FOCUS ON: ASMR

FOCUS ON: ASMR

ASMR, for anyone who still hasn’t heard of it, stands for Autonomous sensory meridian response. This is a science-y sounding way of explaining a sensation; a kind of tingling sensation that typically begins on the scalp and moves down the back of the neck and upper spine.

I am one of the many people in the world who experienced ASMR before it had a name. It’s an experience that many people feel and have felt and had no way to explain it to anyone else before this term had been coined. I distinctly remember early memories of being in school as a very young child and having my teacher lean over my work very close to me to correct my spelling (I was a really terrible speller) and getting a feeling that not only could I not describe but I never even thought of trying to explain it to anyone else. It was a pleasant, very brief feeling that I enjoyed but never knew there was any way to recreate, or that anyone else was feeling the same.
Fast forward almost 30 years and it has a name and over 13 million videos on YouTube devoted to it.

When I first heard there were ASMR videos I didn’t know what that meant or how it related to the sensations I had felt as a child in school. I heard that there were videos of virtual haircuts, and I didn’t connect the two things. It was only when I found there were videos that explained what the tingles were and how you might get them and watched some tingle tests that I understood. A feeling so brief, that I didn’t know anyone else felt, could be stimulated by what is now hours upon hours of videos. The first tingle test video I watched with my boyfriend to see if he felt the same. He did not, my boyfriend is not suspectable to many things, he can’t be hypnotised or tickled (he’s too stubborn) so I wasn’t completely surprised that he didn’t get tingles, but from that first watch I was hooked.

I was interested firstly on what my triggers were; turns out I should have realised from my early experiences that it was close personal attention and whispering, which is great for me because there are literally millions of videos devoted to these triggers. I like a soft reassuring voice by someone who appears to know what they’re doing. I sometimes find it funny to watch YouTube ASMR artists trying to do medical things when they clearly aren’t doctors, like putting on surgical gloves and that takes me out of the moment but that’s my problem, not theirs. I just feel more reassured when it looks like someone could actually be a medical professional. And there are what is known as unintentional ASMR videos of real doctors performing tests that are not made for ASMR purposes but just happen to trigger ASMR in some people.

Here are the top triggers according to an article on Wikipedia:

Listening to a softly spoken or whispering voice
Listening to quiet, repetitive sounds resulting from someone engaging in a mundane task such as turning the pages of a book
Watching somebody attentively execute a mundane task such as preparing food
Loudly chewing, crunching, slurping or biting foods, drinks, or gum
Receiving personal attention, e.g. grooming (makeup application, hair brushing)
Initiating the stimulus through conscious manipulation without the need for external video or audio triggers
Listening to tapping, typically nails onto surfaces such as plastic, wood, paper, metal, etc.
Hand movements, especially onto one's face
Listening to certain types of music
Listening to a person blow or exhale into a microphone
A change in temperature at the skin

I respond to quite a few of these – let me know in the comments what triggers your ASMR – maybe we can get an interesting list going and I can let you know if I’ve seen a good video on this topic on my travels around the internet?

You might be asking; now you know what ASMR is, what is it for? Well, I can’t speak for everyone, but I can tell you what I use it for. I use it to shut off my brain. I am sometimes working and thinking and doing from the moment I wake up to the moment I go up to bed. Sometimes I work in bed until late, sometimes I’m working on a project and can’t stop my mind from going even though it’s time to sleep. So, I put on an ASMR video to shut my brain off, I focus on the whispering voice of the person in the video, I listen intently to the sounds from the sensitive microphone through my headphones, I watch the person on the screen and follow the movement of their hands and I think of nothing else. I shut my brain off and focus on this thing that requires none of my brain power and in doing so I can start to feel sleepy. I love a video with a lot of slow hand movements and repetitive tasks or easy mundane questions and at some point when my eyes follow these movements they start to feel heavy and I feel tingles and I’m ready for bed.

If you’re not sure whether you get tingles or not then I urge you to watch some of these videos below, just to give it a try because you might be suspectable to ASMR and not know it and I’d especially recommend it if you have ever had trouble falling asleep or relaxing.

In the list below I’ve featured some of my favourite ASMR artists on YouTube and some of my favourite videos by them, I’ve also included some extras that I’ve stumbled across but am not so familiar with their channels. I realise that ASMR tingles are highly personal things, and no two people will experience the same feelings or be triggered exactly the same but I think I covered a few different areas in my recommendations.

If you have any recommendations that you think that I or my readers will enjoy please add them to the comments at the end of this post – I’d love to discover new ASMR artists.

Gibi ASMR

Gibi was one of the first or second ASMR artists or ASMRtists I discovered on YouTube. She is very friendly, and likeable and makes you feel at ease while her videos cover a lot of different styles and themes. I especially like the sleep clinic style with tests which are a great way to discover what your triggers are.

