Too Loud, Too Bright, Too Fast, Too Tight
The brain makes no distinction between a real or a perceived threat—it just reacts.
Sharon Heller • Too Loud, Too Bright, Too Fast, Too Tight
In fact, hypersensitivity has long been studied in psychology as the cause of introversion, an inborn characteristic. Numerous studies have shown that some people have a low sensory threshold; quickly reaching their saturation point, they get easily overstimulated by sensation. To avoid overstimulation, they direct their attention inward and appear
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alleviating tactile defensiveness.
Sharon Heller • Too Loud, Too Bright, Too Fast, Too Tight
Not surprisingly, research shows anxiety disorders and depression to be a common by-product of sensory defensiveness—a syndrome Patricia Wilbarger named sensory affective disorder.14
Sharon Heller • Too Loud, Too Bright, Too Fast, Too Tight
A sedentary lifestyle minimizes energizing movements that nourish the brain. Have you been hugged today? Have you worked up a sweat?
Sharon Heller • Too Loud, Too Bright, Too Fast, Too Tight
The sensory defensive says, “No way can I sleep in that bed!”
Sharon Heller • Too Loud, Too Bright, Too Fast, Too Tight
most cases the brain is miswired, causing an exaggeration of the normal innate protective response to bodily harm.13
Sharon Heller • Too Loud, Too Bright, Too Fast, Too Tight
Sensory defensiveness is a condition that encompasses a constellation of symptoms, including tension, anxiety, avoidance, stress, anger, and even violence, that result from aversive or defensive reactions to what most people consider nonirritating stimuli.
Sharon Heller • Too Loud, Too Bright, Too Fast, Too Tight
For the sensory defensive, it is overwhelming. Rather than open their senses to take in the world, they feel compelled to turn off their senses to expel the world.