Does Everyone Do this?

[Anomalous]

Forgive me if this topic is better suited to the beyond dreaming section, I was unsure where to post it as it kind of bridges two topics. For my whole life I've been able to create a wind rushing sensation inside my head. It's tough to describe and I've never met anybody who could relate to how I was able to articulate it. In my younger years I assumed everyone did it, for all I know everyone does do it. I have no idea. To trigger it I almost have to flex a muscle of which I'm not even aware. Flexing my brain is the best way I can describe it. I can do it in pulses or hold it for up to about a minute, after that a sensation of fatigue stops me. I've used it to relax because it produces a calming sensation almost like third eye meditation does. I experience the same internal noises during out of body experiences which I've had several of. I have a recurring inner ear twitch that pops my ear drum repeatedly and during these out of body experiences it becomes tremendously active, sometimes in both ears and sometimes just in one. I'm not worried in any health related way I'm just wondering if anybody here can relate to what I'm saying!

[Arra]

A few things about this I can relate to. The best way to describe my experience is to just explain it, I think, instead of directly trying to relate it to yours. Since I was about 9, I've been able to sort of tense, ('flex' is also how I've tried to describe it) a series of what seem like muscles in my body. In what feels like my brain, and in what feels like my lungs, flexing both simultaneously. I used to do it by habit when I got angry. In grade 7, I did this at school in front of the bathroom mirror, watching my face turn red. There was a feeling of pressure building up in me. The next thing I knew, I woke up on the bathroom floor. It seemed I had been dreaming about something. I was disoriented and had no idea where I was at first. I got up, dizzy, having to hold on to the sinks to balance. I did this a couple times afterward, but shouldn't have. I was probably somehow cutting off oxygen to my brain, or creating pressure in my brain, causing it to shut itself down. I'm afraid that I was risking death or some serious problem occurring in my brain. While reading your post, I tried doing it again for only a few seconds, not until I fainted, but just to see if I could hear the same wind rushing sound. I could hear something which might be described as wind rushing. I felt dizzy though, and like I was going to faint. I think it only takes about 10 seconds of doing this for me to faint, and don't usually let myself do it at all anymore. Years ago, my mom took me to the doctor because she was concerned about me fainting. The doctor didn't seem to understand what I was doing, and thought I was just holding my breath until I passed out. Recently, I brought it up to my mom, and she gave me some term for it as though she had figured it out since then, but I've never looked it up. Maybe I'll ask her tomorrow. What you're doing might be dangerous, if it's the same thing as I was doing, but maybe whatever specific thing you do is safe. Until now, I've never heard of anyone else being able to do anything like this. I've tried writing about it on a forum before, but got no responses. I've googled possible ways to faint, and kept reading that the only way to self-induce fainting is by holding your breath, which I know isn't true.

[aktw4]

Yes, I can do this easily. I'm not sure you are flexing your brain, just muscles around your head. A few things about this I can relate to. The best way to describe my experience is to just explain it, I think, instead of directly trying to relate it to yours. Since I was about 9, I've been able to sort of tense, ('flex' is also how I've tried to describe it) a series of what seem like muscles in my body. In what feels like my brain, and in what feels like my lungs, flexing both simultaneously. I used to do it by habit when I got angry. In grade 7, I did this at school in front of the bathroom mirror, watching my face turn red. There was a feeling of pressure building up in me. The next thing I knew, I woke up on the bathroom floor. It seemed I had been dreaming about something. I was disoriented and had no idea where I was at first. I got up, dizzy, having to hold on to the sinks to balance. I did this a couple times afterward, but shouldn't have. I was probably somehow cutting off oxygen to my brain, or creating pressure in my brain, causing it to shut itself down. I'm afraid that I was risking death or some serious problem occurring in my brain. While reading your post, I tried doing it again for only a few seconds, not until I fainted, but just to see if I could hear the same wind rushing sound. I could hear something which might be described as wind rushing. I felt dizzy though, and like I was going to faint. I think it only takes about 10 seconds of doing this for me to faint, and don't usually let myself do it at all anymore. Years ago, my mom took me to the doctor because she was concerned about me fainting. The doctor didn't seem to understand what I was doing, and thought I was just holding my breath until I passed out. Recently, I brought it up to my mom, and she gave me some term for it as though she had figured it out since then, but I've never looked it up. Maybe I'll ask her tomorrow. What you're doing might be dangerous, if it's the same thing as I was doing, but maybe whatever specific thing you do is safe. Until now, I've never heard of anyone else being able to do anything like this. I've tried writing about it on a forum before, but got no responses. I've googled possible ways to faint, and kept reading that the only way to self-induce fainting is by holding your breath, which I know isn't true. You were holding your breath.

