It’s not your typical cure for anxiety, but author and podcaster Caroline Foran swears by ASMR as a way to restore calm and help soothe her central nervous system.
ASMR stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response. It’s a sensory experience that some people have when listening to soft sounds such as tapping or whispering. Often, these sounds activate a physical response in the body, such as tingling sensations on the neck or the back.
“It triggers waves of deep relaxation in someone who is able to respond to and receive it,” Foran explains on the latest episode of The Irish Times Women’s Podcast. Watching ASMR videos online, she tells podcast presenter Róisín Ingle, is “like taking several Xanax and washing it down with a few Proseccos. It is phenomenal.”
It’s estimated that there are more than 25 million ASMR videos currently available on YouTube. One of the biggest creators in this subculture is a South Korean woman who goes by the name Latte ASMR. She has more than two million subscribers.
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In her videos, Latte ASMR performs “gentle role-play”, with the viewer becoming the subject of her attention. “She’ll be sort of soft-spoken,” says the author. “She’ll pretend she’s cleaning my make-up off and soothing me.”
Although the videos are watched millions of times, Foran is well aware that ASMR is a niche interest and not for everyone. “My husband comes in, and he’s like, ‘What are you watching?’” she laughs. “I’m like, ‘You don’t get it.’”
The benefits of ASMR are explored in Foran’s new book, Everything I Wish I’d Known about Anxiety, along with a wide range of advice on overcoming the condition. The book is for anyone struggling with anxious thoughts who is unsure how or where to begin the healing process.
Based on her own experience of overcoming debilitating anxiety, the book blends storytelling with practical advice and offers a step-by-step roadmap to find a way “back to yourself”.
In this episode, Foran tells Ingle about the micro-changes that make a big difference and why it all starts with self-compassion. She also discusses the meaning behind her many tattoos and how motherhood - and the challenges it has brought - has shaped her.
You can listen back to this episode in the player above or search The Women’s Podcast in your usual podcast app.
