sauce. Between my sensitivity to texture and my insensitivity to taste/smell I've always found eating to be a slightly (and sometimes not so slightly) unpleasant experience. I never eat because I desire a certain food, I eat because my hunger is starting to make me uncomfortable.