Strange self-induced feeling

[Ryan02]

Okay so I got the same self induced feeling where I can move the feelings and what not, butttt one thing I haven’t heard yet is I can put these feeling on different “settings” like it almost feels like I can push the feeling outward or inward. 

[zelak]

On 8/21/2021 at 7:08 AM, Linusss said:

It really saddens me to hear that the EEG didn't detect anything. I really have been thinking that an EEG would be able to give some answers. 

 

Does anyone have any other idea of scientific tests to do that might explain this? Like maybe a blood-test? but I feel like it should be something brain related as the feeling is so quick to dissapear after I (we) stop actively inducing it. 

Other than that, would someone be down to like set up an discord or something for those of us who want to further research this and figure this out?

Oh and I also get the expanding pupils but with both eyes not just one.

I have had a Discord set up since my comment earlier (as I am running communities and have several for years, but am more than willing to accept help managing it), but have been hesitant to share it due to the amount of skepticism and mysticism that could cause unwanted drama. I would be more than happy to share the link with anyone who messages me, be it someone experiencing this or just an enthusiast, but preferably not those who have already mocked us in this thread. I have been wanting to discuss this phenomenon for so many years.

Edited August 30, 2021 by zelak

[Phi for All]

1 hour ago, zelak said:

I would be more than happy to share the link with anyone who messages me, be it someone experiencing this or just an enthusiast, but preferably not those who have already mocked us in this thread. I have been wanting to discuss this phenomenon for so many years.

This might be best. Frankly, I'm tired of seeing people come here for science-minded explanations, only to reject them as "those who have already mocked us". We've tried our best to respect that this is a real phenomenon while gently trying to remove the "supernatural" aspect from it (hello, science discussion forum). We've tried to show how everyone can do this to some degree, but it's clear this is something some people feel makes them potentially special, and they don't want to hear mundane reasoning. 

So post your link to a discussion offsite, which is normally against our rules. I'll close the thread and folks can guess about this all they want. Does that sound fair?

[zelak]

6 hours ago, Phi for All said:

This might be best. Frankly, I'm tired of seeing people come here for science-minded explanations, only to reject them as "those who have already mocked us". We've tried our best to respect that this is a real phenomenon while gently trying to remove the "supernatural" aspect from it (hello, science discussion forum). We've tried to show how everyone can do this to some degree, but it's clear this is something some people feel makes them potentially special, and they don't want to hear mundane reasoning. 

So post your link to a discussion offsite, which is normally against our rules. I'll close the thread and folks can guess about this all they want. Does that sound fair?

I didn't say everyone was mocking us, and plenty of us didn't even suggest supernatural and are looking for actual scientific answers (I even stated that I hadn't shared to avoid mysticism), but there were definitely some in this thread that were condescending or immediately dismissive. I would hate for this thread to be closed because there is/was some decent discussion happening and the fact that it has lasted years has brought so many people together who are looking for answers.

And, yes, I figured external linking might be against the rules. I apologize. But if you think closing this is best, then do what you must.

Edited August 30, 2021 by zelak

[Phi for All]

22 minutes ago, zelak said:

I would hate for this thread to be closed because there is/was some decent discussion happening and the fact that it has lasted years has brought so many people together who are looking for answers.

I'm just afraid this is like modern skepticism, where people are constantly on the fence about an explanation because they haven't heard anything that satisfies them. That's not how a real skeptic works. Evidence is the key here.

What makes this feeling different from what many yoga and meditation practitioners induce? They often visualize a golden ball of light that can seem warm and sort of "buzzy", and move that around their bodies. If you have an instructor telling you what to visualize, everyone in the room can experience the same thing. It's the power of suggestion, and we know the connection between mind and body is... phenomenal. This has been said many times in 6 pages, yet we still get people joining to tell us how freaked out they are, and complain that nobody will answer this simple question, and damnit we should take this somewhere else! 

[zelak]

4 hours ago, Phi for All said:

I'm just afraid this is like modern skepticism, where people are constantly on the fence about an explanation because they haven't heard anything that satisfies them. That's not how a real skeptic works. Evidence is the key here.

What makes this feeling different from what many yoga and meditation practitioners induce? They often visualize a golden ball of light that can seem warm and sort of "buzzy", and move that around their bodies. If you have an instructor telling you what to visualize, everyone in the room can experience the same thing. It's the power of suggestion, and we know the connection between mind and body is... phenomenal. This has been said many times in 6 pages, yet we still get people joining to tell us how freaked out they are, and complain that nobody will answer this simple question, and damnit we should take this somewhere else! 

