Page:Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) - a flow-like mental state.pdf/8

PeerJ

Figure 1 ASMR Map. An illustration of the route of ASMR’s tingling sensation. Image shows rear view of the head and upper torso. Capable individuals typically experience the sensation as originating at the back of the head, spreading across the scalp and down the back of the neck. Half of participants reported that this sensation typically spreads to the shoulders and back with increasing intensity. Though this diagram represents the most common areas involved in the tingling sensation, there is a huge amount of individual variation in where tingles spread to with increased intensity, with legs and arms also commonly reported as hotspots in some individuals.

Fifty percent of participants said their mood improved even in sessions when no tingling sensation was produced, while 30% said that achieving this sensation was vital to mood improvement.

Sixty-nine percent of those who scored moderate to severe on the BDI reported using ASMR to ease their symptoms of depression (N = 70). Those scoring as depressed reported a mean improvement in mood of 38.75 (STD = 18.85), in comparison to a mean improvement of 21.33 (STD = 13.58) in non-depressed participants.

Effect on chronic pain

Thirty-eight individuals with chronic pain reported that ASMR improved their symptoms. 13 were unsure of ASMR’s impact on their symptoms. Forty did not believe that ASMR had an impact on their symptoms of chronic pain. Analyses were carried out on the responses of individuals who responded positively and unsurely to this section. Six individuals who

Barratt and Davis (2015), PeerJ, DOI 10.7717/peerj.851

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