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Too Loud, Too Bright, Too Fast, Too Tight: What to Do If You Are Sensory Defensive in an Overstimulating World
In the publishing tradition of Driven to Distraction or The Boy Who Couldn't Stop Washing, this prescriptive book by a developmental psychologist and sufferer of Sensory Defensive Disorder (SD) sheds light on a little known but common affliction in which sufferers react to harmless stimuli as irritating, distracting or dangerous.
We all know what it feels like to be irritated by loud music, accosted by lights that are too bright, or overwhelmed by a world that moves too quickly. But millions of people suffer from Sensory Defensive Disorder (SD), a common affliction in which people react to harmless stimuli not just as a distracting hindrance, but a potentially dangerous threat.Sharon Heller, Ph.D. is not only a trained psychologist, she is sensory defensive herself. Bringing both personal and professional perspectives, Dr. Heller is the ideal person to tell the world about this problem that will only increase as technology and processed environments take over our lives. In addition to heightening public awareness of this prevalent issue, Dr. Heller provides tools and therapies for alleviating and, in some cases, even eliminating defensiveness altogether.
Until now, the treatment for sensory defensiveness has been successfully implemented in Learning Disabled children in whom defensiveness tends to be extreme. However, the disorder has generally been unidentified in adults who think they are either overstimulated, stressed, weird, or crazy. These sensory defensive sufferers live out their lives stressed and unhappy, never knowing why or what they can do about it. Now, with Too Loud, Too Bright, Too Fast, Too Tight, they have a compassionate spokesperson and a solution–oriented book of advice.
We all know what it feels like to be irritated by loud music, accosted by lights that are too bright, or overwhelmed by a world that moves too quickly. But millions of people suffer from Sensory Defensive Disorder (SD), a common affliction in which people react to harmless stimuli not just as a distracting hindrance, but a potentially dangerous threat.Sharon Heller, Ph.D. is not only a trained psychologist, she is sensory defensive herself. Bringing both personal and professional perspectives, Dr. Heller is the ideal person to tell the world about this problem that will only increase as technology and processed environments take over our lives. In addition to heightening public awareness of this prevalent issue, Dr. Heller provides tools and therapies for alleviating and, in some cases, even eliminating defensiveness altogether.
Until now, the treatment for sensory defensiveness has been successfully implemented in Learning Disabled children in whom defensiveness tends to be extreme. However, the disorder has generally been unidentified in adults who think they are either overstimulated, stressed, weird, or crazy. These sensory defensive sufferers live out their lives stressed and unhappy, never knowing why or what they can do about it. Now, with Too Loud, Too Bright, Too Fast, Too Tight, they have a compassionate spokesperson and a solution–oriented book of advice.
404 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 2002
254 people are currently reading
2070 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 97 reviews
September 18, 2012
I thought it was informative and that it gave several methods of trying to cope. I am quite surprised by the number of negative remarks about the disorder. I just wonder why you would even read a book like this if it didn't pertain to you.
This is a very complex disorder. It is made worse by the number of people who love to hear themselves talk, and attract attention to themselves while the rest of us are really trying to concentrate on the task at hand. When you are sensory deficit, sometimes it feels like you've been thrown into a mosh pit. There are times when I cannot even discern background noise from very loud white noise/static.
I'm guessing the negative reviews, knocking the interventions were from people who expect pharmaceuticals to fix it all, and are too lazy to incorporate nonpharmacological interventions into the treatment.
And the husband that called it the "wimp book", well this book probably has saved you from an ass beating or two already. I would have kicked you to the curb.
This is a very complex disorder. It is made worse by the number of people who love to hear themselves talk, and attract attention to themselves while the rest of us are really trying to concentrate on the task at hand. When you are sensory deficit, sometimes it feels like you've been thrown into a mosh pit. There are times when I cannot even discern background noise from very loud white noise/static.
I'm guessing the negative reviews, knocking the interventions were from people who expect pharmaceuticals to fix it all, and are too lazy to incorporate nonpharmacological interventions into the treatment.