I understand and agree about the skepticism. All I can say from a personal experience with it is that I can immediately tell who on here is describing it right, and who isn't. Maybe it is just suggestion, maybe it is related to the ASMR feeling, and similar to yoga, but I have never heard of those producing such intense sensations that can make you dizzy, give yourself a headache, make your heart race, increasing to make a limb or finger ache, or filling up the whole body until it "burns" and I feel like I want to burst. I've never heard of those kind of sensations being controlled and turned off and on like a music beat or quickly "thrown" back and forth through the body, and the intensity held for hours, all without flexing a single muscle. Either we are weirdly naturally really good at meditation while walking around, having conversations, doing daily activities, etc. from a young age without needing to focus or ever learning how, or something else is going on here.

I'm all for it being scientific and avoiding mysticism. I love a good scientific discussion. Astrophysics and theoretical physics are some of my favorites topics. Maybe it is just something we can do with our nervous system, but none of the ASMR/yoga type suggestions have satisfied me compared to what it feels like to myself and those that I can confirm are describing it the same specific way. I need more study and evidence before I just brush it off as such, but not sure where or how to get that.

Edited August 31, 2021 by zelak

[Sadster]

Hello! It's been ten years since the original post and still I found my way here. Like many others on this thread I created an account simply to comment how relieved I am to see so many people who can also do this. I never knew what it was and never managed to put the feeling into words, but thanks to your insights I feel like I understand a little better what's going on. I'd very much like to have a definitive answer from a neurologist, may even try an appointment with one, but at the moment I'm just glad to see it's not so uncommon as I believed it to be. 

 

Anyway, just to add up, I haven't always been able to do it but have no recollection of when it started. I simply do something between my eyes and ears and this tingly feeling sort of goes down to the back of my neck before spreading through the rest of my body. It always felt strange because I could focus on a part of my body and it almost becomes more sensitive, maybe heavier. It also allows me to change the temperature of my feet and hands when it's cold. My feet are always cold, actually, and it helps a lot in the chillier days. Still, contrary to what I've read on this thread, I don't feel startled or anything of the sort. I sense it as something deeply relaxing, making me calm almost instantly (which would be very useful if I didn't simply forget I can do that sometimes). Also, I spent a good 30 minutes trying to check if my pupils dilate when it happens but it wasn't conclusive and now my head hearts because of the light I shone in my eyes. Still, I saw my pupils moving in a irregular manner compared to when I do nothing.

Anyway, as mentioned by someone else before, I'm just another one of the many people who created an account to share a little of their insights on this since there's so little information about this out there.

Edited May 11, 2022 by Sadster

[Aleya]

I know i am so very late to this but im so happy i finally found something that explains whatever this is. I've been having the same thing, and I've been so confused because no one else gets what I'm talking about! Does your brain feel weird though when you do the sensation? For me it feels like the back of brain goes a bit numb and and the sensation will start usually in my chest area but I can move the feeling. And I definitely get the twitching too, it's only if I do it for too long and let it grow too fast though. I get light headed when I do it though specifically on the right side of my head and lose focus in my eyes. Does your heart beat go faster at all- the twitching and all of this is only if I lose control of the sensation.

Also sorry if I sound stupid at all im just excited to know someone else knows about this too. I will say it's fun to experiment with.  

 

Thank you for sharing this!!

[NerveMaster]

Well, add me to the list. It's like I move my throat down toward my chest, and moving my shoulders helps. It elicits a warm tingly calming sensation, starting from my chest, throughout my body (mainly the torso). A friend suggested I may have the ability to manually stimulate my vagus nerve, which is part of the parasympathetic nervous system. This seems likely, at least certainly close to the truth, and after all this time I've finally found an answer that satisfies me. Instead of just sometimes remembering that not everyone can do this, and wondering what the ability to release this powerful sensation on command could be. Finding this thread of so many others with similar abilities was a relief, and reading about the variations of it is fascinating. Thanks, y'all!

[Tonio]

I do this when it’s cold outside while shivering, It increases my temperature, assuming due to increased blood flow aka kinetic energy in my body  ,but I can do it whenever and wherever,yet most people I bring it up to have no idea what I’m talking about , for the longest time I describe the feeling as if I were “squeezing all my serotonin into me at once “ even though I feel similar when something supernaturally “scary” or “spooky” happens

[neema]

It’s been more than 10 years since this was originally posted and i remember looking up an explanation for this feeling when i was like 12 and stumbling upon this post! i’ve been able to induce this exact same feeling since i was young. personally i’d describe it as an intense energy that courses through my body whenever i will it to. for me it starts in my head and travels very quickly to my legs which start to twitch if i hold the feeling long enough. i don’t necessarily believe that it’s some form of supernatural phenomenon but i will say that i discovered that i could do it while experimenting with Chi and meditation when i was younger. i honestly quite like the feeling and i wish i could sustain it for longer without giving out. also, after inducing this feeling my body feels quite exhausted, like i just did something super strenuous. if i close my eyes while doing it i see 2 glaring lights in front of me, not very different from the colours you’d typically see with your eyes closed but much brighter and intense. it’s not this massive part of my life but i am so insatiably curious to know what exactly this feeling is. please include me in any further discussions or revelations regarding this :)

[gorillajimrob]

Hi, I noticed that people were asking for a more open place to discuss. 

