And I’m pretty sure I’m not alone. If you’re not sure what it is that I speak of, then please allow me to coax you out from underneath that rock where you’ve set up. (Such a nice dwelling with your little snacks in the corner and your cute portable heater that you have to keep real close or else it won’t really do any good even though it draws almost 2k watts of power but, you had to get it because was super cheap on Amazon…) Yes, I know you. I know you because I am you.

Autonomic Sensory Meridian Response or A Sexy Mirage of Romance for short, is that feeling that you get when someone really pretty gets near your face and makes the hairs on your necks stand on end. Or at least it is for me. I remember in elementary school, during quiet time, I would rest my head on my desk, breathe naturally, and try to listen to all the sounds I could hear and if I felt anyone near me even move slightly, I would feel an intense chill down my spine and I would tingle until my legs fell asleep.

Supposedly, everyone has different responses. Some people are even cursed to never know this pleasure that only Missandei can give to Grey Worm the Unsullied in Game of Thrones, and those people I might feel a little bad for, but for the majority of people, the response is real.

It was a dark time in my life when I saw HeatherFeather for the first time. I was 30 and alone, living far away from home working a job that I wasn’t sure I even liked. But then, one day, sloshing through youtube, I came across her sksk video

I’m a little embarrassed to tell you how many times I’ve played it at night. It’s over 200. For sure. This particular video only had audio and a single still image of her, but it didn’t matter to me. I couldn’t resist the relaxation and escape from loneliness that her voice and words provided for me.

Then, I discovered many different types of ASMR, such as, object tapping and object oriented ASMR with Christen Noel, roleplay ASMR from the likes of Springbok and Maria from Gentle Whispering, multi-lingual and gibberish ASMR JellybeanASMR (who also has a dance channel), soundscapes from ASMRbyDesign and later ever so popular Gibi, ASMR Darling, and Poki ASMR. and so many more.

But my favorite is Gameplay ASMR from the likes of CatplantASMR and her many many live gameplay whispers, in particular this Overwatch one

Nobody truly knows where ASMR comes from, but we do have seemingly the first ever recorded ASMR video from the legendary EphemeralRift

Despite my original skepticism, all of these wonderful whispering souls have helped me understand that the escape the loneliness comes from within. They have influenced me to live my life in a peaceful, harmonious way and have made me understand that somebody out there loves you and is thinking of you. Because of these ASMR videos, I grew a desire to meditate more, got into yoga, ate healthier, and began to be more social. I got back in touch with the simple life.

So, to all you lovely people out there, regardless of if ASMR is right for you, I am living proof that ASMR can change the life of a scared and alone 30 year old into a less scared and not-so-alone 35 year old with nothing but loving thoughts and serene example. *whispers* So thank you, ASMR community, what you’re doing works.