And the husband that called it the "wimp book", well this book probably has saved you from an ass beating or two already. I would have kicked you to the curb.
February 21, 2017
Aside from texts on introversion--Susan Cain's recent book QUIET and the work of Marti Laney--I know of few other works that address sensory overload, so I approached Sharon Heller's book with some enthusiasm. Parts of TOO LOUD TOO FAST were interesting, but I wish the book had been significantly more scientifically based and much better edited. I found myself distrusting the author considerably by about the half-way point, when she launched into discussions of feng shui, color therapy, and various forms of body work. A number of these modalities have not been submitted to scientific study, and some strike me as little more than ways to waste one's money.
Did we really need entire sections dedicated to the colors to paint our walls, which essential oils to dab on the soles of our feet or toss into our bathtubs, and the best foods to provide an anxiety-reducing crunch? (I don't know about you, but I don't have a hard time figuring out that carrots, apples, and celery are crunchy!) The step by step instructions about how to carry out the yoga practice of alternate nostril breathing or how to meditate were also more than was needed in a book of this kind. I am not disputing that some of these practices might be quite useful. However, I do think the author would have been wiser to simply leave her readers with a recommended/further reading list. In attempting to cover too much, the author diminished the power of her book and message. As with sensory stimulation, sometimes less really is more. A wise editor should have encouraged leaner writing--particularly subtraction of unnecessary adjectives and the cleaning up of numerous awkward (dangling and distracting modifiers). If you must read this, I discourage purchase and suggest borrowing it from the library.
Did we really need entire sections dedicated to the colors to paint our walls, which essential oils to dab on the soles of our feet or toss into our bathtubs, and the best foods to provide an anxiety-reducing crunch? (I don't know about you, but I don't have a hard time figuring out that carrots, apples, and celery are crunchy!) The step by step instructions about how to carry out the yoga practice of alternate nostril breathing or how to meditate were also more than was needed in a book of this kind. I am not disputing that some of these practices might be quite useful. However, I do think the author would have been wiser to simply leave her readers with a recommended/further reading list. In attempting to cover too much, the author diminished the power of her book and message. As with sensory stimulation, sometimes less really is more. A wise editor should have encouraged leaner writing--particularly subtraction of unnecessary adjectives and the cleaning up of numerous awkward (dangling and distracting modifiers). If you must read this, I discourage purchase and suggest borrowing it from the library.
April 13, 2011
This book was validating for me re: my own mild form of this difficulty (and definitely made me thankful that I don't experience things the way some of the more severe profiles described). I'm not crazy about the term "sensory defensive" (though it might be an improvement over "highly sensitive person"). The lists of different types of sensory sensitivity was helpful for me. I also liked the part where they suggest you look at how to structure your day and how to identify experiences that are grounding/calming vs. overstimulating (although this part was too brief for me).
The chapters that were supposed to be about giving yourself "a sensory diet" and finding helpful therapies were not helpful for me. They mostly seemed consist of New Age pseudoscience and unproven claims. Also, the author seems more attached to promoting certain techniques rather than to helping you identify the ones that work for you. For example, "skin brushing" sounds like I would hate it. It felt like a lot of the suggested techniques were not things I need or want, and it seemed many of them were oriented toward more severe forms of this issue.
Would have liked some more info about how to talk to others about this (like how to frame or explain your needs when they might seem weird to others). Also wanted more about parenting and how to get one's needs met while being a parent. (The book alluded to parenting but didn't really get into detail about it.)
One final thing - the book was too negative. In the same way that "The Highly Sensitive Person" was overly sunny about how noble and wonderful sensitive people are, this book was overly gloomy and dire about how awful it is to live with high sensitivity. OK, I might get really overwhelmed by crowds and loud noises, but I think I also enjoy a lot of things more deeply too.
The chapters that were supposed to be about giving yourself "a sensory diet" and finding helpful therapies were not helpful for me. They mostly seemed consist of New Age pseudoscience and unproven claims. Also, the author seems more attached to promoting certain techniques rather than to helping you identify the ones that work for you. For example, "skin brushing" sounds like I would hate it. It felt like a lot of the suggested techniques were not things I need or want, and it seemed many of them were oriented toward more severe forms of this issue.
