Post
so there's actually tons of recent research on misophonia and its really interesting
Misophonia is actually a manifestation of activity in parts of the motor system involved in producing certain sounds
https://www.jneurosci.org/content/41/26/5762
Basically, when you hear someone chewing, your brain is 'hyper-mirroring' the motor actions that create those sounds - your orofacial motor cortex is going wild as if YOU'RE the one chewing
and yes, if I went back in time with no tech to cover eating sounds I would go on a killing spree
Chewing and mouth/body noises don't trip me up. Not directly anyway.
There's a sound that rubber things make when rubbed or (god forbid) chewed on. That gets me right in the spine. Or the teeth. The sensation it causes is very similar to hearing nails on a chalkboard. Touching cotton balls causes exactly the same sensation, even if I can only feel, not hear, the horrible little squeaky sensation.
1/
Tiny noises make me want to murder. The sounds of the bearings in my celling fan. The ticking noise it makes if its slightly off balance
The whiny howling noise of the ventilation system at the factory that's nearly a mile away but I can still fucking hear it.
The pump in the cats' water fountain. The trickling noise it makes if it's not adjusted exactly right.
Any small, repetitive or irregular noises that sound out of place can drive me to rage.
and yes, if you have autism you are way more likely to have misophonia altho you can still have it if you're neurotypical
The thing that made me learn that? Adderall.
Apparently my brain being so fucked up and messy from severe ADHD canceled out my ability to be aware enough of my surroundings for my misophonia to trigger. Seems this is very common with AuDHD people who don’t get an ADHD diagnosis until adulthood
Even people with misophonia who aren't diagnosed autistic tend to score higher on autism trait measures
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0005791623000642
@Taweret I have never heard of misophonia, but I’m pretty sure I have this.
@Taweret On second thought, maybe not. Sometimes it can get this bad, but that’s usually when exacerbated by other factors. Sometimes, I leave the area when possible, but if I can’t, I can try to tolerate it and often succeed. https://timeloop.cafe/@Taweret/115166835273326852
there are so many studies. really recent ones
misophonia is very clearly neurological, not psychological
there are brain differences
which makes so much sense
like my anxiety shifts from one thing to another, intensity varies and changes with stress, diet, sleep, etc.
my misophonia does not. its very specific sounds. they do not change and they affect me consistently
they're night and day. my anxiety is malleable. even my OCD is. they can change targets and intensity and be influenced by other things. my misophonia is constant, consistent and unchanging throughout my life
anxiety is software. misophonia is baked into the hardware
there are even well documented cases of people suddenly getting misophonia following a concussion. because their brain was physically affected
its like:
You: Oh, someone's chewing
Mirror Neurons: WE ARE NOW CHEWING TOO
Salience Network: THAT'S A PREDATOR
Amygdala: KILL. KILL. KILL
Insula: DISGUSTING. REVOLTING. MUST ESCAPE
Motor Cortex: ARM THE WEAPONS. ALL OF THEM
Autonomic System: MAXIMUM ADRENALINE DEPLOYED
Prefrontal Cortex: Wait, that's just Steve eating lunch-
Rest of Brain: STEVE IS THE ENEMY. ELIMINATE STEVE
also do not do exposure therapy for misophonia. its warned against repeatedly in all this research
it doesnt' work for misophonia and can actually make it worse
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