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I thought I would share with you an unusual problem I have. A few houses away, someone is having an outdoor party. What goes better with a party than music, right? Even though I can't really hear the music, the thumping, resonating base is coming through loud and friggin' clear. It is a sound that is impervious to even the top line sound-cancelling headphones made, which I own and use. And so I sit seething and decided to let you know the reason why.
I'm sure that I'm not alone in being annoyed by the base crankers in our midst, but for me, well it sends me over a very difficult edge to explain. I like to think of myself as a normal, stable individual with one very real exception. I suffer from what is known as Misophonia and it's a real treat for those of us who have it.
If you feel disgusted to the point of rage when you hear the sound of chewing, swallowing, breathing, throat-clearing and other common people noises, you are not alone. You are also not crazy. Misophonia is a sound sensitivity disorder, which makes certain noises intolerable to the sufferer.
Although this condition is primarily neurological, the experience of these sounds can cause psychological distress. The term misophonia was developed by Pawel and Margaret Jastreboff, American neuroscientists. Literally translated, it means "a hatred of sounds."
This condition usually develops when a child is just entering into his or her tween years, although it can develop earlier in life. The affected child will often feel a frightening and uncontrollable urge either to strike the person making the noises or run away with hands over ears. Alternatively, some will mimic the sounds of the chewer in an attempt to cover up the noise or to communicate in a nonverbal way how horrible the sound is to them. This reaction is called "echolalia" and is also quite common among those on the autistic spectrum.
I'm textbook. I was ten or eleven when I began to experience the symptoms. My dear grandad, rest him, was a lip-smacking eater extraordinaire. This man I had adored since my first memory was filling me with inexplicable anger by the way he chewed his food. Other sounds began to infuriate me. People snapping gum, animals drinking water, idling cars, they would all unnerve me to an almost intolerable degree. By my mid-20s I understood that this was not the normal human experience so I sought treatment. I spoke with several doctors all of whom were entirely dismissive of what I was experiencing. Embarrassed and still confused, I accepted it and developed very clever and successful coping mechanisms, which, by the way, were textbook too.
In 2011, someone I happened upon online pointed me to a website created by and for people who also suffered from misophonia. I learned that I wasn't alone and it felt liberating. I recently discussed it with my primary care physician and discovered she was aware of the condition. That was especially nice to learn.
So how about you? Even though you may not have this crazy-ass misophonia, where do you sit on the scale of sound sensitivity?
TOP COMMENTS
April 30, 2015
Thanks to tonight's Top Comments contributors! Let us hear from YOU
when you find that proficient comment.
From elenacarlena:
I'd like to recommend this comment by Garrett in RETIII's diary because Garrett links to a political survey that doesn't take much time but leads to fascinating results. So I thought it would be something everyone would enjoy.
From Angie in WA State:
I need to nominate this entire diary for a Top Comments because there are just TOO MANY comments in it to nominate separately. The diary itself is a fine Top Comment, too.
From KDfrAZ:
In the comment thread, someone mentioned the School of the Americas. RerumCognoscereCausas proceeded to produce the most spot-on pastiche of an ad for School of the Americas Online. Too good to limit to one comment-thread!
From indie17:
Here's a great one for Top Comments by thirty three and a third. Found in Shaun King's diary A complete takedown of the lies spread by the Baltimore PD and Washington Post on Freddie Gray.
From pereginekate:
I'd like to draw everyone's attention to this fine first comment by huzzlewhat in a thread for a diary by Armando, Bernie Sanders will run on the issues, not the nonsense."
S/he makes an excellent suggestion that Sanders and Clinton could accomplish a great deal, if they take advantage of their "real chance to play it smart and play off each other." Love the idea!
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TOP PHOTOS
April 29, 2015
Enjoy jotter's wonderful PictureQuilt⢠below. Just click on the picture and it will magically take you to the comment that features that photo. Have fun, Kossacks!
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