Would have liked some more info about how to talk to others about this (like how to frame or explain your needs when they might seem weird to others). Also wanted more about parenting and how to get one's needs met while being a parent. (The book alluded to parenting but didn't really get into detail about it.)
One final thing - the book was too negative. In the same way that "The Highly Sensitive Person" was overly sunny about how noble and wonderful sensitive people are, this book was overly gloomy and dire about how awful it is to live with high sensitivity. OK, I might get really overwhelmed by crowds and loud noises, but I think I also enjoy a lot of things more deeply too.
January 18, 2018
I was able to relate to the part of the book that describes sensory defensiveness and relates case studies of sensory defensives. The part on sensory diets was extremely practical and easy to incorporate, and I plan to follow Heller’s recommendations.
So why the two-star rating? Heller confuses anxiety and sensory defensiveness throughout the book. Yes, many sensory defensives are probably also anxious, but the two are different conditions. A fear of meeting new people can’t be explained by sensory defensiveness. Many of her assertions are not cited where they should be, and the ones that are point to ridiculously outdated and never-replicated research. What grated on my nerves most of all, however, was the amount of pseudoscience in the book, particularly in the part amount removing treatment obstacles. Are sensory defensives more gullible than the rest of the population? Touch therapy, homeopathy, kinesiology, craniosacral therapy, and bioenergetics are all listed as valid approaches for the sensory defensive. Because that is the final part of the book, I have to say that this book left me with a bad taste in my mouth. It could have been so much more.
So why the two-star rating? Heller confuses anxiety and sensory defensiveness throughout the book. Yes, many sensory defensives are probably also anxious, but the two are different conditions. A fear of meeting new people can’t be explained by sensory defensiveness. Many of her assertions are not cited where they should be, and the ones that are point to ridiculously outdated and never-replicated research. What grated on my nerves most of all, however, was the amount of pseudoscience in the book, particularly in the part amount removing treatment obstacles. Are sensory defensives more gullible than the rest of the population? Touch therapy, homeopathy, kinesiology, craniosacral therapy, and bioenergetics are all listed as valid approaches for the sensory defensive. Because that is the final part of the book, I have to say that this book left me with a bad taste in my mouth. It could have been so much more.
July 15, 2017
If you know Absolutely Nothing about sensory problems the book is fine, albeit pretty wordy. If you know anything at all, skip it. Here's the best advice from the book condensed into 4 words: Find An Occupational Therapist.
April 29, 2019
Too many anecdotes about how this or that person was miraculously cured to the point were it became slightly suspiciously similar sounding to a snake oil salesman's pitch. Specifically I wish the author had been more careful about delineating what was validated or not. I personally do think that it makes sense to use methods that interact with the senses to get to an optimal sensory activation level, and I do believe that being sensory defensive is real and can be a result of inborn tendencies or acquired throughout life. However the full force faith the author came a crossed with for alternative treatments left me more skeptical of the authors authority to distinguish between effective and placebo treatments. That being said I did actually find this book quite helpful in understanding my own overreactions and irritability at the world for its mere existence around me. Now when I find myself feeling ready to snap at coworkers for daring to eat lunch where I can hear them chew I focus on either balancing sensory input or ways to mitigate the inflicted sensations. I found simply being aware of the way noise makes me tense my shoulders and neck has led me to be able to reduce that previously constant tension.
November 18, 2018
I didn't finish this book. From the beginning there were flags: other works that I was familiar with being misrepresented, partial information being given, a reliance on anecdotal information, and a huge, ableist superiority complex on behalf of "normal" people with sensory defensiveness as opposed to autistics or mentally ill people (the author literally says the book is not written for people who aren't normal and describes her own shame at being misdiagnosed with anxiety and how liberating it was to discover she didn't have anxiety after all).
Then I read some other Goodreads reviews and got the impression that it only went downhill, so I decided there were better things to read and this got shelved.
