Strange self-induced feeling

[StringJunky]

1 hour ago, Sarjax said:

Hi guys, 

I think I found out something interesting.

I am having sleep paralysis on a regular basis since I was 12 (I am 25 now); at least 1 or 2 nights a month; mostly on days that I am highly anxious or having lack of sleep. I experience short terms of paralysis and get back to normal in 1-1.5 minutes. An unpleasent disorder caused by my brain but I am quite calm and ok with it after all these years.

Last week I realized that I am having that electrical feeling during the sleep paralysis just as I feel when I trigger the "thing" that we are discussing under this subject. 

I  think, this is something closely related with a disfunction that my brain has. Maybe a neurodegenerative disorder. 

Do you experience sleep paralysis too, oftenly (at least once in a month)? 

It is a normal part of the sleep pattern for your body to be relaxed/paralysed whilst asleep. It is waking up before the muscle relaxants have dissipated that is the issue. It could be something mundane, like being too hot  in bed  or nightmares that causes a person to wakeup too soon.

Edited August 16, 2020 by StringJunky

[Sarjax]

33 minutes ago, StringJunky said:

It is a normal part of the sleep pattern for your body to be relaxed/paralysed whilst asleep. It is waking up before the muscle relaxants have dissipated that is the issue. It could be something mundane, like being too hot  in bed  or nightmares that causes a person to wakeup too soon.

Thanks StringJunky,

I am unfortunately well aware of the nature and normality of sleep paralysis but thanks for trying to be comforting. I know the possible reasons and trying to reduce them by ...basically trying...

I believe you missed my point. I am trying to explain that: 

1- I am experiencing an electrical feeling during the "strange self induced feeling" ("SSIF").
2- I am also experiencing an electrical feeling during the sleep paralysis.
3- According to my researches through the years, I am experiencing "sleep paralysis" a bit more frequently than an healthy individual. By that reason, I am able to concentrate on the feeling I experience during the paralysis, rather than panicking.
4- During these examination moments; the paralysis feeling was quite similar with what I experience during the SSIF. 
5- Now, I am trying to narrow the possible scientific explanations down for SSIF and I need to know did others experience such similarity with their body. 
6- Because if there is a common similarity, then we will -kind of- know where to look at in our brain to find an answer, at least superficially.

That was my whole point. Thank you.

Edited August 16, 2020 by Sarjax

[Alena]

I've been studying this topic for some time, as I can induce this electric feeling anywhere in my body, and move it around just like others have reported. When I focus the sensation in my head, it makes my left pupil dilate, but leaves the right unaffected. 

I can also, by doing something that feels akin to swallowing but at the base of my skull and requiring no physical movement, send what feels like tiny bubbles radiating out in all directions.

This is not what I experience during ASMR, as someone else suggested. Not even close. This is entirely volitional, not something that's induced by external stimuli, location, circumstance or mental state. I believe these sensations are related, but not identical. 

Can anyone else do/explain their experience with the "swallowing" I described. To me it feels like I have to wait for it to recharge before doing it again. Sometimes the feeling is stronger, sometimes weaker or slower spreading, but it does not seem to correlate with time spent "recharging". 

I have no bothersome extended sleep paralysis, or brain dysfunction that I'm aware of. I'm 34, and have been able to do this for as long as I can remember. 

Edited September 11, 2020 by Alena

[Leg guy]

On 3/5/2019 at 12:12 AM, Deevau said:

The longer I force it my body sometimes jerks and/shivers and I have to catch my breath

With me the jerking/shivering happens, but not the breath

On 9/11/2020 at 10:51 AM, Alena said:

I've been studying this topic for some time, as I can induce this electric feeling anywhere in my body, and move it around just like others have reported. When I focus the sensation in my head, it makes my left pupil dilate, but leaves the right unaffected. 

 

This happens to me as well, but in my right eye not the left.

