Blansert Ilse - Idiots Guides: ASMR

No one likes a know-it-all. Most of us realize theres no such thinghow could there be? The world is far too complicated for someone to understand everything there is to know. So when you come across a know-it-all, you smile to yourself as they ramble on because you know better.

You understand that the quest for knowledge is a never-ending one, and youre okay with that. You have no desire to know everything, just the next thing. You know what you dont know, youre confident enough to admit it, and youre motivated to do something about it.

At Idiots Guides, we, too, know what we dont know, and we make it our business to find out. We find really smart people who are experts in their fields and then we roll up our sleeves and get to work, asking lots of questions and thinking long and hard about how best to pass along their knowledge to you in the easiest, most-accessible way possible.

After all, thats our promiseto make whatever you want to learn As Easy as It Gets. That means giving you a well-organized design that seamlessly and effortlessly guides you from page to page, topic to topic. It means controlling the pace youre asked to absorb new informationnot too much at once but just what you need to know right now. It means giving you a clear progression from easy to more difficult. It means giving you more instructional steps wherever necessary to really explain the details. And it means giving you fewer words and more illustrations wherever its better to show rather than tell.

So here you are, at the start of something new. The next chapter in your quest. It can be an intimidating place to be, but youve been here before and so have we. Clear your mind and turn the page. By the end of this book, you wont be a know-it-all, but your world will be a little less complicated than it was before. And well be sure your journey is as easy as it gets.

Mike Sanders
Publisher, Idiots Guides

To Connie: a dear friend whose inspiration placed me on the path to writing this book. I am forever grateful. Julie

To my grandmother, who gave me one of my first real-life ASMR experiences and who introduced me to Bob Ross. Ilse

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eISBN: 9781615648276
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2014954041

17 16 15 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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Introduction

Autonomous sensory meridian response, or ASMR, is a tingly feeling that begins in the head or scalp, is caused by recognizable sounds that you hear every day, and results in a deep feeling of relaxation. Popularized on YouTube by folks known as ASMRtists who make videos to stimulate the tingly sensation and promoted by ASMR experiencers, what was once an online subculture has gone mainstream and is causing the clinical community to sit up and take notice. While some question its scientific validity, others swear by it, saying it is a safe and natural, with no harmful side effects.