Strange self-induced feeling

[Ahmad Baghaffar]

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.

[Phi for All]

I would think this is more of a psychological phenomenon, tied to some sort of self-hypnotic suggestibility. I can almost guarantee it has no biological basis.

 

If you have no objections, I can move this thread to the Psychiatry and Psychology section where it will gain more practical responses.

[Iggy]

...It is this powerful tingling sensation,... 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.

Tingling like you would get with goosebumps?

 

Jolts like you might feel go up your spine if you are just about to lift something very heavy off the floor?

 

It sounds like you're describing the stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system. Being startled would give, I think, the same kind of symptoms to the average user.

 

Actually, there is probably a lot of interesting psychology and physiology here.

 

Let me ask what might sound weird...

 

How would you compare your experience to a near-death experience or an out of body experience (if you know). How would you compare it to a feeling of awe, or an 'eerie' feeling... or maybe a religious trance-like state if that is something you could relate to.

 

Uhhh... less extreme, let me think...

 

How would you compare it to the goosebumps and the little flutter a person might get in their heart or belly with a first kiss?

 

Without explaining why, I'm curious if any of that strikes a chord with what you feel.

[Psycho]

I would think this is more of a psychological phenomenon, tied to some sort of self-hypnotic suggestibility. I can almost guarantee it has no biological basis.

Though most likely correct, people have been shown to be able to regulate there body temperature and heart rate (to non-dangerous level) at will so there is no reason someone wouldn't be able to control blood flow to their extremities at will given some concentration.

[Ahmad Baghaffar]

Tingling like you would get with goosebumps?

 

Jolts like you might feel go up your spine if you are just about to lift something very heavy off the floor?

 

It sounds like you're describing the stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system. Being startled would give, I think, the same kind of symptoms to the average user.

 

Actually, there is probably a lot of interesting psychology and physiology here.

 

Let me ask what might sound weird...

 

How would you compare your experience to a near-death experience or an out of body experience (if you know). How would you compare it to a feeling of awe, or an 'eerie' feeling... or maybe a religious trance-like state if that is something you could relate to.

 

Uhhh... less extreme, let me think...

 

How would you compare it to the goosebumps and the little flutter a person might get in their heart or belly with a first kiss?

 

Without explaining why, I'm curious if any of that strikes a chord with what you feel.

 

 

No more like the tingling one gets when excited, like a love-struck teenager who rolls around in bed in excitement, who finally musters enough courage to ask the girl he likes to the prom the next morning, that kind of feeling, if I'm making any sense at all. Sorry for the weird examples but its very difficult to explain .

 

And no I guess I over exaggerated , I believe its more of a twitch or 2-3 twitches combined, almost exactly the kind that one would get from the first kiss. Its not a painful or intense jerk, but like a 1/2 a second shiver, or like a little vibration of the muscle. Another example is when trying to look confident on the poker table while bluffing, sometimes I would get the same kind of twitch. Sounds like it has something to do with the nervous system as well to me, although my knowledge base is fairly limited, I know enough to expect so. The big question is what am I doing to it?

 

 

Thanks so much for the help!

 

I would think this is more of a psychological phenomenon, tied to some sort of self-hypnotic suggestibility. I can almost guarantee it has no biological basis.

 

If you have no objections, I can move this thread to the Psychiatry and Psychology section where it will gain more practical responses.

 

Oh well ya sure! Since even Iggy suggests it has something to do with the nervous system I guess that would be beneficial. Thanks for your help!

 

 

 

 

Though most likely correct, people have been shown to be able to regulate there body temperature and heart rate (to non-dangerous level) at will so there is no reason someone wouldn't be able to control blood flow to their extremities at will given some concentration.

 

Coming to think of it I was reading on biofeedback and some techniques that were used to regulate body temperature. When I induce the feeling and focus on my hands or feet, I just think "I want to make them warmer" and when I focus on that, after 1-2 minutes I begin to feel that they actually do get warmer!

 

I used to do it for 10-15 seconds at a time because I enjoyed the feeling without knowing what it is.

 

Can the brain by any chance "do" what I'm thinking, even if I do not necessarily know what techniques to use? With regards to the hands and feet warming, I did not read on how patients were told to achieve this, I just kinda brought up the feeling, then focused on my hands, then focused on thinking "I want to make them warmer".

