I think I've found a way to explain sensory issues to an NT

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Most NTs don’t understand what sensory issues are, because they’ve never experienced something like that. Quite recently I’ve found a good analogy (I think) that helps explain sensory issues to NTs. It worked with my friends, so I thought I’d share it with you, in case it could help someone else. The idea of this analogy is not entirely mine, I just elaborated it a bit.
Anyway.

The difference between disliking something and being hypersensitive to it, is similar, in a way, to the difference between disliking some food and being allergic to it.
For example, if you simply don’t like oranges, you can still eat them, if you really have to. You probably won’t enjoy it, but it won’t do you any harm.
But if you’re allergic to oranges, even a small bite of it can lead to a strong reaction of your body (maybe even anaphylactic shock). In other words, it’s dangerous.

It’s pretty much the same with sensory issues. A particular sound, or touch, or smell can be insignificant for some people, but intolerable for others.

So, having a meltdown from sensory issues is, in a way, something like having an anaphylactic shock from allergies.

Again, as with allergies, hypersensitivity can’t be controlled by your willpower. You can’t ‘get used to it’ or ‘get over it’. The only effective way to deal with it is to avoid the triggers (as you avoid the food you’re allergic to).

Good analogy. I use one similar to that.

I usually ask people if they hate being around people with bad breath or bad B.O., and they all say yes. I then ask if they can't wait to get away from that person, and again, they all say yes. So I say, that feeling you get about wanting to get away from their bad smell, is how I feel towards a bunch of sensory things, like scents, lights, touch, etc. After that they usually understand it better.

Wow, both are good analogies! I'm going to try out both, but first I'll try the allergy one. It just might be "the one" that makes them understand.

That is fantastic! I've never thought of it like that! But, it's perfect!

I've always tried to go about it like this. I explain the sound sensitivity like nails on a chalkboard. Except it's with other noises. For me, going into a crowd is like turning on 50 TVs in the same, very small room, different channels, and at max volume. Except, you're really scared that the TVs are going to touch you, or witness you having an epic freakout when you can't turn them off.

At least the nice thing about being a small woman is the fact that people don't get scared when I freak out. So, it's probably less of a big deal than when my brother, who is easily double my size, starts freaking out.

The two analogies are quite different, though. You can get used to bad smells and you can tolerate them using willpower - you just don't want to. So I suppose people experience hypersensitivity differently.

I actually have gotten over allergies and sensory issues. It just took years of detoxing.

I'm going to have to respectfully disagree. Prior to my pregnancy, I had a cast iron stomach and a great filter for irrelevant sound. My brother made a lot of stimming sound and engaged in a lot of scripted speech. So, I had to learn to focus in very chaotic environments. And it was as if I had no sense of smell at all.

Bam! My pregnancy undid all of that. I was acutely aware of all of my senses, so headache and nausea were commonplace. The world was literally offensive to all of my senses. And despite all my best efforts, I can't get those filters back. I even went as far as getting sleeping medication because every little sound woke me up. It didn't matter. The only difference is that I didn't completely recall actually getting up.

And the more tense I get, the more sensitive I become. I'm actually sitting here with noise cancelling headphones in, but no music. I just need some quiet!! !

I prefer a more vicarious experiences route. I just came up with this off the top of my head after seeing the topic title, but I think it's a good way to get across different aspects of the experience of sensory issues than just an analogy that helps one grasp a definition:

Imagine you're in a medium sized room with a few people and there is music playing. However, the music is turned up, like, past eleven. The music is blaring, drowning out all other sounds, hurting your ears making it hard to think. You make your way over to the stereo controls, holding your hands over your ears as you get close. You plan to turn down the volume. When you get to the stereo, however, you see that the volume is set between three and four. Even behind your hands, it still seems loud to you. This is when you notice that everyone is looking at you like you're crazy. You tell them that the music is too loud, but they just look at you weirder.