ASMR???

Posted on by beautybeyondbones

I recently found myself in the deep abyss of Instagram.

In an obscure and bizarre corner of the interwebs that honestly, was so fascinating, I couldn’t look away.

Nothing seedy — get your mind out of the gutter. Just straight up strange.

It was Thursday night, 11pm, I was just doing nothing before going to bed. I had read a Buzzfeed article which led me into the deep unknown.

It led me into the world of ASMR.

For those of you, who, like me, thought this was some sort of medical jargon for an upper respiratory breathing machine, let me be the first to inform you — it is most certainly not that.

It stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response. Or in other words, the “shivers” or “tingles” you get in your brain when you hear a particularly pleasant sound.

Not everyone gets these said “tingles.” — I for one, definitely do not. But apparently, people do, because there is a huge hidden ASMR community online.

And they post videos — with tens of millions of views — of them eating with these suuuuper high quality, expensive microphones, capturing every saliva smack, and satisfying crunch. Or they’ll post videos of them tapping different random objects. Or scratching different things. All to create pleasant sounds.

I spent twenty minutes listening to this “ASMR Celebrity” – LifeWithMaK — eat honeycomb. And then I snapped out of it and thought, What the heck am I doing with my life right now?!

And look, I get it – a lot of people find it soothing, and it is said to help reduce anxiety, or help people fall asleep. So look — if that is your cuppa tea…more power to ya!

But as I was sitting there watching this random chick crunch pickles into the microphone, something suddenly became very apparent to me….

Are we afraid of silence? 

Are we afraid of being alone with our thoughts? Are we frightened of having time to reflect — on our existence? On our life and our choices? On God?

We fill our minds and our ear buds with so much noise, that we’re making it impossible for God’s gentle whisper to be heard. And we’re doing so willingly! To the point where we’re literally choosing to listen to people chew! so as not to be left alone with our own thoughts.

The whole situation left me unsettled, and frankly, a little weirded out.

So I cleared my browser history.

But going about my week, I didn’t think about this until Sunday evening, when I was sitting in church.

Because wouldn’t you know — the gospel reading was about the miracle of Jesus making the deaf man hear.

It’s Mark 7:31-37 in case you want to read it.

But in the passage, Jesus puts His finger in the deaf man’s ear and says,

“Ephphatha!”— that is, “Be opened!” —
And immediately the man’s ears were opened,
his speech impediment was removed,

And sitting there in the pew, I couldn’t help but think about my little run in with those bizarre ASMR videos.

Whenever I hear one of these iconic stories from the bible, I always like to picture myself in the story with Jesus. I mean, that’s probably because I’m a raging narcissist and need to work of self-awareness. Too much?? I digress.

I was imagining myself as the deaf man.

And I think that when we hear these stories from the bible, we can fall into the trap of taking them too literally.

You and I aren’t deaf. So, great story bro…but how’s it relate to me??

Well here’s the unpopular truth:

In actuality, we are all deaf.

We all have some sort of “block” in our ears that impede us from hearing God’s Voice. We all have so much noise in our lives — be it the media or music we’re injesting. Or the fast pace of our lives. Our busyness. Our fears. We’ve created lives and a society where silence is a scarcity!

This summer, hiking in Utah and walking the 80 miles on the El Camino de Santiago in Spain…I have had more silence in the last three months than I’ve had in a lifetime!

But it made me realize how rare it is to just be quiet. To put yourself in a situation where God doesn’t have to compete with a podcast, or with the TV, or with a person freaking chewing on honeycomb!

God doesn’t shout at us, because He want us to want Him. He want us to seek Him out — He’ll never be overbearing or aggressive with making His presence known — even though He’s always there.

This was honestly one of the biggest parts of my recovery from anorexia.

I had spent those years in my disease absolutely blocking out His voice. My mind was always racing with suffocating, obsessive thoughts about food, or exercise, or keeping the deception going. I never sought Him out…until that one life changing day at Inpatient, that I went into great detail about on the Among the Lilies Podcast last week, and that I share about in my book, Bloom.

But it was that one day that I realized that I absolutely cannot recover without Jesus. And I had to actively — every single day — show up at the foot of the Cross and place my life — place my recovery — in His hands. And to take His hand, and walk with Him along every step of the often terrifying and difficult journey.

