A woman who filmed herself whispering at the camera has become a YouTube phenomenon – because her videos give people ‘head tingles’.

Kimberley Tregidgo, 24, from Devon, is a so-called ASMR YouTuber who reads bedtime stories and does makeup tutorials while whispering, which gives quite a lot of people ‘braingasms’ (not sexual).

What is ASMR? ‘Autonomous sensory meridian response, or ASMR, is the pseudo-scientific name of a phenomenon that, according to thousands of anecdotal reports, various news reports, and a recently published academic survey, loads of people experience. ‘ASMR refers to a pleasant tingling sensation in response to certain visual and/or auditory stimuli. ‘Common triggers include the kind of close personal attention you get when someone cuts your hair, certain sounds like tapping or brushing, and perhaps most bizarrely of all, observing someone doing something trivial very carefully and diligently.’ Source: Practical Ethics, University of Oxford

While some of us experience a sense of Zen-like calm while watching shopping channel presentations, cookery shows or someone talking quietly, ASMR enthusiasts say these things give them head tingles.

ASMR helped Kim through debilitating post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, insomnia and anxiety. So she decided to help others, too.


Kim, who goes by the YouTube name Dolly ASMR, found tens of thousands of people flocked to her channel after she started making ASMR videos a few months ago.



She amassed 58,802 views on one video of herself pretending to give the viewer a cranial nerve exam (on the brain/head).

‘I have suffered from post traumatic stress disorder for nearly three years,’ says Kim.

‘I take medication everyday but I have had to work hard to control my triggers alongside medication.

‘Before, I found that taking really long baths and listening to my favourite podcasts would help me, but that only worked for so long.

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‘I found that different TV series and reading helped to relax me, but on bad days I struggled to concentrate.

‘It was really hard at one point because I started to suffer from insomnia which was making my everyday symptoms worse.’

But when she discovered that she was part of a group of people who experience ASMR, everything changed.

‘I used to explain to my boyfriend that I felt sleepy whilst on the phone to different sales people such as car insurance firms, which he was baffled by.

‘Then one day he showed me a video of somebody playing with crayons – not talking, just rearranging crayons – and he said “What on earth is this?!” then he clicked another link and asked me if this was what I was on about.’

And it was.

Kim filmed herself giving a cranial nerve exam and it’s been watched more than 58,000 times (Picture: Dolly ASMR/YouTube)

‘I watched the videos and was so shocked to find that I got the same sleepy feeling as of before.

‘I continued to watch the videos every day and noticed that my sleep started to improve.

‘Every night I watch a different ASMR artist and have found that my favourites are Russian artists, as I love their accents and zone out when they pronounce different words.

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‘Last year I decided that I would be brave and create my own channel to help other people relax.

‘I was overwhelmed by the number of views that I received in such little time but that is the beauty of ASMR. The community is growing and people are so lovely and helpful. The support has been unreal and I have even been asked if I would like to collaborate with another artist.’

Kim’s five reasons ASMR may be for you:



You have it but you don’t know it

You may have experienced ASMR without even realising what it is.

The phenomenon is pretty unique to everyone. It’s very hard to pin-point just how you get tingles, but simple things such as being on the phone to someone or having a makeup consultation could trigger different aspects of ASMR.

It’s all to do with one-to-one interaction.

When you talk to someone and suddenly start feeling yourself feeling warm, fuzzy, comforted, or zoned out – that is ASMR. It’s the maternal aspect of feeling cared for and this promotes relaxation. If you have never felt this then, well, sorry. But it is awesome!

You suffer from stress or anxiety

If you suffer from anxiety or stress then you may be more open to ASMR as it’s a great way to feel relaxed.

ASMR can help you to break away from everyday life stresses and dramas (work, children, relationships) by giving you an hour of peace and tranquillity, where you can focus on something completely random and break free from intrusive thoughts and feelings.

You want to meditate but can’t master it

ASMR is great because it is a form of meditation.

In fact, there are guided meditations where the use of ‘binaural ASMR’ meditation is available – this is where you can where headphones and experience the sensation of somebody whispering to you ear-to-ear whilst you focus on breathing and drift off into a deep sleep.

It is great for people who suffer from insomnia as it really helps to you to drift off quickly and peacefully.

You already like makeup tutorials

If you already enjoy makeup or fashion vlogs then this is great as there are plenty of ASMR makeup and fashion vloggers out there.


It is so easy to watch a video and completely zone out into a relaxed, tranquil state and fall asleep whilst having a realistic makeup or style consultation.

You need escapism

When things just get too much, ASMR is great to use as an escapism.

With so many different role-plays, you will soon find yourself breaking away from everyday issues or problems and being able to sink into a world of makeup, fashion or meditation.

There are so many different ASMR artists and that is the beauty of it all. There are so many different role-play scenarios to search for – whatever your mood, and whatever your tingles – that you’ll probably be able to find something to help you to relax.

Kim filmed herself giving a cranial nerve exam and it’s been watched more than 58,000 times (Picture: Dolly ASMR/YouTube)

Five ways ASMR can enhance your life Comfort ASMR provides comfort and the sensation that you are being cared for. The one to one aspect of it is very reassuring, especially when suffering from stress or anxiety. It makes you feel cared for and looked after, almost like a child. Focus ASMR allows you to have something to focus on and forget your problems. As silly as it sounds, listening to someone talk in detail about something as random as a hearing checkup can make you completely zone out and forget any existing worries. Relaxation Different noises that sound nice to you can make you feel safe and relaxed when listening to them. For example, when I was at school I liked the sound of the teacher explaining things slowly and quietly as it made me feel sleepy. This is ASMR. Self-discovery You can search for whatever triggers you. If you don’t like something, then there are plenty of different artists who specialise in different sounds. Simplicity It’s nice to know that when needed, you can relax and switch off and all you need is YouTube. I love the simplicity of it.

Check out more Dolly ASMR videos here

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