[Alexis Diasu]

N/A

Alright I have had a similar experience to most people here. So to start off I’m 16 but I started doing this back when I was 14. I figured how to do this after watching an ad on youtube i dont remember much about the ad but it was basically about meditation and putting the body to sleep so after a while of laying down and following the video i got the same tingly feelingn most people do. I slolwy began to feel my muscle loosen up and kinda fall like they had gone to sleep and slowly worked my way up my body till i got to my stomach where i had difficulty applying this too. Now in day i do this everyday it easier at the tips of my finger and at my feet. Whenever i do this to my finger the start closing up on their own but once i open them up again the feeling is gone. I want to know what this is im generally curious i think it has something to do with the blood flow but i could be wrong.

Edited November 2, 2020 by Alexis Diasu

[ragl]

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?

[Markus Hanke]

I would just like to add a remark here, perhaps some readers may find it helpful.

I am a regular and committed meditator - I practice several hours of formal meditation every day, and have done so for some years. Many of the perceptions described here are common and well known phenomena that naturally arise when the mind settles and becomes concentrated; in the Pāli language they are called nimittā. This can be anything from a slight tickling sensation somewhere, to pins and needles, to a sensation of something moving as a current through the body, to various pains, to full blown auditory and/or visual hallucinations, among other things. A sensation of electrical currents in parts of the body is especially common, from what I have seen. A had a period a few years back when I used to get this regularly, and the sensation of electricity sometimes got strong enough to cause me considerable discomfort, and gave me twitches and involuntary muscle spams during meditation sits. I have heard of people for whom this becomes so strong that they suffer intense pain, muscle cramps, and involuntary movements - they literally “jump” on their meditation cushions. Some people need to temporarily stop sitting because of this. As described here, with a little practice it is easy to induce these sensation at will, and control them to some extent - one can move them around the body, make them stronger or weaker, change their qualities etc etc.

I cannot speculate what the underlying mechanisms are, as the human body is not my area of scientific expertise. What is clear though is that body and mind are not separate things, they are intimately connected, so it isn’t surprising that such things may occur. These phenomena are quite natural, and very common among meditators; there are specific ways and methods to address these things, in the context of an ongoing meditation practice. The general advice is to not pay too much attention to them, since directing the focus of attention towards these phenomena will strengthen them and make them occur over and over again. In many specific practice frameworks the occurrence of such phenomena is in fact taken as a sign of progress, since they naturally develop when concentration and single-pointedness become stronger. They can also become a hindrance though, because they can distract from practicing the main technique, and some people become infatuated with these sensations, as they also can feel very pleasant at times.

So most of what has been described here is natural and quite well known, and not a cause for concern. This, however, is not:

On 9/11/2020 at 4:51 PM, Alena said:

it makes my left pupil dilate, but leaves the right unaffected

 

On 9/22/2020 at 11:19 PM, Leg guy said:

This happens to me as well, but in my right eye not the left.

As someone with experience as a volunteer in the emergency services, this would have me concerned; anisocoria isn’t normal (unless you were born with it, which does happen), so I would strongly advise a precautionary trip to your doctor, to rule out other underlying issues. 

[berry]

omg i feel the same thing it’s like i can do it whenever i want but i don’t know how i do it sometimes if i do it too much i get a headache and i feel really weak i searched all over the internet but i don’t know what it’s called or how to explain it. it’s just so weird 

On 11/5/2020 at 9:46 AM, 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?

it’s not like a shiver down the spine more like your whole body is vibrating internally if i focus on doing it too much i feel really weak and cannot move. if i do it too much my whole body twitches if someone sees me like this they will think i am possessed. 

