Sensory
Journey I By V.A. West
I’m going to try my best to explain what it’s like to have sensory issues. I’m not great at explaining things, but this is important. Honestly, sensory issues are probably a lot more common than people think; you might have them, and I hope my words offer you support.
Take the word “sensory” and use context clues; think about the five senses, which are sound, sight, touch, taste, and smell. I’m going to use my specific sensory issues because I know them best, but I’ve known other people with different sensory issues. My situation is a microcosm of the entire “spectrum” of sensory triggers and problems that exist. When I was very young, according to my mom, I was probably most sensitive to touch. When I got my hair cut or if water touched my face, I would scream, try to escape, cry. I also craved touching different tactile items. I would run under clothing racks and feel all the clothes. I went through a lot of sensory therapy back then, and it significantly lessened my problems. I don’t exactly remember everything I did, but I remember being rolled up in a rug and rolling around the floor, doing some sort of water-related therapy, and using sensory-specific equipment, like swings. I was also sensitive to things related to sound and sight back then, but I don’t remember the specific triggers very well. Since my late teens, my sensory issues have “returned” and manifested in a different way. I’m still very sensitive to touch, but I’m triggered by sound more. Specific sounds, like chalk/chalkboards, sandpaper, pencils being used on paper, cardboard (I literally couldn’t fold and tape boxes), styrofoam, and higher-pitched sounds and sudden noises also trigger me a lot.
22 Special Needs Living • June 2022
When it comes to sight, my triggers are mainly flashing lights, dim lights (the overhead lights in classrooms are a good example), and car headlights (especially at night; when they reflect in my car’s mirrors, I’m nearly blinded for a second). When I see those lights, I often feel extremely lightheaded, and it feels like I’ve been drugged; my ability to focus or look up/straight ahead is also severely affected.
When it comes to touch, I’m very sensitive in the following areas: my sides (anywhere between my hips and armpits), my stomach, my mouth, and my face (but to a much lesser extent than when I was a child; this is probably the least sensitive area of the ones I’ve listed). When those areas of my body are touched, parts of my body can jolt, I might back away, I can feel paralyzed, and it’s like I have to resist the urge to punch the person touching me. When it comes to smell, my general sense of smell has never been strong, but certain perfumes/colognes trigger me. I’m not entirely sure if I have any taste-related triggers, but certain food-related textures bother me, and it seems like I can’t eat/ drink the same things too often. Now, let me explain what it’s like to have one of your “sensory areas” triggered. Some of those sounds I listed probably annoy you, hurt your ears, or make you cringe. With my sensory issues, I can be paralyzed if I hear those sounds for an extended period of time (more than ten or fifteen minutes), my whole body hurts, and I can’t focus. They can even affect my mood significantly, prevent me from going to the bathroom, make my body shake, and give me a terrible headache.