Then I read some other Goodreads reviews and got the impression that it only went downhill, so I decided there were better things to read and this got shelved.
September 2, 2017
This is a very interesting book about sensory processing disorders. It favors sensory avoidant people and lacks information on sensory seekers or those who are a mix of both. I am personally sensory avoidant, so I found it insightful and engaging. It goes through the science, day-to-day living, tips, understanding, etc. If you wonder whether you are sensory avoidant or are just learning about this disorder, this book is a great place to start. I can't say I agree 100% with the techniques in it, some work for me others don't, but we are all different.
June 23, 2015
Don't bother reading the second half, unless you think aromatherapy can change the world.
June 18, 2022
Brilliantly useful book, as someone who has (unwittingly) lived as a sensory defensive all my life, quite literally since birth and made more extreme by later exposures and traumas. Anecdotes in the book are wonderfully helpful, as is the detailed description of three levels of sensory-defensiveness and how they manifest. Alarmingly, I saw in this how often I have been tripping into the third, most severe, level of sensory defensiveness in more recent years and, thus, how important doing this work, to rehabituate the nervous system, really is and with no time to waste!
Advice on how to establish a sensory diet is especially useful and I highly recommend to anyone with sensory processing challenges or high sensitivity, whether you regard this as "defensiveness" or not (read the book...Heller may change your mind). Since integrating some of the techniques refered to, especially the Walbarger Protocol for regularly brushing the skin (hellishly difficult to find any information on how to adapt this to an adult capable of doing it to yourself but I took it upon myself to have a go!) I have noticed some dramatic improvements in my sensory defensiveness and overal confidence and outlook. In my opinion, skin brushing and other tactile methods I can think of (such as Havening) are the missing link in the "boundary" work that is so readily available for highly sensitive people because, without touch, so much of that remains abstract/energetic and really quite cerebral...when, really, it is (the right kind of) touch, on a regular basis, that remains the missing link as a means of resetting the nervous system so you can enjoy a far better quality of life. Great book!
Advice on how to establish a sensory diet is especially useful and I highly recommend to anyone with sensory processing challenges or high sensitivity, whether you regard this as "defensiveness" or not (read the book...Heller may change your mind). Since integrating some of the techniques refered to, especially the Walbarger Protocol for regularly brushing the skin (hellishly difficult to find any information on how to adapt this to an adult capable of doing it to yourself but I took it upon myself to have a go!) I have noticed some dramatic improvements in my sensory defensiveness and overal confidence and outlook. In my opinion, skin brushing and other tactile methods I can think of (such as Havening) are the missing link in the "boundary" work that is so readily available for highly sensitive people because, without touch, so much of that remains abstract/energetic and really quite cerebral...when, really, it is (the right kind of) touch, on a regular basis, that remains the missing link as a means of resetting the nervous system so you can enjoy a far better quality of life. Great book!
June 25, 2019
Squandered potential
The first part of this book really helped me clarify what about my emotions and reactions are sensory processing challenges as opposed to solely ADHD or anxiety symptoms. It's very helpful to see that I'm not alone - there is a name for everything I feel and it has a scientific basis.
However, the book increasingly made me doubt that scientific basis, especially once I got to the last part. There is an unfortunate amount of pseudoscience in this book (leaky gut syndrome, aromatherapy, color therapy, to name a few concepts without scientific backing) to the point that it gets very difficult to separate it from the reality of sensory processing disorders. I found some good advice in here, but I had to pick it out of things that I know to be false, and I'll need to do some independent research to cross reference it. There are some citations, but not nearly enough from credible sources to reassure me.
It's unfortunate because I think there is some good information in this book, but it feels discredited by all the junk "science." Hopefully I will find a better book about sensory processing disorders.
The first part of this book really helped me clarify what about my emotions and reactions are sensory processing challenges as opposed to solely ADHD or anxiety symptoms. It's very helpful to see that I'm not alone - there is a name for everything I feel and it has a scientific basis.