On 10/6/2018 at 5:44 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.

omg your experience is exactly like mine  i created this account today cause this is the first place i could find this and i don’t know what to explain cause nothing would come up in google searches it’s so good that others can do it too but i still need an explanation as to what this is and if i do it too much will it be harmful to my body

 

[KenM]

I do this as well and thought I was the only one until I stumbled on this forum. To ask how I do it is a bit like trying to describe the color red to someone who can’t see color, but here goes. Imagine your brain to muscle connection is a tightly wound ball of rubber bands. The tighter that ball the more instantaneous control you have over your muscles. Now imagine you can do something that starts to unwind that ball before it snaps tight again. You do this thing, it starts to unwind, and you can feel something like tingling electricity in your muscles as the mind-muscle connection is becoming more loose. You can only hold it for a few seconds because it wants to snap back to being tightly wound. That’s my metaphorical explanation for the feeling but the physiology of it has me perplexed, and I’m a spine researcher. Whatever I’m doing to cause this starts in my core and then radiates to my extremities. It’s a loosening of this metaphorical ball of rubber bands but shouldn’t be confused with relaxation. It’s an immediate event, controllable at will, sort of like flexing a muscle. It’s such a strange sensation that I feel it has some kind of importance. Charging the immune system maybe, just speculation but I do it anytime I feel like I’m getting a cold. I always feel energized afterwards. Unfortunately, whatever we are doing is either rare enough that it hasn’t been studied, or is just too subjection to be explained adequately enough for science to investigate.

[dimreepr]

27 minutes ago, KenM said:

I do this as well and thought I was the only one until I stumbled on this forum. To ask how I do it is a bit like trying to describe the color red to someone who can’t see color, but here goes. Imagine your brain to muscle connection is a tightly wound ball of rubber bands.

Imagine trying to describe the colour red, to someone who doesn't understand the word color...

[KenM]

1 hour ago, dimreepr said:

Imagine trying to describe the colour red, to someone who doesn't understand the word color...

I’d recommend they get out and see the world.

[JohnSSM]

To me you describe a feeling of arousal in your mid chest.  Feelings of arousal in the mid chest can be caused by high levels of glutamate, being the most used neurotransmitter for arousal and neuronal excitement, which typically leads to other neural excitement like muscles movements or brain confusion.  Glutamate can excite your mind to spread energy to all the surrounding neurons, and create spasms of thought, like people have when they are excited.  Useless spasms that do not help them remain calm and ordered in thought.  You may have noticed overly-excited people's lack of ability to think clearly and rationally?  And it returns when they calm down? Lots of it is the effects of glutamate.  Their brains are sending too much, because they are too excited.  A waste of their energy and excitement.  An overbundance of glutamate can also cause the neurons in muscles, to spasm or seize up.  

Whether or not you are transferring any feelings to other part of your body may mean nothing.  It could be a totally subjective feeling, as you attempt to control this arousal.  Out minds are powerful creators of perception.

But, I believe glutamate could be a very real cause of the feelings you have.  Its possible that one part of your body's neural network, a large percentage of which exists in your chest and gut, uses an overabundance of glutamate in that specific area.  It does cause localized issue in the brain's neural network, and in reality, that network of neurons extends all throughout the chest and gut.

It may give you a sensation or arousal that you cannot describe. As all other hormones and neurotransmitters were created to do. Its not for you to interpret, its for your neural system, but you can still feel it and try to create a subjective description for it, but truly, your conscious senses were probably not supposed to be that aware of it.   IN other words, we feel sensations from our bodies and brains which we cannot fully describe, because we are picking up on feelings we cant explain, but we know an arousal is there.  In the end, we know It (the arousal) can be real or imagined. Glutamate is where I would start if I thought these sensations meant anything.

Edited March 25, 2021 by JohnSSM

[dimreepr]

19 hours ago, KenM said:

I’d recommend they get out and see the world.

I'd recommend you read the thread.

3 hours ago, JohnSSM said:

To me you describe a feeling of arousal in your mid chest.

