Most people don’t know I like ASMR. I should probably keep it that way…
Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) started popping up on my radar during the pandemic. I was curious so I did a YouTube search and landed on a video of a woman eating a pickle directly into a microphone. The slobbery audio instantly repulsed me. I was so utterly grossed out that I slammed my laptop shut. In that moment, I assumed all ASMR was nasty and probably pornographic.
A couple years later, I entered my perimenopause era. Sleepless nights, hot flashes and frequent headaches became my new normal. Sorry for bragging!
Nowadays (Nowanights?), when I can’t sleep (and my husband needs to rest), I pop my earbuds in and scroll Instagram reels until I can no longer keep my eyes open.
Most of the reels entertain me just enough to take my mind off my symptoms. Though not an ideal way to fall asleep, I consider the distraction a perimenopausal win. But a couple months ago, something better than a distraction happened. I experienced a brand new sensation: cooling peace.
An ASMR reel by Erica Tokach, also known as @reiki.fairy, played on my phone. Tokach casts from a reiki studio, speaks in a very soft voice and incorporates reiki into her work. Her reel instantly relaxed me. I felt something I rarely feel: pleasantly surprised. I had no idea that the internet could be healing! I would later learn the aforementioned “cooling peace” I felt has a name: “tingle.”
“Tingle,” I’d like you to know, is a word that embarrasses me. At least it used to. Now I associate the word with healing and have spent the past month researching various triggers and learning about their purposes.
I also later learned that the sounds that cause the “tingles” are called “triggers.” I had always thought of that word in a negative context; e.g. “a gun trigger” or a “trigger warning” or “getting triggered.” Now I associate it with peace.
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After I landed on that initial reel, I started to sift through Instagram in search of more ASMR videos. Many are downright repulsive — the sleazy, pickle-eaters are still out there! But some of the ASMR artists are legitimately calming and I’d like to share three safe, vetted options with you:
@reiki.fairy invites her followers to heal, feel calm and be proud of themselves. She brings a touch of wisdom and unprecedented kindness to her reels.
@safespaceasmr whispers in a calmly lit room and incorporates a touch of humor into her reels. Her, “I heard you have a headache” reel has helped alleviate my headaches.
@mattgangi films his reels outdoors but speaks in an inviting “indoor” voice. He incorporates a groovy, organic vibe into his reels.
I can safely say that these ASMR artists have improved the quality of my sleeping, which is to say quality of my life. If you’re interested, find them on Instagram.
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For those of you who don’t me, I am a playwright and theatre artist. I am in a constant state of writing, reading and creating things. For the past several months, I have been writing a new play called The Power Room and one of its characters is a talented, young shaman. My goal is to create a play that has a true healing touch on the audience. I want the audience to feel physically and mentally better through this character and this play.
Part of my research involves reading about the craft (mysticism), visiting witch-owned shops and events, spending a lot of time in nature, and testing my craft (theatre) in a variety of different spaces. One such space is Tuesdays@9 Chicago, which is where I work.
Last Tuesday, I performed as A Host of Golden Daffodils. When I perform as “The Daffodils,” I lead with comedy and segue into poetry and spoken word. This time I ditched the comedy and performed an experimental poetic ASMR set. I wanted to see if the combination of light poetry, witchcraft and organic triggers would have a healing effect on a live audience.
Would the audience feel peace? Or would they be repulsed? Would they see value in it? Or would they think it’s stupid? Would they feel healed? Or would they be uncomfortable?
Based on the feedback I received, my piece of experimental theatre worked. I made new discoveries about ASMR’s “place” in theatre and have new ideas about how to focus the intentions and poetry. I’m so grateful!
Now I’d like to test the ASMR a little bit more. If you have seven minutes, could you put your headphones on and watch this video from my ASMR event? To give feedback, simply leave a comment in the feedback form below or email me at connievkuntz@gmail.com.
Thanks for reading and, if you had the time, watching! -Constance
Constance Kuntz 