Hyper Senses, Meltdowns and Stimming Related?

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I have a question about this. Do people who have fewer or no meltdowns have less sensory hypersensitivity?

I don't get many meltdowns. Actually all of mine have been due to a particular trigger in the realm of not processing emotion very well especially if it coincides with a time where I'm doing a lot of complex tasks (executive disfunction plus mild alexithemia).

I do have an abnormal experience in my senses. Particularly with my vestibular, proprioceptive and tactile senses along with auditory processing issues... But I don't have the hypersensitivity issues I've heard many describe... Like hearing annoying or painful sounds or fluorescent lights hurting my eyes, etc. I do feel like when I'm outside I'm on the deck of a ship in bad weather even during weather I can see is mild or pleasant but it's not painful or overwhelming. Just makes me tired quicker.

To me this is why I don't get meltdowns. I get shutdowns due to rigid thinking, executive function overload and social and emotional exhaustion. But my senses rarely cause me pain or discomfort unless I fall over or walk into something (proprioceptive and vestibular).

I have a theory that some meltdowns and stimming is related to sensory overload. Maybe even mostly. I do stim but I think it is mild compared to others.

It's just a theory and I'd like some other's thoughts and experiences.

I don't get meltdowns that often, but I think some of my senses are pretty sensitive. I hate touch, most clothing, noise, lights, too many colors, certain textures, etc. I mainly try to avoid these triggers so I don't get overwhelmed to the point of a meltdown. I get shutdowns from fire drills and things like that, though. I stim more when I am overstimulated by something (whether that be sensory input, stress, etc.).


(I do think a lot of meltdowns and stimming are sensory related, though)

I'll also add that mostly my senses are abnormally muted. I don't hear things I should (although I have no deafness), I only like food that kicks my butt and I take such hot baths that I have low blood pressure after (but I'm addicted). Also my body often feels numb and like I don't have a body. I really have to focus when walking because it can be quite difficult to feel how my feet are positioned in relation to the ground. Stairs are a nightmare.

Thanks Stampy for the reply. I think I also have learned to avoid uncomfortable sensory imput, like too much colour. I think my senses are nowhere near as hyper as many people I've read about.

Urg. Bad writing but I'm too impulsive to fix anything much.

Your writing is fine. It's interesting how you are hyposensitive to some things as well. I am also a sensory seeker, which basically means I crave certain input from some of my senses. I might be one of those people who hear loud noises as if it's piercing through my skull (really bad description), but I still don't have many meltdowns. I take really hot baths as well, and I could stay in a hot tub for days and not feel hot lol. I hate spicy foods and sauces, though.

IMO it's simply the nature of "High Functioning." My sensory issues are as acute as anyone's (as is my anxiety), but I manage to keep the meltdowns in check pretty well, most of the time. I usually manage to make it to a quiet place where I can be alone, before I collapse and completely come unglued.

A lot of that I attribute to my upbringing, in a society where autism was unheard of, and parents simply did not allow their kids to have public freakouts. I learned to control myself, or suffer the consequences.

As far as sensory hyperstimulation and stimming all being related - of course they are, how could they NOT be? The movements of stimming (and I mean classic stimming, involving FULL BODY MOVEMENTS, like rocking, swaying, spinning, hand-flapping, toe-walking, etc. - not the pointless "fidgeting" currently included as stims) are an attempt to SOOTHE the anxieties caused by hyperstimulation.

Meltdowns are just what happens when sensory hyperstimulation and emotional anxiety combine to become a mental processing bottleneck so overwhelming, that the psyche simply can't bear it anymore.

Try telling that to the guy in my thread. He thinks stimming is caused only by anxiety in everyone, even autistic people.

Thanks will@rd. I'm mostly trying to understand my experiences. I've never been able to put words to them before or openly talk about them, even if I could.

It's so nice to talk to you all and hear your responses. I'm learning a great deal.

Stampy, I think ASD is also a special interest of mine. Probably not alone in that. Super fascinating, how people are put together.

I have heard some say that they enjoy stimming. My little stims, which are to self regulate and cope with brain processing issues, are also necessary and enjoyable to me. Saying that, I don't think most people would do very obvious stims like will@rd is describing unless they really couldn't cope without them. It does bring a social stigma and perhaps is inconvenient at times.

My most stigmatising thing that I'm aware of is talking to myself. I can't shake it because I need it. I also enjoy it because it really soothes and regulates me. It is a type of stim. But it would be better for me to be able to cope without it. I find it a bit embarrassing at times. It has caused some social difficulties.

I'm grateful for the things I don't have to struggle with and I'm pretty sure no one would enjoy the things I struggle with.

Same here. That's why I'm always on this website .



I stim a lot by pacing and sometimes rocking. I can pace for hours on end, even in gym class lol. I sometimes wander off around the field because I don't stop pacing lol. I love using delayed echolalia as well. It's very calming and reminds me of my special interests when I'm upset.