[Arra]

You were holding your breath. It's true that doing what I did involved holding my breath, but it obviously was more than that, not caused merely by holding my breath. It's obvious that it was more because, while I can hold my breath for over a minute and a half while feeling only mildly lightheaded, it only takes about 4 seconds of doing what I describe to feel extremely dizzy, and only about 10 seconds to faint.

[Xijek]

I can do something somewhat similar, I suppose. Mine started in class. I flex, or tense, muscles somewhere in my head, and I get the wind rushing through my ears it almost feels like. Somewhat related, when I get a certain stretch going, I stop hearing all sound for about 5 seconds and when I un-tense, everything seems a bit surreal.

[aktw4]

It's true that doing what I did involved holding my breath, but it obviously was more than that, not caused merely by holding my breath. It's obvious that it was more because, while I can hold my breath for over a minute and a half while feeling only mildly lightheaded, it only takes about 4 seconds of doing what I describe to feel extremely dizzy, and only about 10 seconds to faint. If you run and hold your breath you will get the same effect. I can do something somewhat similar, I suppose. Mine started in class. I flex, or tense, muscles somewhere in my head, and I get the wind rushing through my ears it almost feels like. Somewhat related, when I get a certain stretch going, I stop hearing all sound for about 5 seconds and when I un-tense, everything seems a bit surreal. You can't stop all hearing, you must admit you can hear faint sounds?

[Arra]

Are we behaviorists now? Just because two things result in fainting, doesn't mean they're the same thing. If I'm to believe that what I did had the same effect internally as someone who holds their breath while running, then I'll have be given a biological explanation. Because to me, they seem very different.

[Xijek]

Yeah, a bit like the peanuts. More of a woh-woh-woh sound.

[aktw4]

Are we behaviorists now? Just because two things result in fainting, doesn't mean they're the same thing. If I'm to believe that what I did had the same effect internally as someone who holds their breath while running, then I'll have be given a biological explanation. Because to me, they seem very different. You were simply tensing your muscles and holding your breath yeah? I don't see the mystery in this.

[Anomalous]

Good to know people have had similar experiences. Dianeva I think I know what you're describing and I think I've experienced that before also. I used to do that after watching X-Men to see if I could move things with my mind. Never could I never passed out though but I remember feeling lightheaded afterwards so I might have been headed in that direction. To me that's more leaning towards a whole body sensation. What I'm talking about doesn't have anything to do with heightened emotions or assistance from a bunch of other muscles it's more of a frivilous thing such as raising one eye brow in the mirror for kicks. The explanation of it having to do with tensing the muscles in one's head makes sense to me and I had never really entertained that idea before, perhaps muscles around the ear canal. Xijek, what you describe sounds pretty close to what I mean, it does muffle one's hearing. For me I can virtually do it to the point of being unable to hear anything at all. I've never spoken to a doctor about it and I rarely get anywhere with online searches because describing it in universal terms proves difficult.

[Aldar13]

"It's the contraction of the tensor tympani. A small percentage of the population can actually voluntarily contract this muscle, inducing a noticeable and (until explained) odd 'rumbling' sound to occur." I've go this from yahoo answers. "The tensor tympani, the larger of the two muscles of the tympanic cavity, is contained in the bony canal above the osseous portion of the auditory tube. Its role is to dampen sounds, such as those produced from chewing." This from wikipedia BTW, I can do this too We should start a club or something..

[Oneironaut Zero]

Yeah, I can do this too. I usually do this when I want to drown out some noise. For some reason, it's also a defense mechanism, when I go into a situation (or movie) when something might jump out at me, unexpectedly. I don't know why I do that, but it sort of helps "detach" me from the situation, because it's like I'm muffling the audio or something. I don't know. It's weird.