I made it, because Jesus was walking me – and oftentimes carrying me – through it.

Maybe that’s what I need to pray for tonight — that Jesus literally stick His finger in my ear and clear out all the gunk that can accumulate from time to time — all the negativity or self doubt, anxiety, busyness, and noise — and open my ears.

Because at the end of the day…His voice is the best, most soothing remedy we can get. And it definitely beats a gal chomping on a cruciferous vegetable.

See ya tomorrow morning on my Podcast, Oh What a Beautiful Morning!!

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213 thoughts on “ASMR???”

  4. The silence of the Desert is a beautiful thing isn’t it? I hear that same nothing just outside of Las Vegas. Lovely. I have never heard of this ASMR thing. I’m getting just a bit older have come to appreciate those quiet moments. Great post Caralyn! 😎

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  5. Well said! And, yes, I think we, as a society do tend to be so busy with things and with watching tv, listening to music, watching videos, searching Facebook or Pinterest, that it prevents God from being able to speak to us. But, if we’re willing to listen and allow Him to speak, He will. … even if that means laying your head down on a pillow and God’s word playing through your mind and heart and then feeling so moved that you just start praying and can’t stop and end up spending time with Him until 6am in the morning, like I did last night. It’s nice to know that I’m not the only one who has noticed how nice it is to have some silence. I hope it helps you to know you’re not the only one either. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. I totally agree. When you talk to God there’s a peace which can be given by the world. I talk to God every night and I even feel his embrace. I fall asleep and jump up the next morning wondering when I fell asleep, lol! God is an amazing snuggle buddy! 🙌🏼

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    2. Thank you so much Daisy! Oh wow that sounds like quite the prayer time! Hopefully you can get some sleep tonight! Haha Hugs and love xox

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  7. Honestly social media has taken over our bodies, cast of the body snatchers. Lol! Seriously, do people even think on their own without the help of an app. 😔. It’s become too much!

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  10. I’d actually hate that, I have difficulties with my hearing, there is also alot of sounds that agitate me, or causes discomfort to me, so quiet is a great friend to me unless I’m distracted by different thoughts.

    I wonder if there’s a similar thing to ASMR but with touch, because I love the feeling of things against my skin 🙈😂 like different fabrics like carpet s and rugs and linen 🙈😂

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      1. I could however listen to you talk instead of being quiet, you have such a cute accent 😂😍 and if there is that’s what I got I even do it without even realising 😂🙈

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  14. I don’t think you’re a narcissist for putting yourself in the biblical story but following in the tradition of St. Ignatius. I posted a guided meditation last year that helps people put themselves in the story and talk with Jesus.

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    1. Thanks friend. Yes! I’ve heard it’s a form of contemplative prayer. Interesting! I’ll have to check it out! Hugs and love xox

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  15. God had taken me through a rather extreme desert trek since around 1998, a Job experience second to none. I seriously should put it in a book when He gifts me with a laptop again.

    During all this time, He put me on a dune at the edge of a milkwood forest. Very much secluded. And I learned that my beloved gospel music, MW Smith, Don Moen, Silverwind, PETRA, all these popular artists who make great music …. could DEAFEN the silent voice of God. I loved your post, especially this bit:

    “we’re making it impossible for God’s gentle whisper to be heard.” 🔇🔕

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      1. Thanks, every prayer welcome and much appreciated. We are in South Africa but our nearest neighbours seem to be in the USA, as that is where our WordPress “church” and “neighbours” are praying for us. Visit my blog for some background.
        Thanks again, every prayer really, really welcome. Love in Jesus. 💮🌹

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  16. Exactly. Where can you go where there is not a radio or TV on or where we aren’t occupied with social media.

    Cardinal Sarah’s book is on my to-read list.

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  22. I used to like need the television on as background noise. I grew up in a family of seven people, quiet was never a thing, so when my husband deployed the first time I could only fall asleep with the television on. Fast forward to eight years and three kids later, I LOVE SILENT MOMENTS! lol

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    1. hahah thank you for sharing that. and thank you for the sacrifices that you and your husband and family have made for our country. you are real life heroes! Hugs and love xox

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  24. Amen , Amen and we need eye silence and touch silence and smell silence and taste silence. Silence and stillness. It’s so rare but so important. Thanks for the image of Jesus putting his finger into all our ears, nice and waxy but raw enough to hit home. Thanks Caralyn, so encouraged by this post. Lots of love, L

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    1. Thank you so much L! So glad this hit home with you! Hahha waxy 😂 that made me laugh. So true though!! Hugs and love xox

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  26. Ugh…honestly, the sound of people chewing, smacking, even kissing is pretty revolting to me. I’d much rather block it out. 🙂 I spend most of my days immersed in silence, but that’s not quite the sound I’d want to break the silence.

