I've read so much that talks about how people are either hypersensitive and avoiding or hyposensitive and seeking, but can't relate to much of it. It feels like they're trying to force people into those two categories which don't actually fit at all.


Am I the only person who identifies as hypersensitive and seeking? I also do a lot of avoidance things, but seeking is a big thing for me.

For example, my sense of taste is very strong. I taste soap in cups after they've been very well washed (and can't drink straight water because I taste the soap). I've never been able to find something alcoholic I don't taste alcohol in, even the things people describe as the things like like because they can't taste the alcohol (its become somewhat of a challenge, though I barely drink anything). People talk about how they can't taste spices and I can taste them. People talk about how the flavors aren't there because of the lack of salt and I don't understand.

However, I'm also definitely strongly seeking in taste. My favorite foods are Indian foods (and not mild). I enjoy things with habeneros in them. Peppermint is great. I've spent quite a while in the state where I'll chew up and eat quickly all the altoids in an altoid tin in a short period of time and still not have satisfied any of my craving for peppermint, they're just not tasting strong enough to me. (Luckily my peppermint oil doesn't have that issue. It's more getting the right ratio of peppermint oil to non-peppermint oil that's the issue, 5 drops per 8 ozs of liquid is good)


But so much of what I've read by professionals suggests that people like my don't exist, either your hyposensitive and seeking or hypersensitive and avoiding.

Am I the only one?

(02-18-2012, 05:52 AM)Tuttleturtle Wrote: I've read so much that talks about how people are either hypersensitive and avoiding or hyposensitive and seeking, but can't relate to much of it. It feels like they're trying to force people into those two categories which don't actually fit at all.


Am I the only person who identifies as hypersensitive and seeking? I also do a lot of avoidance things, but seeking is a big thing for me.

For example, my sense of taste is very strong. I taste soap in cups after they've been very well washed (and can't drink straight water because I taste the soap). I've never been able to find something alcoholic I don't taste alcohol in, even the things people describe as the things like like because they can't taste the alcohol (its become somewhat of a challenge, though I barely drink anything). People talk about how they can't taste spices and I can taste them. People talk about how the flavors aren't there because of the lack of salt and I don't understand.

However, I'm also definitely strongly seeking in taste. My favorite foods are Indian foods (and not mild). I enjoy things with habeneros in them. Peppermint is great. I've spent quite a while in the state where I'll chew up and eat quickly all the altoids in an altoid tin in a short period of time and still not have satisfied any of my craving for peppermint, they're just not tasting strong enough to me. (Luckily my peppermint oil doesn't have that issue. It's more getting the right ratio of peppermint oil to non-peppermint oil that's the issue, 5 drops per 8 ozs of liquid is good)


But so much of what I've read by professionals suggests that people like my don't exist, either your hyposensitive and seeking or hypersensitive and avoiding.

Am I the only one?

You are not the only one. I am both hyper- and hypo- sensitive in almost all my senses. And though I am usually easily overwhelmed by the strong stimuli, in certain cases, it is actually comforting. My favorite foods are usually pretty strong, by anyone's standard: jalapenos, spicy dijon mustard, certain brands of hot sauce. And it is not because I can't taste it.

I am also sure there are plenty of other people who feel the same way you do. People just like to compartmentalize everything as this OR that, when it is never that simple.

I also taste everything in my food, but eat a lot of spicy flavored foods.

It is possible to be both Hypo- and Hyper- sensitive.

Light touch causes me unbearable pain. Heavy touch feels exquisite. I seek heavy touch while flinch or freak out from light touches.

(02-19-2012, 05:48 PM)beck7422 Wrote: It is possible to be both Hypo- and Hyper- sensitive.

The thing is, that I'm not hyposensitive in any sense that I seek. I just seek despite being hypersensitive.

I wish that people didn't list "touch" as one sense, partially because of some of the misconceptions in this area. Light touch and deep touch are separate senses (as is pain, temperature sense, and more). I'm definitely hypersensitive to light touch, but also am seeking there as well as deep touch. I've not been able to figure out if I'm hyper- or hypo- sensitive to deep touch, because they've only been listed as hypersensitive to light touch and seeking deep touch, and seeking and underreactivity aren't actually the same thing, despite having high correlation.

I've actually found that the sense I'm most hyposensitive in (proprioceptive) is also one I'm least seeking.

That's part of what makes me feel odd. I've seen things that include people both overreacting and underreacting with the same sense, but they still assume that you avoid when you're hypersensitive and seek when you're hyposensitive, while when you look at how I perceive things rather than the actions I take, its very clear that I'm hypersensitive and not also hyposensitive.

When I am hypersenstive it can be soothing for me to cocoon myself tightly in a blanket.

If something is going to be allowed to touch me it needs to have an even deep pressure over a large section of skin.

I am hypersensitive to light touch, deep touch, pain, and temperature sense (I can tell you the exact room temperature without looking at a thermometer). I am a pain wimp. When I have pain my muscles become spastic.

My 2 year old is hypersensitive and sensory seeking. It's really hard to explain that to people :/ I'm still trying to figure out things for her, but there isn't much information on the two together.

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Like for example, my daughter shuts down when she is around new people. But she will seek people out and pinch and bite to regulate herself. She also HATES loud noises, but she loves to slam things together and make more noise than what bothers her. She won't eat anything that is bland, has to have kick to it. She also despises being bathed and groomed, but loves to play in the water and likes to rub a hair bush on herself.

Does your daughter hate loud irregular noises and then uses the noise she makes to drown out the annoying noise? I have some problems with some noises, I use Heavy Metal to drown them out. If I am somewhere where I can't control the external noise, I humm to myself to try to help me deal with the annoying noise. Some noises are to never be forgiven, may all flutes be melted down in the fires of Abandon...

(04-25-2012, 04:03 AM)beck7422 Wrote: Does your daughter hate loud irregular noises and then uses the noise she makes to drown out the annoying noise? I have some problems with some noises, I use Heavy Metal to drown them out. If I am somewhere where I can't control the external noise, I humm to myself to try to help me deal with the annoying noise. Some noises are to never be forgiven, may all flutes be melted down in the fires of Abandon...

Yes she does that quite often. Awww, I play flute LOL. I quit playing my Celtic flute because she can't handle that one. I don't play my flute that often due to her being fickle on when I play. Some songs she enjoys like the Titanic music, she LOVES that. But she despises anything else. But when her sister are loud, she will yell and spin in circles. Her sisters are starting to get better. But one of her sisters also has SPD and is hypo sensitive. My oldest has ADHD and I feel that she has SPD as well but has never been diagnosed.