Visit the channel here…

Other videos you might enjoy…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpyeA4H4Q6M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46mcWTe0cFk&t=965s

BehindTheMoons

I was so happy when I discovered this wonderful ASMR channel, this ASMR artist could say anything in their fantastically soothing French accent that I am instantly calmed whenever I watch these videos. My favourite thing is that they explain a lot of things so you learn as you relax. You can learn anything from how to make candles to the equipment they use to record videos. They also create videos in English and French so if you’re learning one of those languages that might also be useful.

Visit the channel here…

Other videos you might enjoy…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azAMYYgMmkQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goyQRsxsrWs

Tingting ASMR

Tingting is a highly skilled ASMR artist, she has two distinct and just as successful video styles, one is a microphone focused sleep inducing video style which focuses on triggers using things like brushes, whispers, word repetition and tapping close to a microphone. The other style is a role model style, acting as caring doctors and hairstylists, my favourite type is when she pretends she’s pampering you to get you to sleep, like being cared for by a dear friend…

Visit the channel here…

Other videos you might enjoy…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWbiRGnHOTA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVyHor-6Bw0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCXv128PnKA

itsblitzzz

I’m a big fan of Julia’s YouTube channel, it mostly consists of her giving beautiful people a massage but my favourite videos are her ASMR sleep inducing role plays, she’s such a caring individual which really comes across in her videos, she really makes you feel special, that alone is tingle inducing, but combining this with her soothing and calming voice and her great style these videos are excellent tools for relaxation.

Visit the channel here…

Other videos you might enjoy…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWbiRGnHOTA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSaOa0pBPwk&t=5s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9TWTdGIqoE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrWeOn-LScE&t=1855s

Goodnight Moon

I first saw Goodnight Moon in another ASMR artists video and I loved the way she speaks, she has a wonderful style of whispering and her videos are quite diverse with some interesting role play with fantasy characters. I like the more reality based videos with lots of whispering.

Visit the channel here…

Other videos you might enjoy…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWbiRGnHOTA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHDOGPpY4pc&t=1522s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dTN__nPWv4&t=79s

The Lune INNATE

I discovered Jillian’s wonderful channel when I was searching for an ASMR video with a reiki theme. The Lune Innate’s channel was exactly what I was looking for. The thing that I like about these videos are that they can be used as a tool for relaxation and sleep but you can also learn something about reiki or other healing arts and it really doesn’t matter if you believe in crystals or energy work because the hand movements and soft spoken videos are great for relaxation, especially the sleep specific videos. I like the new videos that Jillian posts every astrological season which is star sign specific and there’s a tarot card reading segment which I find very soothing to watch.

Visit the channel here…

Other videos you might enjoy…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcKha1CjwPo&t=1367s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wlvfco_59uk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PbZ40iuKz8&t=5s

SophieMichelle ASMR

SophieMichelle is a really caring and genuine ASMR artist, her English accent is a welcome change among so many American ASMR artists (although I do love an American accent). Some of her videos are very honest and thoughtful and her role-plays include playing doctors, sleep technicians and beauticians amount other things.

Visit the channel here…

Other videos you might enjoy…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWbiRGnHOTA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4AiGKOXdzM

Starling ASMR

Born in Uzbekistan, Valentina’s accent is different from a lot of ASMR videos on YouTube, and this only makes her videos better, mostly focused on medical style role plays, Starling ASMR has more cranial nerve exams (a staple of the ASMR video content) than any other I’ve seen, and they’re all slightly different. She has a wonderful playful style, blink blink blink, and her videos are great at making you relaxed and sleepy.

Visit the channel here…

Other videos you might enjoy…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWbiRGnHOTA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbxuNM3Wwlo

SemideCoco

Based in Canada, with a focus on Naturopathy, aromatherapy and massage, SemideCoco’s videos are relaxing and educational. Her tone of voice when she whispers is so reassuring and soothing and always relaxing. She’s the cousin of the next ASMR artist on my list so sometimes they appear in each others videos.

Visit the channel here…

Other videos you might enjoy…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ma6hmx-OPbQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ju2cIf-h5Ls&t=1813s

ediyasmr

Another reiki based ASMR channel that includes elements of meditation, crystals, massage, tarot cards and dreamwork. ediyasmr has a calming and soothing style that instantly makes you feel relaxed and welcomed.

Visit the channel here…

Other videos you might enjoy…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ma6hmx-OPbQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfTRE6qR0wk&t=649s

WhispersRed ASMR

One of the very first YouTube ASMR Artists I’d heard of on mainstream media, Emma’s style is a little different from the other artists on this list, a little more mainstream you might say. I like her real life visits to sleep therapists and ASMR themed experiences.

Visit the channel here…

Other videos you might enjoy…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ma6hmx-OPbQ

Silver Hare

Silver Hare’s videos have an element of role-play and an element of reiki and healing. His super soothing voice, infectious smile and relaxed style is a joy to watch - I’m quite new to this channel, I’m excited to explore more…

Visit the channel here…

Other videos you might enjoy…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ma6hmx-OPbQ