High Sensation Seeking

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In the nomenclature of Elaine Aron http://www.hsperson.com/ , I am a Highly Sensitive Person who is also High Sensation Seeking. That combination is supposed to be rare, but I have never taken my own survey, so I don't really know for sure. I have wondered if people who are HSP are just higher up on the spectrum, or if they are sensitive for different reasons.

I have also wondered if Aspies could be defined as High Sensation Seeking Highly Sensitive Persons, but I don't read much in posts here about folks striving to intensify their stimulation level as high as they can stand it without overwhelming themselves, the way I do, but many talk about always seeking new things to learn. That is kind of the same thing I suppose.

I am curious what others here think about this.

I don't know if I'm a highly sensitive person, but most people tell me I am very sensitive, and an online test told me I probably was HSP.

I'm VERY sensation seeking. I've noticed a definite pattern where I dislike moderate or light stimuli but react well to very intense ones. I'm also a raging adrenaline addict

I have lots of hypersensitivities related to sensory issues. My worst sensory issues are tactile, followed by visual (types of lights). However, I'm very hyposensitive when it comes to the vestibular sense and motion. I'm very high sensation seeking in terms of loving to spin or go fast or something. This is why I love roller coasters and other high-speed, high-motion amusement park rides. I feel the best when I'm on a roller coaster.
-OddDuckNash99-

Interesting. Does this explain why I used to bungie jump and parachute jump many years ago?

Vanilla_Slice

Vanilla_Slice,
I would like to go skydiving someday. I think it would be very fun. The closest I've come to skydiving is riding the ripcord-type rides at amusement parks.
-OddDuckNash99-

I LOVE thrill rides. Rollercoasters have been kind of an on and off "special interest" for me, actually. Often these thrill rides involve loud noises, people screaming, etc.. None of which bother me very much in that specific situation. But then, loud/high-pitched noise, light touch, and stuff usually bother me a lot. Makes no sense

I took the quiz on there....all but like 3 of them applied to me LOL. So I guess I am.

But it seemed to be just a lot of Aspie traits......what's the difference?

Very interesting.

This could explain why i like to roller skate, like, we'd go to a skating place with my family when i was younger and i'd be hours just going round and round, (please let me know if im not saying that correctly ), i love going fast and watching everything around me move fast as i go, and maybe it would also explain why i like to listen to rap where the rapper raps fast as hell in long verses, i get this feeling like im riding a rollercoaster, or like a bunch of images are going through my head fast or something. some types of music can give me that feeling too, its not only a lyrical thing.

Lately im realising all those things are kinda tied in that sense, so what you say fits in, about being High Sensation Seeking. Maybe ill take that test too later.

According to the test I'm a "highly sensitive person". I don't think I'm high-sensation seeking, however, more I try to avoid.

Also I don't really get that website. Anyone qualifying for "highly sensitive person" should get a diagnosis for sensory processing disorder, they might actually be taken seriously.

Yes, I'm the same way. Normally, I cannot stand being in crowds or people screaming for fun. But I adore standing in line for rollercoasters among many other coaster addicts, most of whom are acting immature and screaming or whatever. It's really the only time I feel a camaraderie with neurotypicals. I also don't mind randomly striking up conversations with strangers in line for a coaster, just because I know that I can talk about my special interest and have others actually know what coasters I'm talking about.

I love rollerblading and ice skating, too. You really do get a rollercoaster-type of sensation from those sports. And as a kid (and still now), I used to love pushing a shopping cart with my foot and then standing on the cart while it glided down the aisle. Really, that is like rollerblading in a way. I also always have loved twisting the chains on swings and then letting them straighten out while you spin rapidly. Many amusement park rides that spin in opposite directions give that same feeling.
-OddDuckNash99-

yes big time sensory seeker, and i guess you could say highly sensitive, my whole life consists of sensory seeking

I'm high-sensation seeking and also extremely open to stimuli, but I don't have the whole emotional issues, exhaustion that those with HSP are said to have and I'm also not easily overwhelmed, so I guess I'm not HSP.

I'm I'm just very open to stimuli, very able to cope with the load of stimuli that others do not notice and are unable to cope with and I'm seeking out what regular people often think are sensory overloads.

Most of the folks who frequent HSP forums would never dream that they have anything in common with Aspies and Auties. Most of them, however, are not High Sensation Seekers from what I recall. but many do experience ESP like perceptions, and also tend to be very spiritual.

Some of you guys seem to be a lot less HSP than I am. I'm a chicken. I meet my High Sensation Seeking needs by much more sedate methods. The times I have attempted roller coaster rides, I ended up going deep inside myself to try to ride out the overstimulation of it all. It would never occur to me to attempt bungie jumping.

Something that does give me an intense high is when my intuition proves to be correct.

I am noticing that different people are stimulated, overwhelmed, and/or not bothered by different types of stimulation. I wouldn't be surprised if some roller coaster attics would feel overwhelmed by some of the things that give me intense highs.

One has a neutral name and one is considered to be a developmental disorder. From what I understand, high-sensitive people trend towards (or are even on) the autistic spectrum, but their traits aren't severe enough for them to seek a diagnosis... which, I suppose is why people like willmark and myself simply don't know whether we are on the spectrum. The difference becomes largely academic.

I seek out high sensation as a substitute for emotion, and to drown out the obsessive-compulsive thoughts that haunt me.

For instance, I drench a lot of the food I eat in super-hot-pepper-sauce. I do this because the hot flavor is arresting, and it sort of grabs hold of my consciousness, thereby dragging me out of patterns of circular obsessive thought.

Also, the feelings I get from baiting my sensory perceptions like this supplement my lack of genuine emotion. I don't feel a heck of a lot towards other people, yet I'm still a human being, with emotional needs. So I think by accident, I've discovered that altering my consciousness through sensory distortion creates pseudo-feelings that satisfy this need.

The two things that seem to have the greatest effect are taste and sound. Sound is a double-edged sword for me. There are frequencies and rhythms out there that will send me to a transcendent and blissful heaven. But others will terrify me or cause an inescapable sense of agony. Liquid sounds, whispers, and other specific sounds drive me insane. I'm incredibly sensitive to sound. Yet I yearn after certain other sounds.... particularly deep, loud vibrations that take hold of me and resonate within me.

That's how I experience this stuff, anyways...