[Robot_Butler]

I do this, too. For me, it feels similar to the sound you get from a really good yawn. Without the actual yawn, of course. I've never thought twice about it. I used to do it more when I was younger.

[LSDreamer]

Dont want to start a new topic on this, and it is kind of off topic. But does everyone hear a very very high pitched ringing if they listen? I by no means feel special, but theres always this high pitched ringing going on, if i listen for it. Almost like the sound of electricity running or something. I know the other afternoon, when laying down, I was telling myself, I can hear energy. And It was getting louder and louder, forget why I stopped listening to it probably got distracted. Might have been a reason with my meditation or something, still very new to this all and learning as I go but. This was during a mid afternoon WILD-attempt, which was unsuccessful but a learning experience non the less.

[Arra]

Dont want to start a new topic on this, and it is kind of off topic. But does everyone hear a very very high pitched ringing if they listen? I by no means feel special, but theres always this high pitched ringing going on, if i listen for it. Almost like the sound of electricity running or something. I know the other afternoon, when laying down, I was telling myself, I can hear energy. And It was getting louder and louder, forget why I stopped listening to it probably got distracted. Might have been a reason with my meditation or something, still very new to this all and learning as I go but. This was during a mid afternoon WILD-attempt, which was unsuccessful but a learning experience non the less. I get that too. My biology professor a few years ago mentioned that everyone's ears (somewhere in the inner ear I think) produce a high pitched ringing noise, and that in, I think it was 1/3 (or maybe 1/6) of people, the ringing is loud enough to hear when everything else is quiet, even by another person (presumably you're making out or something and the other person hears it?). But I always assumed it was just background noise that your brain produces when everything is silent, becuase it isn't used to the sensation of actual silence. So I don't know, but I've given you my input and some vaguely rememebred words of a phd biology professor. As for the wind-rushing thing, I guess I can't do it. With things like this, bodily movements that some people can do and others can't, I always wonder if it's that others physically aren't able to do it, or just don't know how to do it. I've been clentching every muscle I can think of in my head to try to produce it, and keep coming across new muscles I hadn't realized were there or have forgotten. I can move my thumb back and make a cracking noise easily each time, and can bend the top joints of my fingers without beinding the other joints, and most others claim to be unable to do that but I've wondered if they just don't know how. Same with my ability to clentch muscles to make myself faint. One thing I've realized while trying to do the head thing is, when I clentch my lower jow in a way to make it go backward, I experience a high pitched noise. Anyway, I think this is giving me a headache so I'll stop trying. I think I'm just unable to do it. But after hearing it's rare I'm wishing I could.

[aktw4]

That "ringing" sound you hear is Tinnitus. I almost can't believe you didn't know that. Edit: I thought this was common knowledge.

[Oneironaut Zero]

That "ringing" sound you hear is Tinnitus. I almost can't believe you didn't know that. Edit: I thought this was common knowledge. Common knowledge also includes not being surprised at what the next person doesn't know.

[DeletePlease]

I'm not sure if it's the same thing you're talking about but when I close my eyes and flex to make my ears move up a bit, I hear/feel something similar to a breeze.

[aktw4]

Common knowledge also includes not being surprised at what the next person doesn't know. Not really. Also I wasn't trying to be rude if that's what you were thinking. I just thought it was a common as "we breathe because we need oxygen".

[Oneironaut Zero]

Not really. Proof that the term "common" is subjective. Also I wasn't trying to be rude if that's what you were thinking. I just thought it was a common as "we breathe because we need oxygen". Ok.

[aktw4]

Proof that the term "common" is subjective. I suppose.

[Jakemnam]

yeah yeah yeah I can do this too! But I've never fainted from it.

[Telemachus]

I can produce exactly the effect Gavin described, not sure if that's what everyone else is talking about. I find it's much easier to do when my eyes are closed, but I can trigger it at almost any time.

[EmilySian]

I thought everyone could do this! It's never something i've really thought concsiously about but i've always been able to do it. I tend to use it to drown out noise if I dont want to hear something or in movies when im anticipating a scary part coming up. Now that i've read this i've been trying to see how long I can hold it. Not lasting beyond about 20 seconds at the moment. But I can do it instantly.

[EmilySian]

And yes its much easier when closing your eyes.