 

This probably sounds ultimately silly but are there any potential "abilities" to gain from understanding this feeling and how to use it?

 

 

 

[Iggy]

No more like the tingling one gets when excited, like a love-struck teenager who rolls around in bed in excitement, who finally musters enough courage to ask the girl he likes to the prom the next morning, that kind of feeling, if I'm making any sense at all. Sorry for the weird examples but its very difficult to explain .

 

And no I guess I over exaggerated , I believe its more of a twitch or 2-3 twitches combined, almost exactly the kind that one would get from the first kiss. Its not a painful or intense jerk, but like a 1/2 a second shiver, or like a little vibration of the muscle. Another example is when trying to look confident on the poker table while bluffing, sometimes I would get the same kind of twitch. Sounds like it has something to do with the nervous system as well to me, although my knowledge base is fairly limited, I know enough to expect so. The big question is what am I doing to it?

Yeah... I am really drawn to the idea that you're consciously stimulating your sympathetic nervous system. I'm not a medical expert, so you should probably just take what I'm saying as a suggested area of research or the like.

 

The sympathetic nervous system (SNS.. it's ridiculous to type) is the "something-is-about-to-happen" nervous system. It is the reason some people blush when they lie, the reason your hair stands on end when something doesn't feel right, the reason people in an emergency or a disaster often recount it by saying "I felt like I was outside my body watching things... like I was watching a movie".

 

As complicated as the SNS is, it is a very evolutionarily fundamental system. It regulates our "fight-or-flight-or-freeze" response. It regulates the opossum's tendency to become completely dissociated (or "feign death" as they say) when in danger... it regulates the chameleon's tendency to change color when it senses a predator nearby, and regulates our human responses to danger and trauma (physiologically based psychology if ever there were a perfect example).

 

 

So... that was probably the worst description of the SNS ever -- nonetheless, if you are willfully tapping into it then what is physiologically happening?...

 

Your brain sends a message to a ganglion at the base of your neck. From there, messages get sent to the rest of your body where its systems are told to start acting very different. Blood vessels near the skin constrict and deeper ones dilate -- blood pressure goes up -- adrenaline levels increase (as do other hormones and neurotransmitters which can have profound psychological effects) -- the digestive tract stops working, sugar is liberated as an energy source, your instinctive reflexes can become more pronounced as the spine stops waiting for the brain to tell it what to do and starts reacting to stimulus on its own.

 

What exactly happens, and how it feels, depends on your genetics and what specific situation you're in. If you are suddenly trapped -- perhaps your boss catches you in a lie and confronts you -- your SNS reacts. You could panic... you could become dissociated... everybody's different. But, you could perhaps imagine how it would physically feel. You would feel things in your gut, on your skin, with your heart... etc.

 

Suddenly being frightened -- you might feel a jolt of energy which might be intense enough to make you physically flinch. If the threat is real I can say from experience that very noticeable physical things are felt in the body.

 

Kissing someone for the first time (or similar activities ) is a dulled down example of the same system. You could blush, skin could tingle, heart start to race, butterflies in the stomach... it really depends on the person but there should be physically noticeable things.

 

The poker table is absolutely a recipe for SNS overdrive. I've seen the hands of the most professional poker players shake. It is a primary evolutionary response and it is very hard to control.

 

You say it feels pleasurable and that is understandable. People go bungee jumping and base jumping for the pleasure of it.

 

 

So... if you recognize what I mean by all that rambling and you identify it as something very similar to the feeling that you are self-inducing then I would strongly suspect you are consciously aggravating your SNS. I do not mean that you should feel fear or excitement when you do it. I mean that fearful or exciting situations might generate feelings that you recognize as very similar to what you are feeling.

 

 

There could be supporting evidence of my hypothesis.

 

1) does your hair stand on end or do you get goose bumps anywhere on your body when you do this, or... does your skin change color? That would be very good corroboration.

 

2) if someone touches your arm when you aren't looking at it you wouldn't normally flinch. But, if you are inducing this state and someone touches your arm, might it jerk as a response?

 

3) do your pupils visibly dilate when you do this?

 

Those types of things (and other normal SNS responses) would support the idea.

