Hypersensitivity / Misophonia / Mental Health
- May 9, 2019
- 2 min read
As a young toddler I had an incident on a basketball court that my parents thought may be the reason for me developing an unusual phobia later in life. I walked onto a basketball court where adults were playing a game and accidently got trampled on. I continued on as a kid who loved playing on soccer teams for 5+ years and enjoyed cheering at baseball, basketball and football games. Yet slowly I started to realize I had a negative reflex to the sound of people kicking balls and especially to the sound of balls on concrete. This impacted my life in many ways.
The overwhelming sounds would make me feel as if someone was going to immediately get seriously hurt or die. It was hard to explain to anyone and I often was viewed as being crazy for having such a strong reaction. At first I would just avoid being around high contact sports games where I would be triggered. As a mom I literally discouraged my kids for years from playing certain sports and instead steered them towards activities like dancing, theatre, etc. Of course there were times I said, “I got this” and showed up anyways. Sometimes the situation ended up with me high tailing it out of there early or being extremely uncomfortable while I was there. Imagine wanting to crawl out of your skin. Yes, it can feel a bit like that. I was always curious as to exactly why this happened slowly over time and what experience may have led to me developing this condition.
Misophonia is a mysterious affliction in which seemingly harmless sounds unleash anger, anxiety and in some cases, panic attacks. Researchers say that to develop the reflex, a person must be in a state of distress and hear repeating sounds.
Here’s the good news!
Since I have been on a Gut Brain Axis protocol my hyper sensitivity to sound has dramatically diminished! For the first time ever I encouraged one of my children to play basketball. It was so exciting to reconnect for an entire season with a sport we missed out on for so long!
But how did healing my Gut Brain Axis help my misophonia?
Neuroscientists say that brain scans of misophonia sufferers show that particular sounds cause the part of the brain that processes emotions, the anterior insular cortex, to go into overdrive. Basically, by restoring the health of my Gut Brain Axis (vagus nerve) I empowered my brain and gut (aka second brain) to have the most efficient communication possible which is necessary for your body to self-correct and self-heal. Amazing, right!?
We are so very fortunate to live in a time where we can treat mental conditions naturally and effectively.
In honor of Mental Health Awareness month I will continue to share details of my health story. It is my intention to speak out openly and honestly to help remove the stigma of mental health conditions and provide hope so we can all can live our best lives!
Related Articles: How Misophonia Develops
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