What is it with your desire, to blanket bomb this forum with bollox like this:

3 hours ago, JohnSSM said:

It may give you a sensation or arousal that you cannot describe. As all other hormones and neurotransmitters were created to do. Its not for you to interpret, its for your neural system, but you can still feel it and try to create a subjective description for it, but truly, your conscious senses were probably not supposed to be that aware of it. 

 

[JohnSSM]

1 minute ago, dimreepr said:

What is it with your desire, to blanket bomb this forum with bollox like this:

It was based on my studies.

Would you know what dopamine felt like if it entered your system?  How?  Cuz someone told you how dopamine makes you feel, and they are right.  If some scientist never discovered dopamine, would you know anything about it?  So hormones and neurotransmitters are often to blame for strange, self induced feelings based totally on a subjective experience. Its not bollox, but you are welcome to your opinion.  See what it gets you.

[dimreepr]

1 minute ago, JohnSSM said:

It was based on my studies.

Would you know what dopamine felt like if it entered your system?  How?  Cuz someone told you how dopamine makes you feel, and they are right.  If some scientist never discovered dopamine, would you know anything about it?  So hormones and neurotransmitters are often to blame for strange, self induced feelings based totally on a subjective experience. Its not bollox, but you are welcome to your opinion.  See what it gets you.

You're talking to this forum's champion stoner, ask zap/Migl/anyone; your on a sticky wicket, comparing our studies... 😉

[JohnSSM]

10 minutes ago, dimreepr said:

You're talking to this forum's champion stoner, ask zap/Migl/anyone; your on a sticky wicket, comparing our studies... 😉

Excuse me if that means absolutely nothing to me at all.

It means nothing to me at all.  Can you help me understand why it would matter who considers you to be what?  

[dimreepr]

2 minutes ago, JohnSSM said:

Excuse me if that means absolutely nothing to me at all.

Welcome to your world... 🤣

11 minutes ago, JohnSSM said:

Can you help me understand why it would matter who considers you to be what? 

Come on over and help me smoke this wicked chronic, you'll see what I mean... 😉

Edited March 25, 2021 by dimreepr

[zelak]

On 7/15/2020 at 1:22 AM, HunterCordell said:

A question for those who know exactly what we are talking about and still looking for answers:

 
I’ve read through the entire thread on this topic and thinking this not the right subject matter for this site. I don’t think we are going to get answers here. 
If anyone is interested in moving this topic to a more receptive community please respond to this by saying “yes.” 
If I find another resource out there on the internet I can connect anyone still searching for answers : ) 

Moving forward I am going to post on other forums around the internet to see what feels like a match. I ask that you patient and give this some time for productive conversations to develop. 
I will make note of all who reply “yes” and let you know if anything gains traction in a helpful way.

Have you found anything? It was so hard to even find this thread to begin with. I've been searching for others with this for about 15 years, and I would love to have a specific community where we can discuss and learn about it.

And for the people saying it is just a normal sensation control, I would agree except for the fact that when at peak intensity, it can make our heads loll and/or create a burning sensation just above the stomach. If its just control of the nervous system to create this "tingle" to the point of aching or warmth, why not other sensations? We can flex it on and off to the beat of a drum without moving a muscle, and can send it in any direction to the point that it feels like we are trying to burst out of our skin. I would think holding the sensation all day would have some sort of chemical side effects, yet I've practiced doing just that. It could be just sensation control, but I've been able to push the limits of it to the point that I have some doubts and would like actual scientific evidence before I agree.

Edited April 26, 2021 by zelak

[Anonymous23]

Hello fellow weirdos. Guess I'm joining the club. I experience this too, I focus the weird tingle in both my hands and put them close together almost like a prayer but not touching. Then it makes this weird sort of pressure. I like having people feel it to weird them out.

On 4/26/2021 at 3:16 AM, zelak said:

Have you found anything? It was so hard to even find this thread to begin with. I've been searching for others with this for about 15 years, and I would love to have a specific community where we can discuss and learn about it.