Edited November 8, 2011 by Iggy

[Phi for All]

Oh well ya sure! Since even Iggy suggests it has something to do with the nervous system I guess that would be beneficial. Thanks for your help!

No problem, I'll move the thread and leave a note where it's moved to.

 

I don't mean to say that there isn't anything biological going on, just that the origins seem related to your consciously thinking about creating these feelings. Even Iggy's suggestion of it being related to the SNS requires your brain to trigger the response.

[Mumrah]

Wow I can do that too, sounds exactly the same! I've always wondered what I was doing. SNS sounds about right. I always wondered if it might be changing my skin conductivity too, it feels kind of buzzy. I'm pretty sure its not just in the mind.

 

When I was a kid I started getting alice in wonderland syndrome which is harmless fun if you ask me. I learned to induce it, kind of meditating, and discovered other weird things like this buzzy feeling. Something else odd would happen sometimes like my head would feel like it was vibrating back and forth at about 2 Hz.

 

I guess 4 billion years of evolution has left a few bugs lying around

[om2180]

Hello all,

 

I am a little late to this party but I thought I would chime in too. I can control precisely where my goosebumps can move to as well as increased heat to that area. I guess there really isn't too much to it but my one concern is could I possibly have a glad in my brain that is overactive and is "allowing" me to do this? Also if I concentrate hard enough and focus the sensation all over my body I feel 100% more alert and aware of my surroundings, almost as if everything is slowing down. I assume this is the flight or fight response kicking in which leads me to believe that maybe my adrenal gland is over active? Could this be the case here? Just feeling a little worried I suppose at this point. Thanks in advance.

[Shalabh singh]

I feel it daily. In my case it starts easily at the fingertips and I can move the sensation at will I make it dance to and fro and somehow I can make it move upto my elbow after that it becomes faint... I use it while doing shavasana after doing yogasana and I feel so much relaxation . It feels amazing ..

It is as real as anything.. it should not psychological.. my friend can also do that.

[Jesse chambers]

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 know exactly what you mean....I can tell your story is authentic because I can do it too... sorry I have no idea how to harness it or what it is...I just practice it... FYI I had the same exact story as you

[Ouijaones]

Have you gotten any where in your search of the truth? Is the feeling you bring at will like an electrical current?

Edited May 1, 2018 by Ouijaones

[YaDinghus]

I thought it was something everyone can do. Now I feel weird(er)...

[Ouijagirl]

On 5/29/2018 at 2:00 AM, YaDinghus said:

I thought it was something everyone can do. Now I feel weird(er)...

 

What kind of feelin?

[Sarjax]

I have registered just to write under this title. I am from Turkey and able to have a feeling intentionally starting from the top of my stomach and spread across my body. The feeling is like I am putting a lot of stress in my body, after 5 seconds of holding myself like that my muscles start twitching and my body slowly start shivering. There are no goosebumps in my scenario but I start to hear an internal noise like blood is rushing to my ears. 

Is there any scientific explanation? I found this forum page by Google but since the explanation is hard the research gets even harder. The man who posted first in the forum is describing the %100 similar experience that I am having.

[Rben]

Hello, i can do the same thing and have no idea what it is. Im hoping you found out more about this, sonce youve been alive longer. I know its a long time ago youve posted this, and i doubt youd even reply, but im really curious as to what this is i can do. Ive read that it could be a high form of meditation state in wich you can feel the chi flow trough your body. But i dont really believe in this. So im hoping you know more.

Gr. Person with i think the same "gift"

On 6-10-2018 at 2:14 AM, Sarjax said:

I have registered just to write under this title. I am from Turkey and able to have a feeling intentionally starting from the top of my stomach and spread across my body. The feeling is like I am putting a lot of stress in my body, after 5 seconds of holding myself like that my muscles start twitching and my body slowly start shivering. There are no goosebumps in my scenario but I start to hear an internal noise like blood is rushing to my ears. 

Is there any scientific explanation? I found this forum page by Google but since the explanation is hard the research gets even harder. The man who posted first in the forum is describing the %100 similar experience that I am having.

Hello, pls contact me privatelly, i can do the same and i want to find out what this is. 