However, the book increasingly made me doubt that scientific basis, especially once I got to the last part. There is an unfortunate amount of pseudoscience in this book (leaky gut syndrome, aromatherapy, color therapy, to name a few concepts without scientific backing) to the point that it gets very difficult to separate it from the reality of sensory processing disorders. I found some good advice in here, but I had to pick it out of things that I know to be false, and I'll need to do some independent research to cross reference it. There are some citations, but not nearly enough from credible sources to reassure me.
It's unfortunate because I think there is some good information in this book, but it feels discredited by all the junk "science." Hopefully I will find a better book about sensory processing disorders.
February 17, 2010
I am sensory defensive and read this book looking for ways to cope with my condition. It was certainly informative, giving details on a wide range of therapies. While some of the techniques it recommended sound, quite frankly, like New Age bullcrap, others seem quite sensible and I intend to start trying them out.
September 28, 2010
This book put a name to my experiences, besides "fussy bitch," that is! It was really awesome to read that I'm not the only weirdo out there who has these experiences, and what to do to take care of myself. I've become a lot more patient with myself as a result of reading this book, and I take much better care of myself now that I have a better understanding of the problem and its solutions.
August 13, 2009
Excellent book on living with over-stimulation. Recommended for anyone who finds our modern world of leaf blowers, ubiquitous flashing television, public address systems, scratchy labels welded into clothes, and claustrophobic spaces overwhelming.
August 7, 2010
This book totally explains why I get overstimulated (read crabby) after being in Target for two seconds.
September 18, 2020
Ehh - about a half of it was interesting (certainly informative), sometimes even revelatory in terms of "wow, I had no idea other people experienced that as well". But when it got to Solutions and How to Help Sensory Defensive People Live Lives Less Overwhelmed By Stimuli, and it turned out that the solution is to do yoga, work on your posture, and make sure that your diet is candida-unfriendly... Well, it lost me there.
July 2, 2023
The pseudoscience is OFF the chain and there’s a rain man reference? Wtf 😵💫 The author would tell me to inhale an essential oil to recover from this
February 14, 2018
A pretty thorough introduction to sensory defensiveness. Childhood sensory defensiveness is discussed briefly, primarily to expand on how this impacts the adult. The author provides pretty decent neurologically-based evidence for sensory defensiveness. I admit I wanted to read this book because I am pretty certain I have mild sensory defensiveness...this book confirmed it. The negatives are pretty big for me, however; frequent lack of citations for claims and/or providing very limited citations without qualifying that limited scientific evidence is available. More than a little disappointing from a PhD. These claims were few in the first half to two thirds of the book, but became much more frequent as the book went on. I mean, we were discussing alkaline/acidic diets and craniosacral therapy and something called “Rolfing” by the end. (Actually that last one is an amazing word that I want to work into all future conversations.) I understand wanting to provide any means of potentially addressing problems to folks who may suffer from sensory defensiveness that impacts their lives in a debilitating way, but let’s just have a chapter called: Non-Scientifically Supported Activities That Could Work Based on a Vaguely Related Principle That You May Try at Your Own Risk/Reward, list out these therapies, and be done.
October 5, 2019
This was one of the first books I read on the subject of Sensory Integration Disorder after attending a wonderful workshop on the topic nearly two decades ago. It led to a lot of light bulb moments for me and was extremely helpful in dealing with sensory issues that had developed in my teen years after my mother, upon learning that she was losing her medical insurance, arranged for me to have every vaccine available at the time (14), even though I was already fully vaccinated. Years later I was finally diagnosed with a seizure condition that explains my sensitivity (I have chronic lightning strike seizures and brain spikes that are worsened by too much sensory input). Sensory defensiveness can be caused by any number of things, but this book was very helpful in understanding the issue and finding ways to help not just myself but my kids with their own individual sensory needs.
March 10, 2013
This really helped me to gain insight into the challenges faced by sensory defensives. I am extremely glad I read it.
May 10, 2017
A great resource for those of us who experience sensory processing disorder in a world that's over the top in so many ways.