And for the people saying it is just a normal sensation control, I would agree except for the fact that when at peak intensity, it can make our heads loll and/or create a burning sensation just above the stomach. If its just control of the nervous system to create this "tingle" to the point of aching or warmth, why not other sensations? We can flex it on and off to the beat of a drum without moving a muscle, and can send it in any direction to the point that it feels like we are trying to burst out of our skin. I would think holding the sensation all day would have some sort of chemical side effects, yet I've practiced doing just that. It could be just sensation control, but I've been able to push the limits of it to the point that I have some doubts and would like actual scientific evidence before I agree.

Its definitely odd and nobody i talk to about it really gets it.

[L1VL0W3]

I’m so happy I found this, I have tried to put it into words to find something about it but I couldn’t. Everyone here has described it so well. I’m just 13 and started being able to do this at the start of this year... or last year. I actually am not quite sure when it started but I have been super curious on what it is, and if it’s just a normal thing that everyone can do and I wasn’t aware. But these answers are super useful and it’s cool how a lot of other people can do this as well 😄👍👍

[dimreepr]

4 minutes ago, L1VL0W3 said:

I’m so happy I found this, I have tried to put it into words to find something about it but I couldn’t. Everyone here has described it so well. I’m just 13 and started being able to do this at the start of this year... or last year. I actually am not quite sure when it started but I have been super curious on what it is, and if it’s just a normal thing that everyone can do and I wasn’t aware. But these answers are super useful and it’s cool how a lot of other people can do this as well 😄👍👍

A strange self induced feeling, that everyone can do?

What taught you that?

[zapatos]

49 minutes ago, dimreepr said:

A strange self induced feeling, that everyone can do?

What taught you that?

He's 13 and writing his first post. 

[JarrettCR]

I can’t believe I found someone else who can do this, I created this account just to comment here. I can do this exact same thing and I completely understand what you are describing. I have never been able to describe how I can do it, and what it feels like to anyone, and at one point my doctor thought I could have nerve damage, I do not. However the sensation for me spawns from the top of my forehead and travels down the entire back, and I can make it reach the the bottom of my buttocks. When I was young, it did it on its own, seemingly at random. This is how I came to seeing a doctor so young, for nerve damage. I scared my mom and she took me to the doctor. After a short while I just let it go and let it happen. Then one day I realized I could call it on my own and force myself to feel it, anywhere, anytime, and actually use it to help me fall asleep, since it appears to do nothing else anyway. I have nothing to compare this feeling to, it isn’t an orgasm type feeling, however I would say that it is more of a pleasurable feeling as opposed to a painful one. But, it can build to be so powerful that I have to stop, or shake myself out of it. I’ve tried to see how long I can hold it but if I lose focus it’s gone. I considered it being the power of suggestion, but I just don’t believe such little mental effort can produce a such a strong physical reaction. If it were that easy, everyone would be trying to do it, and succeeding. This post is almost 10 years old, but I’m so glad I found this. It has raised many questions for me and my brother, who doesn’t comprehend what I’m explaining, but believes me. Imagine someone going inside your muscles, and tickling you from the inside out. If you are ticklish in the area between your pelvis and your thigh, squeeze that muscle/cartilage so it contracts and tickles, it’s the closest thing I can explain to feeling a tickle from the inside. 

As a side note, I had an EEG test done recently, electively because of above said sleep problems, and I tried doing this while the operator observed the monitor, just to see if it could detect anything brain-wise, and nothing came up, helping  me with neither my sleep problem, nor this one. I’ll bookmark this and check back occasionally, perhaps someone else might know, too.

After writing my long post, and reading all of the other comments, it’s clear I can see nobody here cares to understand. However, I am not a 13 year old, but this is my first post as well. That kid below me who you dismissed is perfectly valid, and there is obviously something very real happening. Something about a coincidence becoming a pattern. I thought this was a science forum where people could come for help and questions about topics we choose to believe HAVE a scientific answer, rather than an irrational, supernatural, lunacy answer.