[Kryptic_Unknown]

Cool, theres actually answers to this

Im 14 and i can do this too, it requires some concentration for me and gets harder the longer I hold it for. Whenever I do it my head starts shaking slightly like a vibration, I get a tingly sensation... mostly  in my mind but everywhere, I can make parts of my body warmer (easiest are my hands and feet), I feel like i'm letting off some sort of aura if i do it to my fullest ability and all around me feels strange and I immediately feel a sense of despair, almost in a trance...... sometimes I would cry, it's like how you would feel after being in the least dangerous radius of an explosion and you fall to the ground while hearing that long beep sound....lol. I can also move my forehead and my ears, don't know if that contributes to anything. The feeling is eerie and relaxing at the same time. When the place is quiet..like right before i go to sleep I can hear a beep sound coming right from my ear drum (i think) but I can only hear this when I pay attention to it and there are no other loud sounds around.

[Ferrari1]

I created an account just so I can comment on this. I have been able to do this same thing for as long as I can remember. I'm 24 now.

It is a peculiar sensation that I can summon throughout my entire body on command. The other people in this thread seem to have described the same sensation. Many comments on here seem very legitimate. This has to be something that some people have the ability to do, and some don't. Like being able to wiggle your ears haha. I wonder if there's any benefit to it. 

Note: I can usually only make this feeling happen when I am sitting, laying down, or standing still. It takes a lot more focus to be able to do it when I'm moving.

To me, it feels like this: There is an immediate tingling sensation that rushes through my body. It usually starts in my legs, then works it's way up to my diaphram. All within a fraction of a second. It's very quick. After about 1 second of holding it (yes, I can hold it), my muscles begin to feel like they are flexing/being activated, but none of my muscles are ever flexing or contorting in any way. After about 2-3 seconds, I experience muscle jerks/twitches in my legs and diaphragm. When I do it repeatedly over and over, the muscular jolts/jerks happen for frequently. After I stop, there is a feeling of exhaustion in my legs and core, as if I had just been flexing them. But NONE of my muscles ever flex when I do this. It's strange. It may increase my heart rate at some times. I can hold the sensation for around 4-6 seconds at a time until I release it. The more I do it, the more exhausted I feel. The exhaustion is most common in my legs and chest. 

I'm a car nerd, so let me phrase it like this: It feels like I am revving up my nervous system like a car that is in park or neutral. I can make the feeling happen in short "revs", and I can also 'rev up' this tingling sensation and HOLD it there. It's exactly like flooring the gas pedal in a neutral/parked car, until the tachometer bounces back and forth off the redline with the engine screaming at it's highest RPM. That's what it feels like. Like my nervous system is screaming at the redline. But again, I can only hold it for like 4-5 seconds.

[Phaarah11]

I can do this too! And move my ears. Not sure what it means or what it's used for. Could be chakras or Energy/inner-chi. Everythingin the world vibrates so to be able top sense and do stop naturally and on command is pretty dope. If you wanna contact me to discuss just look me up fbook. Pharaah Nyz.

[yekezz]

daym i have this too for years (im 28 now) and didnt know how to google it but somehow found this thread. if anyone knows what this is please inform us.

[Westhorn]

Some what weirded out rn... I've been able to do this since I was a child and I am now 32. It's almost like flexing something inside which creates a buzzing electric "feeling" right below my chest and can expand and become more intended the more "it" is "flexed". Meditative state not required and only happens when I initiated it.  I can only do it briefly bc my heart and muscles start to feel odd/strained. Thought I was the only one! There has to be some commonality between our experiences. 

 

WesThorn

[DrP]

Isn't this just the same as this: https://www.scienceforums.net/topic/61212-strange-self-induced-feeling/?tab=comments#comment-1089398

[Westhorn]

Yep. That's why I posted here 

[harrisons92]

Just made an account exclusively to lend more legitimacy to this. I’m 19 now and my experience most closely resembles Ferrari1’s- it starts in my quads/legs, gets more difficult to maintain as time goes on, results in an exhaustive feeling etc. Super interested in what you can do with something like this- might hook up a voltmeter to my fingers and see if anything changes lol

[DrP]

5 hours ago, harrisons92 said:

Super interested in what you can do with something like this

Cross your legs, close your eyes, bliss out, relax and say 'ohmmmmmmme"