May 28, 2019
This book was phenomenal and life changing! Excellent explanation of how it is living with senses that over process so much.
November 3, 2022
Great at explaining the topic of sensory issues in a clear and understandable way.
The science doesn't seem to be 100% finished in this field, and some of the prescriptions in this book regarding junk sciences were beacons that shine out to me about how much to believe the scientific rigor of the person speaking.
But that aside, the explanation of experiences makes this very well worth the read to understand other perspectives.
The science doesn't seem to be 100% finished in this field, and some of the prescriptions in this book regarding junk sciences were beacons that shine out to me about how much to believe the scientific rigor of the person speaking.
But that aside, the explanation of experiences makes this very well worth the read to understand other perspectives.
July 1, 2023
This was helpful as not many books exist regarding sensory issues in adults. However it just had way too many different things in it. The moral of the book is really you should get occupational therapy.
August 29, 2024
I liked the first part (where it explained more about what it's like to be a person in an overstimulating world), but the last part was just a lot of suspicious science. So I'm not really sure about this book.
March 2, 2023
I am not an avid reader of self-help literature, but I picked this one up based on the title. I have always felt myself to be what Heller calls "sensory defensive." I get claustrophobic in winter coats, I cringe when doors slam, and I can't use overhead lights at night, only lamps, because the overhead lights are just too harsh of a contrast with the outside darkness - it just HURTS in a way that is hard to explain if you don't feel it.
I thought I would read about how yes, this is a thing; here are some medical or psychological facts about it; here are some strategies for mitigating these feelings as you proceed with your daily life. That's what the book is, but more, and too much more. It feels like it takes every reasonable fact and stretches it to illogical proportions. Does your diet affect your mood? Probably! In that case you should probably become vegan and then you can lose your shrink’s number. Can light therapy contribute to downgrading our defensive responses? Sure it can! In fact, it can…cure autism? WHAT?!?! You need to take this book with an entire shaker of salt.
The book is definitely striving for medical authenticity, so it goes really detailed on the neuropsychology. For someone who has not studied neurology, or anatomy, or psychology really at all, these chapters just made my eyes glaze over. The other crackpot parts of the book did make me wonder how sound the author’s science was. I would love to get a sensible medical professional’s unadulterated commentary.
I thought I would read about how yes, this is a thing; here are some medical or psychological facts about it; here are some strategies for mitigating these feelings as you proceed with your daily life. That's what the book is, but more, and too much more. It feels like it takes every reasonable fact and stretches it to illogical proportions. Does your diet affect your mood? Probably! In that case you should probably become vegan and then you can lose your shrink’s number. Can light therapy contribute to downgrading our defensive responses? Sure it can! In fact, it can…cure autism? WHAT?!?! You need to take this book with an entire shaker of salt.
The book is definitely striving for medical authenticity, so it goes really detailed on the neuropsychology. For someone who has not studied neurology, or anatomy, or psychology really at all, these chapters just made my eyes glaze over. The other crackpot parts of the book did make me wonder how sound the author’s science was. I would love to get a sensible medical professional’s unadulterated commentary.
February 26, 2023
spent most of the last two days crying while reading this. not the hysterical crying, the kind where the tears just keep running down my face without me sobbing or anything.
because it's like someone wrote a book about me, exactly how i feel, how i react, how i'm so easily overwhelmed and unable to calm down.
it has suggestions for treatments that don't involve more medication or talk psychotherapy. treatments that start with removing stimuli to allow time to recoup (sensory diet). "if you are exposed to stress for too long and with too little time in between to recover, tension becomes chronic, and escalates out of control until you shut down."
then slowly reintroducing helpful stimuli such as calming movements, exercise, therapeutic sounds, light therapy, breathing techniques, and more. it recommends being evaluated by an occupational therapist trained in sensory defensiveness.
in the section where it suggests things to do to help 'ground' myself when i'm getting overwhelmed, three of the things it suggested were:
hoeing in the garden
walking the dog
playing tug-o-war
so of course i started crying because "i'm doing the right things!". and because my dog really *is* helping me.
