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ocdgirl123
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17 Sep 2016, 12:46 am

I know this post won't get many replies because it's not something most autistic people can relate to but here goes:

There are sounds I really don't like. However, these sounds don't hurt my ears, but they are just [i]grating[i/] In fact, I'm less sensitive to sound in that aspect. Loud sounds never hurt my ears, sometimes, they vibrate, but they don't hurt. However, I can't stand loud breathing or sighing for example. It just is so grating.

Is this still a sensory issue? I don't get upset when I hear it, but I cringe.


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nathanprescott
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17 Sep 2016, 1:08 am

I can't really relate to the lack of pain when hearing loud noises, but there are some noises that don't hurt me - they just make me tense and angry.

Sighing and breathing are two examples, as well as hearing people eat, packets rustling and such. I'm not too sure if it is a sensory issue, but I can relate to what you said.



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17 Sep 2016, 1:13 am

I think what you're describing is a sensory issue. There are some sounds, even specific words, that infuriate me because I just can't stand the way they sound. Literally, hearing them pushes me to the brink of meltdown in seconds, and I have to bite my fingers really hard (my decompression technique) to keep from freaking out. What really enrages me is when my family uses the words and phrases I've told them I hate just to get a rise out of me.


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17 Sep 2016, 2:21 am

Some parts might be just preferences. Some sounds are just annoying than uncomfortable or painful.

But the not-getting hurt and uncomfortable part with noises - that I can relate. I can even handle noises that could overwhelm NTs.
I have sensory sensitivity that lacks filters without the sensory overload part.
To me it feels like I'm either absorbing it or letting the sensory input pass through (sometimes, in certain pitches, vibrations tickles :lol: ) instead of 'blocking', 'putting thresholds', 'tolerating', 'focus-and-cope' or 'enduring' it whenever it comes.


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ASPartOfMe
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17 Sep 2016, 2:24 am

Dogs barking are very very. very annoying and can put me in a bad mood for hours but they do not hurt.


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Kiriae
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17 Sep 2016, 6:23 am

This type of sensory issue is called misophonia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misophonia .
"Allergic" reaction to some specific sounds, especially those made by other people with their mouths.

Fortunatelly I don't have it. My sound sensitivity is just a regular sound sensitivity - loud, high pitched sounds make me cover my ears (it isn't painful per se - the loud sounds feel sort of like someone hugging you too tight and you can't break free or when you are wearing a sweater in hot weather, the whole body feels uncomfortable) and when there is a lot of people talking at once or simply too many sounds (even if they aren't too loud) I won't understand conversation and won't be able to focus on almost anything unless I "turn off" my sense of sound all together(but it doesn't always work).

I also have an issue with some people speech - my grandma does so and unfortunately my best friend started doing so recently... If a woman with high pitched voice speaks too loud I get a kind of tinnus - a sharp, loud, high pitched clicking sound inside of one of my ears, coming together with their words. And this is actually painful - not physically painful as it isn't a cut or anything but the feeling could be compared to someone repeatably pinching you, it is so intense. I have to cover the ear to be able to talk with them. It saddens me because if my best friend won't change her voice I won't be able to accompany her properly anymore...

I don't really mind people making sounds such as breathing and eating. Unless they breathe into my ear or obviously vomit somewhere.

I do hate the sound a chalk sometimes makes against school board, the high pitched one - it causes goosebumps on my skin. I am not sure why. But apparently a lot of people hate this sound too so it's considered normal.
And I dislike the voice of some males - hoarseness is a big no for me. It vibrates too much. It makes it hard to listen because their voices "contain too many sounds" and it's hard to focus/hear. A single voice sounds like a choir.



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17 Sep 2016, 6:33 am

I rarely have actual, physical pain at a loud sound or even just a sound I don't like -- for me it's just a massive sense of irritation to the point where I feel I can't stand to hear it anymore. Although there are sounds that can be loud enough to actually hurt my ears, it's usually not about pain for me, it's about the sound driving me crazy for some reason.



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17 Sep 2016, 6:46 am

OCDGirl123, is it just breathing sounds? Do you know what it is about breathing sounds that bothers you?

Kiriae, I felt like I was the only one with the vibrating and clicking in my ears at certain frequencies in people's voices. I've had a touch of tinnitus ever since I was a kid, so maybe it's just that condition getting worse. I'm now very diligent about wearing earplugs at gigs and concerts, but I wonder if that's enough to prevent it from getting worse, like, to your level. And you're only 27? :(

The vibrating ears has started to annoy me enough to do a little reading, and it sounds like there are therapies for it, but not until it starts affecting quality of life. Maybe you're at that stage now, Kiriae, since you're already covering your ears?



