Ever freeze up at loud/sudden noises?

Page 1 of 1 [ 11 posts ] 

lilbuddah
Deinonychus
Deinonychus

User avatar

Joined: 9 Dec 2011
Gender: Male
Posts: 331

28 Dec 2011, 2:18 pm

Ok, so this has been bugging me for the past few years now, does anyone else go completely catatonic when you hear a loud or sudden noise? For me it's completely involuntary, I'll freeze up and stare at the noise for at least a good 4-5 seconds before I can bring myself to move again. My friends cottoned on to this a year or so ago and made a game of it (they're good friends, as*holes though) I need to know if anyone else has this quirk and if they can do anything about it.



Dunnyveg
Deinonychus
Deinonychus

User avatar

Joined: 5 May 2011
Gender: Male
Posts: 370
Location: Deep in the heart of Texas

28 Dec 2011, 2:27 pm

Lil, I used to jump a mile high when I heard loud noises as a kid. It's something I grew out of. I think what helped me more than anything was having to use loud tools (gas-powered equipment, firearms, etc.). I still don't find noise pleasant, but I can deal with it now when I have to.



lilbuddah
Deinonychus
Deinonychus

User avatar

Joined: 9 Dec 2011
Gender: Male
Posts: 331

28 Dec 2011, 2:31 pm

Well...I guess that helps. But I'm a 17 year old UK student with a build like a bloody scarecrow, and a poorly made one at that! When did you grow out of this as a kid?



Tuttle
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 26 Mar 2006
Gender: Female
Posts: 3,088
Location: Massachusetts

28 Dec 2011, 3:31 pm

It doesn't last as long for me but I do that too. This means I am very careful about whether there will be loud noises if it might be unsafe to freeze.



btbnnyr
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 18 May 2011
Gender: Female
Posts: 7,359
Location: Lost Angleles Carmen Santiago

28 Dec 2011, 3:33 pm

I freeze everytime the phone rings and stay frozen for the duration of the ringing and the message on the answering machine.



Jory
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 2 Jun 2011
Gender: Male
Posts: 17,520
Location: Tornado Alley

28 Dec 2011, 3:34 pm

Sometimes, but it usually just pisses me off and I struggle to bottle up the rage. Which I guess creates a similar effect.



Heidi80
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 4 Dec 2011
Age: 44
Gender: Female
Posts: 581

28 Dec 2011, 3:46 pm

lilbuddah wrote:
Ok, so this has been bugging me for the past few years now, does anyone else go completely catatonic when you hear a loud or sudden noise? For me it's completely involuntary, I'll freeze up and stare at the noise for at least a good 4-5 seconds before I can bring myself to move again. My friends cottoned on to this a year or so ago and made a game of it (they're good friends, as*holes though) I need to know if anyone else has this quirk and if they can do anything about it.

I suppose this has to do with that a big part of asperger's is the sensory integration issues and the sensory oversensitiveness/undersensitiveness. For example, if your hearing is oversensitive, then noices that others maybe won't even notice may seem overwhelming to you. And since aspies often have sensory integration issues it may be hard to notice where the disturbing noice is coming from, which puts your system under even more stress and you freeze. It's horrible, but it's just a part of being an aspie. The best way to avoid it is to just try to avoid noisy places or listen to music (with headphones) in places where you'll know there's going to be loads of noise. Don't be embarassed about this, it's just a part of your unique neurology.



Surfman
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 1 Aug 2010
Age: 61
Gender: Male
Posts: 3,938
Location: Homeward bound

28 Dec 2011, 3:55 pm

I'm developing an aversion to loud noise and music, earlier in life it was not an issue for me

5 and 7 channel sound systems especially screw with me now



unduki
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 21 Oct 2011
Age: 65
Gender: Female
Posts: 652

28 Dec 2011, 4:08 pm

I think I desensitized early because I grew up in a house full of kids, but when it was supposed to be quiet, like at night, I overreacted terribly to out of place sounds. I heart/breathing would stop and it took a long time to calm down. I couldn't move or yell for my mom so I had to deal with it myself.

Now, with my kids grown, I just have the dogs and roommates and live in a rural area. I don't like a lot of noise and I still startle from loud, sudden noises. They usually just upset me, though. I might lash out at something or someone in an extreme situation but I don't freeze up. One overcomes a lot in their lifetime. I learned in my 20's that fear is a waste of time.


_________________
Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass; it's about learning to dance in the rain.


SylviaLynn
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 9 Feb 2008
Age: 67
Gender: Female
Posts: 534
Location: Albuquerque, NM

28 Dec 2011, 4:43 pm

My daughter doesn't exactly freeze. She starts moving toward the source of the sound, which is frequently the cat. I think she wants to hunt it down and stop it no matter what it takes. I know the feeling.


_________________
Aspie 176/200 NT 34/200 Very likely an Aspie
AQ 41
Not diagnosed, but the shoe fits
10 yo dd on the spectrum


Map12
Tufted Titmouse
Tufted Titmouse

User avatar

Joined: 20 Dec 2011
Gender: Female
Posts: 40
Location: Hiding in one of my hoodies(my own little world)

29 Dec 2011, 12:09 am

No I don't freeze, but I do make a twitching motion for a split second after I hear a loud noise.