Sensory Overload?

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I've been to a few parties lately and had what I think is pretty bad sensory overload. When there's too much going on (noises, movement, etc.) I try for as long as I can to keep myself together. If there's someone talking to me I won't look at them or respond to them because I'm trying to keep myself from reaching that point where I'll lose it completely and looking directly at them or listening to them talking (let alone speaking myself) puts more strain on me. When I've reached that point where I feel like I can no longer function in the environment that I'm in, it feels like my brain shuts down. My friend said I get a glazed look and don't respond and it's like he doesn't know where I went. Sometimes I lose the ability to speak at all for a while. I can barely think. I feel like a zombie and my brain is shutting everything out so I don't have to deal with it anymore. At this point I need to be alone in a quiet space and it takes a while to recover.

I'm not sure if this is what is considered sensory overload, but it is very unpleasant. What are your experiences with sensory overload like and in what situations do you experience them?

Yes, that is sensory overload.

That sounds exactly like me.

Yes! When I am in a room full of people and talking to a group, I literally cannot hear what people are saying anymore, even though their volume is okay. I thought I was having hearing problems until I learned about sensory issues and realized that it was just processing problems.

I feel like Charlie Brown when the adults are talking and all he hears is, "wha, wha, wha, wha, whaaaa."

Yeh, that pretty much describes it for me too.

If I'm pushed beyond this point though I tend to become violent - I think as a defensive measure.

You described sensory overload to a 'T'. In situations where crowds are congregating, I always have to position myself along the outer perimeter. That provides a comfort zone and an escape route. Then there is the issue of noise and other environmental oppression. These thing get to me on a daily basis in restaurants (both the commotion of the people and the bckground music are annoying) and also in Wal-Mart, which is AS hell every time I go there. Wal-Mart has the added torture of fluorescent lights - garish ones. The worst.

My usual mode of operation in these places is to leave as soon as possible. I guess that is a form of shutting down.

Yep, I get this also. If I do go to socialise, I often end up sitting alone just so I can get a grip on the situation, rather than leave. There's just far too much going on. Makes me wonder how NT's find this enjoyable

Thats a perfect example of sensory overload. I have been there lots of times have the tee shirts and everything.

When I go to parties a little count down clock starts in my brain where my autistic world exists. Zero hour is when this party is going to end and I can finally leave to escape this noise and forced socialization without specific goal or purpose. I have never found parties full of loud noise and so much more to be enjoyable. Parties are one of the things I experience rarely but having done so convinces me I am on the Wrong Planet.

When I experience sensory overload at parties my systems shut down and I automatically retreat inside myself. I day dream but the world of my day dreams has many additional experience enhacing qualities that make mine a world to itself. I too look like a Zombie to others in this NT world. I just sit there saying nothing, I might mumble or rock back and forth but my true self is billions of miles away in a secret place that exists only in my mind.

Those sounds were actually made by a trombone with a plunger mute. Only I would know that XD

For me, if it's something that I enjoy (LIKE DAFT PUNK. THAT WAS THE BEST NIGHT OF MY LIFE EVER.), I don't mind the crowd around me as long as I have hearing protection from the music. If it's just overwhelming crowd noise (like in a big restaurant or something) then I digress into what Eire described.

It is quite common among auties and aspies [sensory or information processing overload induced] as being a cause of non verbalism [both full and partly NV].
Am think of it as being similar to epilepsy.
with epilepsy,it's an overload of electrical activity that overwhelms the brain,but the problem here is with the accutely and easily overloaded brain being overwhelmed by sensory or information processing.
If think own NVism is a problem or it lasts long,am reccomend learning some sort of sign language,such as countries own sign language [eg,BSL,ASL...] or if need something not as difficult-Makaton.



Apparently autistics whos' non verbalism is full time and caused by profoundly accute overload,are in a constate state of sensory/audiological confusion [Temple Grandin wrote about this].
Am not affected that far,but am strongly affected by outside input and am NV the majority of the time due to overloading and being in a overloading environment,but when am verbal,am speak mostly in echolilia.
Am use Makaton for actions,and type simple messages on laptop or a SONY Clie PDA for getting message across to people when NV.
Am lose eye sight,and involuntarily speed rock,headbang,punch head/face/eyes/surroundings,kick out etc in overload,am also feel an extremely agonizing and crippling pain? [don't know a word for it],it's along the same sort of thing as meltdown for am.


Daft Punk have made some classics.

I was specifically talking about when I saw Daft Punk live at one of their Alive 2007 shows. I will never be the same after that night; it rawked out loud so much.

That happens to me too. Well I could hear them, I just have trouble comprehending what people are saying.


I do find socializing enjoyable sometimes (usually intoxicated), but a lot of times I end up sitting in a corner trying to pull myself together. The last time that happened my friend came up and started patting me on the back and asking if I was alright which just made things worse because at that point I did not want to be touched and didn't want to have to concentrate on speaking.


I definitely feel like I have a countdown in my head too. I feel like my brain knows I won't be able to stick it out for too long and it's only a matter of time before I reach my point of no return.


It doesn't happen often enough that I would need sign language, but sometimes I wish I knew it just for those times when I don't feel like talking or talking takes a lot of effort. People get kind of freaked out sometimes when I don't talk, all I really need to learn how to do is convey that I'm ok, but when I'm in a sensory overload state that's really hard for me to do.

edit: Daft Punk in concert!! ! I'm jealous.