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17 Sep 2016, 7:08 am

I was in a meeting last night and this guy sitting next to me had an irregular breathing pattern. It was driving me up a wall!! ! I wanted to scream and run out of the room. I was trying to focus on having compassion, because that kind of breathing is usually a sign of asthma or heart trouble. But oy! It was getting to me.

Misophonia is very common. You'll need to change the title of this thread. Not bizzare at all around here.



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17 Sep 2016, 7:30 am

I can't stand the sound of telephone wires in the very hot summer - they zing or whine - it sends me back inside, which is where I should have stayed in the first place.



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17 Sep 2016, 8:23 am

I feel physical pain after certain sounds. Other sounds don't hurt me physically though, but more like "emotionally". I just find them extremely irritating and they make me want to be violent so I try to suppress my urges
Loud breathing is one of those. It annoys me. It distracts me and it just irritates me so much. Making noises while eating irritates me too.

Dogs barking. When they have high pitched sounds, my ears actually hurt.

There are sounds that absolutely hurt me physically (but they don't bother neurotypicals) and others that just annoy me and annoy some NTs I know too.



BirdInFlight
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17 Sep 2016, 8:38 am

Mine are in two categories --

Physical pain:
When there is a really loud bang, or I'm standing next to a bus whose driver just punched a very loud bus horn -- all loud sounds that are in fact damaging to the ears and which even NTs would have ear pain from, because the decibels are at a harmful level.

"Emotional" or mental extreme agitiation but not physical pain:
For instance, right now the neighbor who lives in the apartment directly above me is pacing VERY heavily back and forth. He has a very hard, heavy, thudding footfall. The noise doesn't hurt my ears, but it makes me feel irritable, agitated, tense, angry, bothered, and I can feel the vibration in my skull even though it's not painful, it's just horrible to experience, and hes' doing it A LOT.

The sound, which he does for hours, is driving me "crazy" in a mental and emotional "overwhelm" that makes me feel tense and angry and like I want to scream.

So, for me, there are physically painful sounds but they tend to be of the variety loud enough that even NTs ears would hurt because they are actually damaging volumes of sound.

And then there are the ones that are sensory overwhelm strictly because the noise is intruding upon my sense of peace and quiet in a way that is sustained enough that I'm accumulating stress.



Kiriae
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17 Sep 2016, 2:18 pm

DataB4 wrote:
Kiriae, I felt like I was the only one with the vibrating and clicking in my ears at certain frequencies in people's voices. I've had a touch of tinnitus ever since I was a kid, so maybe it's just that condition getting worse. I'm now very diligent about wearing earplugs at gigs and concerts, but I wonder if that's enough to prevent it from getting worse, like, to your level. And you're only 27? :(

The vibrating ears has started to annoy me enough to do a little reading, and it sounds like there are therapies for it, but not until it starts affecting quality of life. Maybe you're at that stage now, Kiriae, since you're already covering your ears?


Nah. It's alright.

So far I only get the tinnus thing with 2 people and it is easily fixed with me covering ear, them lowering their voices or us going to a bigger room(for example the friend thing stopped when we went outside).
And me covering my ears(either with hands or headphones without music on) is nothing unusual - I do it quite a lot.

The vibrating I hear in some male voices isn't in my ears - it's their voice that vibrates. Me having trouble listening to them isn't hearing related but auditory processing related - there is just too many sounds at once. It would be the same if a person was speaking while eating. It's just difficult to focus on the meaning when you hear many sounds at once.

Hmm... just recalled I actually get the clicking tinnus when my mom or dad are yelling at me too, at least sometimes. But it's their fault for yelling and I don't pay attention - I just cover my ears and leave the room.
Grandma or friend are not yelling at me - they are speaking normally. Grandma is half deaf so she can't help speaking loudly but I wonder if my friend is losing her hearing too? The issue with her voice started just recently and I felt she is speaking too loud but didn't know how to tell her to speak softer. Next time I will just tell her straight out.

Anyway - it doesn't happen too often. It doesn't interfere with my daily life any more than my auditory processing disorder does (the inability to understand speech when there are background sounds) and it has an easy solution.



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17 Sep 2016, 2:39 pm

Kiriae wrote:
This type of sensory issue is called misophonia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misophonia .
"Allergic" reaction to some specific sounds, especially those made by other people with their mouths.

THAT'S IT!!
Dog Barking, sounds associated with construction like hammering, loud phones, and a few people vocals.


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