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  28. I so happy your post came up in my feed tonight ! My daughter and I were talking about how some or okay a lot of people these days cannot handle the quietness of just being with them self’s okay a bit different from your post but then similar because yes people are constantly taking in noise to avoid what quietness could bring them ., hope that made sense . But your post brought such great points up and my daughter and I conversation . Hugs to you as always 🙂

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  29. Do you think people’s inability to bear silence is something the Adversary orchestrates specifically to prevent our hearing the still small voice?

    Just a thought that occurred to me as I was reading your post tonight.

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  30. Caralyn, I can relate to filling my time with mindless things and being deaf to the still small voice. So enjoyed your post and the comparison to the deaf man, having his ears, unblocked. Jesus is always so practical. Thank you for sharing. Love and hugs!

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  32. I have in the past listened to ASMR and really enjoyed it. With headphones on I totally had shivers! 😆But you are absolutely correct. It’s like we’re scared of silence, scared of our thoughts, so we distract with tv, phones, reading, iPads. Silence is a beautiful thing. A sacred thing. Being still, being present in that moment and looking within within can be incredibly peaceful. 🙏🏼😌

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    1. Nice! Yeah some of the sounds were definitely interesting! I wish I could get the shivers. Yeah technology is a great distraction. Amen!! Hugs and love xox

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  34. Caralyn, you rock. 🙂 I’m praising God right now for your insight and ability to connect with others and proclaim the gospel of our Lord! Great post. Thank you!

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  36. This is such an interesting post to me, for two reasons. The first being, that I totally agree with you that we as a society need to unplug sometimes. It’s like we’re deprived of silence, and don’t know that we need it. As I write this, I’m sitting in my kitchen late at night eating dinner (this is what happens when I have evening shifts at work haha), listening to the sounds of the crickets outside, the hum of the electric lights overhead, and the silence of my family sleeping upstairs. However, I have also scrolled through my social media while eating. You make a really cool point, that with all of the distractions going on, how can we hear God? (I recently got engaged, and this is definitely one of my fears; that my fiancee and I can’t hear God’s direction in this time in our lives.) I also really like how you draw on your experience hiking the El Camino this summer, to illustrate the power of silence. Some of the most profound, and holy, silences I have ever experienced have been while hiking in Scotland and Iceland, and looking at incredible views in Italy, being in awe of all that God has made. Silence is so important, and I think we experience the full power of God in silence when we are surrounded by His creations.
    The second reason that I find this post so interesting, is because I am a part of the ASMR community. I have been watching the videos for almost three years now, and I started an incredibly small YouTube channel, catering to these videos about a year and a half ago. ASMR is still relatively unknown in most circles, but it has grown significantly since I started watching. There is actually research being conducted on the phenomena as well, with many of the studies concluding that ASMR is the body’s natural relaxation mechanism, that certain aspects of the videos (sounds, visuals, etc.) can trigger the part of the brain that stimulates relaxation. (Here is a good article with one of my favorite creators: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-44533297.) Not all ASMR is for everyone; for example, I am not a fan of the videos you stumbled onto. Those sounds don’t relax me at all- they actually make me feel anxious and uncomfortable; however, the sound of papers being ruffled, or the pages of a book being turned, or even the sound of the rain help calm me into sleep. A lot of people suffering from anxiety, and even depression, have found a lot of relief and calmness in the videos. I could ramble on about this, as AMSR has been helping me sleep and relax for quite some time; its become rather dear to me haha!
    I hope this helps ASMR make a bit more sense to you, and I apologize for writing so much!