[Tmoon]

Firstly, I know its been a while since this has been touched on. I would like to provide my input on this topic.  

 

Ever since a very young age, i've been able to "control" my body in various ways. This topic in particular is about causing a tingling,  pulsing feeling.  I appreciate all the input thus far. However,  I'm here to convey what makes mine different. 

 

Here's how it goes: 

Generally when I'm laying in bed, bored or otherwise, I can 'force' my body to basically go numb. It seems as if I'm overloading the spinal processes and or, perhaps,  pinching them off.. It starts at thr6 base of my neck, C3 area, and it goes down go my pelvis. However, I can also  move this feeling to my hands, legs, and wherever.  I do expect the same jolting if i progress top hard. Its like an uncontrollable shiver, or perhaps,  just a few shivers before its unbearable.  

 

Where i find my situation to be different (at least as its conveyed) is in the way that o can actually control the 'Intensity' of this feeling.  It doesn't often feel good, it usually gets unbearable if i hold at full force for about 3-5 seconds.  

 

The best i can describe if that i'm interrupting my spinal and nervous processes at their base and literally cutting off parts of the body ,at will. 

 

There's more to my story. I spent many years perfecting a form of Buddhist meditation where CHI Energy is harnessed to create heat within the body, and push this heat outside the body.  This meditation also opens other subconscious possibilities such as "the switchboard", which is what i call my ability to literally go into my subconscious and turn on and off things like Pain and Emotion and Ticklishness....  It sounds better than it works. Its only ever temporary 😕

 

My point of this above paragraph is that these processes are entirely different.  Firstly. This ability to numb my body is Conscious. I do it while I'm awake. I command it. Whereas my switchboard is Subconscious.  I ask for it when i meditate or "flow". Thats another topic entirely. (the ability to hit "Flow" state on commandYes, the productivity 'flow state'

 

My journey has taken me to many different ways of attempting to find an ultimate truth to these experiences. Alas, i turn up empty handed. These tricks are no more than neat gimmicks that only help me in my own body. I cannot convey them to others.(however at one time i have been able to "push" Emotion to others and open an empathy pathway. But i haven't been able to do it in years. I suppose I'm a lot less emotional these days). 

 

Fact is, I'm 27. Been doing this my whole life. Not entirely sure what the purpose is, but I'm glad I'm not the only one. I look forward to seeing more about this topic.  It gas be be a leftover instinct from something. But what? Lmk what you guys tthink. Sorry for the long message. I just wanted to get it all out there a once. 

On 5/8/2021 at 12:43 AM, Anonymous23 said:

Hello fellow weirdos. Guess I'm joining the club. I experience this too, I focus the weird tingle in both my hands and put them close together almost like a prayer but not touching. Then it makes this weird sort of pressure. I like having people feel it to weird them out.

Its definitely odd and nobody i talk to about it really gets it.

This has been my experience during my aforementioned Buddhist training. Its a very real thing and i used to do the same thing. I'd show it to people I know to wierd them out. Like a party trick. Haven you noticed that touching your hands together basically cancels it out? In the ancient teachings they said its basically like shorting out your chi and it just goes away. Thats why there needs to be a gap. Its entirely possible to directly convey this energy into others. I thinking its a 'chi conduit'? But it entails your lower chakras 2 (Sacral and Root chakras) and basically pulling the Root Up and pushing the Sacral down until they touch internally basically 'connect'. Ever seen a monk doing a downwards motion with one hand and an upwards motion with the other simultaneously?  look it up. 

[Linusss]

On 6/20/2021 at 8:09 AM, JarrettCR said:

 

As a side note, I had an EEG test done recently, electively because of above said sleep problems, and I tried doing this while the operator observed the monitor, just to see if it could detect anything brain-wise, and nothing came up, helping  me with neither my sleep problem, nor this one.

 

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.

Edited August 21, 2021 by Linusss