I created a subreddit for SSIF, 

url deleted

As someone who has been able to do this since I was 17, I am very glad to have found people like me.

Please come join! It's about time we have a place for ourselves. 

[swansont]

3 hours ago, gorillajimrob said:

Hi, I noticed that people were asking for a more open place to discuss. 

I created a subreddit for SSIF, 

url deleted

As someone who has been able to do this since I was 17, I am very glad to have found people like me.

Please come join! It's about time we have a place for ourselves. 

!

Moderator Note

You can discuss it here. (you can discuss it elsewhere, too, but driving traffic there is advertising and that’s a no-no)

 

 

[Jenny1234]

I too made an account just to read and respond to this question. I’ve had the same question for many years with no explanation. 
 

Since I was a kid I could voluntarily make this sensation just like you described. I could do it while walking and running as a child but today (47) I must be sitting or laying down. I can also wiggle my ears not sure why everyone mentions that here. 
 

I’ve only met in person one other person who can also relate. Did anyone find an answer yet? I need to know something more. It’s almost a special superpower and that’s the only conclusion I have. There’s been a few Reddit posts but they all end with some people relating with no answers. 

[Bufofrog]

26 minutes ago, Jenny1234 said:

It’s almost a special superpower and that’s the only conclusion I have.

It may be, but I would recommend that you do not use this super power to fight crime.  Most hardened criminals will not be intimidated by the ability to feel weird.

[Jenny1234]

On 7/28/2019 at 5:03 PM, Sarjax said:

Hi, it is my second post under that topic so I believe my powers are enhanced!

Aside from the joke. The reason I ended up here is that I want to find someone who has the same feeling and actually went for a medical test to get some scientific results. 

The thing I can add is that after I tried to hold this feeling for 1+ minutes and I ended up with some results. I shall not share the results now because I want everyone to try their maximum and share their experience after it. If I share what I had; it can affect you psychologically. 

I only will share that mine was unpleasant. 

I really want someone to come up with a scientific answer. 

Every first time poster here is here because the internet information on this topic is absent. I can’t find anything except for a few Reddit posts which have the same outcome- Nobody knows. It’s a strange thing to be able to do so we search. 
 

As a child I’d skip to my friends house and I’d be excited and I would envelope this sensation. I grew up and thought it felt like I was releasing some sort of chemical in my body. Mine starts in my brain where I believe it initiates. I think I want to feel it and I pull it from my brain. Starts in the torso mid area Then it goes right to the legs. Fizzles out after 6-8 seconds. I have begun to be able to hold it longer recently. 

On 11/4/2020 at 11:16 PM, ragl said:

I was wondering, for the ones who can do this, would you describe the sensation to be like what you feel when you get a shiver down your spine but just before it peaks/makes you shake?

No. It’s more of a release of chemical not like I know that feeling but I’m releasing something without mick f anything. I’d describe it as butterflies in the stomach, electric shock but less dramatic, tingling sensation and intense feeling that you cannot take for long. It’s not bad or great. 

[dimreepr]

8 hours ago, Jenny1234 said:

Every first time poster here is here because the internet information on this topic is absent. I can’t find anything except for a few Reddit posts which have the same outcome- Nobody knows. It’s a strange thing to be able to do so we search. 

It's not absent, you're just looking in the wrong place; try looking for meditation and it's various techniques, both lead and self induced. 😉

[xes]

On 11/7/2011 at 8:52 AM, Ahmad Baghaffar said:

Ok, since I was a child and until today, I can create this feeling that generally feels strongest in my core, right around where my diaphragm is. But, when I focus on different parts of my body I can "distribute" part of the intensity to that particular area, be it my foot or my hands or my thighs, etc. It is this powerful tingling sensation, it feels really good and if I sustain it for 4 seconds, it can become VERY strong. I can hold it for as long as I please but it gets gradually more difficult the longer I hold it. I tried looking everywhere for an answer but cannot find anything except others speaking of this same feeling, but no answers. Can anyone tell me what I'm doing to myself? Ive seen explanations linked to the nervous system, others to the feeling of dilating veins, and some other less appealing ones like projecting my soul out of my body (which I sincerely doubt, lol).

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated, thank you!

 

a little more info: the way i create the feeling is hard to explain but ill do my best. Its like trying to expand your heart... like stretching it outwards, or like expanding your chest but not actually doing it. It makes me fidget a little and have minor muscle jolts around my neck and and shoulders after the first 3 seconds. If I prolong the feeling then the minor jerks reach my fingers/hands and my shoulders.

I feel exactly what you feel but mainly in my legs, but I can also focus it in different areas, it makes me want to jerk/twitch, if you find anything about it please let me know