"the brain is miswired, causing an exaggeration of the normal protective response to bodily harm.
their nervous system misperceives certain harmless sensations as dangerous.
their bodies respond as if their very survival were at stake. in preparation to defend against the primal threat, stress chemicals course through the bloodstream, causing an explosion of discomforting sensations - racing heart, knotted stomach, tight chest - and an outpouring of fear emotions from which the person does not easily recover.
unwittingly reacting out of proportion to the situation, but in proportion to a brain that perceives danger. living at the mercy of a nervous system ready to spring at the slightest provocation, the sensory defensive are more susceptible to little stressors and conflict. this constant overreaction to ordinary stressors is exhausting and leaves little for life's real problems.
to protect against the disconcerting assault of overstimulation they are always on guard, ready to flee or fight the discomfort. even during sleep their body may be in a hyperalert state, and their light restless sleep contributes to their exhaustion."
because it's like someone wrote a book about me, exactly how i feel, how i react, how i'm so easily overwhelmed and unable to calm down.
it has suggestions for treatments that don't involve more medication or talk psychotherapy. treatments that start with removing stimuli to allow time to recoup (sensory diet). "if you are exposed to stress for too long and with too little time in between to recover, tension becomes chronic, and escalates out of control until you shut down."
then slowly reintroducing helpful stimuli such as calming movements, exercise, therapeutic sounds, light therapy, breathing techniques, and more. it recommends being evaluated by an occupational therapist trained in sensory defensiveness.
in the section where it suggests things to do to help 'ground' myself when i'm getting overwhelmed, three of the things it suggested were:
hoeing in the garden
walking the dog
playing tug-o-war
so of course i started crying because "i'm doing the right things!". and because my dog really *is* helping me.
"the brain is miswired, causing an exaggeration of the normal protective response to bodily harm.
their nervous system misperceives certain harmless sensations as dangerous.
their bodies respond as if their very survival were at stake. in preparation to defend against the primal threat, stress chemicals course through the bloodstream, causing an explosion of discomforting sensations - racing heart, knotted stomach, tight chest - and an outpouring of fear emotions from which the person does not easily recover.
unwittingly reacting out of proportion to the situation, but in proportion to a brain that perceives danger. living at the mercy of a nervous system ready to spring at the slightest provocation, the sensory defensive are more susceptible to little stressors and conflict. this constant overreaction to ordinary stressors is exhausting and leaves little for life's real problems.
to protect against the disconcerting assault of overstimulation they are always on guard, ready to flee or fight the discomfort. even during sleep their body may be in a hyperalert state, and their light restless sleep contributes to their exhaustion."
December 4, 2020
To be fair...there were lots of interesting insights throughout the book. I found a lot of validation and it intrigued my curiosity about the subject matter of sensory defensiveness. On the other hand, I found it painfully boring to read, not well organized, and I absolutely hated the author's choice of calling the solutions part of the book "your sensory diet." Gag. Pop-self-help can be a super annoying genre.
August 11, 2021
yeah, I am DEFINITELY sensory defensive. First half of the book was solid 5-star, but delved into some pseudoscience like essential oils and feng shui. (Not saying these things can't be beneficial, but it felt out of place here.) Also, some solutions were extremely cost-prohibitive - like having a massage 2x a week. Sure, I'd like to do that, but most people can't afford it. And legitimately the first thing on one of her lists was "go scuba diving or horseback riding." ???? Yeah, just because you're sensory defensive doesn't mean you can live the bougie life. Far from it. So the first half was great, but the solutions to being sensory defensive were a bit discouraging.
March 31, 2012
Not well written but I got the validation I was seeking. I was also impressed by the recommendations for coping with sensory issues - maybe because a lot of times medication is recommended. Exercise, occupational therapy, good nutrition, and knowing/using techniques that calm you when you are overwhelmed (i.e. soothing music, a dark/quiet space, a bath, aromatherapy, etc.) are advised. I kind of think that most people have some sort of sensory defensiveness somewhere and all of us need to find useful ways to cope with stress. That is all.
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