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    1. Thank you so much for this terrific insight. I’m so glad that ASMR has been helping your sleep and relax! That’s so awesome. Sounds can definitely be powerful. So glad you stopped by! Hugs and love xox

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    2. Good luck with the engagement if that is the Good Lord’s plan for your life. One bit of advice from a man whose wife and daughter left him 2 months ago: if you are eloquent with words on paper, great. But your new wife will slowly develop feelings of jealousy and insecurity if you fail to put just as much effort into communicating with her vocally.
      It might take months or years, but it will happen…
      Let your voice, even if you don’t like your voice, be the comforting sound that breaks the monotonous silence of her own existence. Let it not be an annoyance when she needs good quiet time.
      Your job will be to know the times to speak and the times to refrain. Balance this with your writing–in smooth rhythm, and you are good to go.BTW: three and a half plus of intense solitude can be good for the spirit, but the spiritual man is mad, so fund good balance of yin/yang and prosper.
      Our society needs cultural and economic revival; otherwise we will have inadequate time to prepare for the inevitable demolition of our present civilization.

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  37. Wish to tell you that your wrttings are so full of the wisdom only God can reveal to your heart. Thank you for refreshing wisdom and understanding in the knowledge of him. I can see your heart is so connected to Abba. 💫

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  38. Silence…I heard this a while back about our media saturated culture:
    When was the last time you had an original thought?
    How would you know?

    Of all the spiritual disciplines, the first one is silence, without which all the others are impossible. In our American Christian culture, this especially applies, with Christian radio and streaming worship songs and sermons. how about we abandon all that and just wait for God to speak? Or is that too scary?

    sorry, I got a little preachy but the constant noise we fill our lives with drowns out that still small Voice, including in church.

    Thanks for posting this.

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  40. My dear friend,

    A time comes in our lives in which an important question comes in front of us: what comes first? – God or the world? – we run after the pleasures of the world, we run from one wish to another to grasp a little happiness (but this all is a mere copy of the soul – soul is permanent happy, but mind is not – mind copies) for a short time. Seeking pleasures of the world is in fact a self pleasing matter, it points to our ego – what is love? God is love and love knows sacricfice and giving without wanting anything in return (like the sun that shines to everyone, to good and bad people without making any difference or comparation), is not self pleasing but is always in a state of pleasing others, to be of welfare to others – therefore love is also service to man, service to land, serve to God – we are deaf and blind, we do not hear sound with which we are all conected: the sound of love, the inner light of God – but we rather listen to our own ego and run after the pleasures and wishes of the world. May God put His finger into our ears: that it will be opened, that we can hear the music of the spheres, can hear the music of love – may God open our eye, our Single eye (as put in the Bible) to see the glory of God, not of the world, which is just dust and Maya. In this way even a blind person can see the light, the love of God and even a deaf man can listen to the ringing inner bells. We search our happiness outwardly, but our real happiness can be found within…

    Thank you so much, for sharing your thoughts and words about this important subject.

    In thankfulness
    Didi

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  44. Hey Caralyn,

    I loved your recent blog. It’s so true that we are afraid of silence. We don’t know how to sit in stillness, we seem to be a society with constant noise, I’m one of them.
    When I spend time with God, I’ve always have music in the background. Scripture says, be still and know that I am God. How many times have we missed Gods voice. I wonder! That should be my next blog. Well done on your article

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  45. Love this. I can recommend listening to the audible Bible particularly the NIV version read by David Suchet(aka Poirot). We are trying to work out the technology to have it playing in the background at home. Fill your ears with The Word. The Bible says “HEAR the WORD of the LORD”

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  46. We just can’t handle to quiet, humanity, I think, is afraid of what we’ll hear.
    If we backed up 150 years and got rid of all this tech, what would we ponder, meditate on, process, or dream about?

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  47. Whatever noise fills our lives, I think the most important thing is to seek God in all things because God is present in the silence and in the noise. It is the act of “seeking” that makes the difference.

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  49. I’ve been trying to practice quietness while I pray. Carving out a solid chunk of time, with 4 kids, isn’t easy, but haven’t a time of silence during prayer has completely changed my prayer life! Not that silence in other points of the day aren’t encouraged, too, but they are less frequent with little humans to chase after, so I have to make time!

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  50. My ex blares his TV and car radio. I’ve always said it’s to drown out his guilty conscience. But I was listening to an old Joe Rogan podcast yesterday, and he offered another reason that my ex and others can’t handle silence: loneliness. Considering all the Psychology Today articles about people being lonelier than ever, it’s possible/probable.

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