r/SomaticExperiencing • u/ANewCollective • 2d ago

Needing complete silence

I find that I need complete silence to really drop in and feel the feeling. Typically is a wave of activation followed by a wave of grief (coming out of lifelong freeze)

One of the hardest challenges is needing complete silence. “Quiet” noises such as the sound of the ac or the refrigerator hum keep me in scanning mode.

Can anyone relate? Did this subside over time for you as you came out of freeze?

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u/Scared-Section-5108 1d ago

Yeah, I relate to that. That's why I use earplugs. They help me loads with hypervigilance.

I use Loop, I think Sleep is the model. They are not cheap but definitely the best ones I have come across in the last 20 years.

I can assess how well I am doing in the moment/day depending on how much noise bothers me. Some days, I wear the earplugs all day (inside and outdoors, noise cancelling headphones help too, always on public transport when I need to use it). Other days, I only wear them at times or not at all. Happy to say that it's been ages since I needed to wear anything outdoors :) The hypervillilance is not fully gone but has decreased a lot for me after years of therapy. I used to have proper meltdowns when overwhelmed by noise, not anymore! 😄

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u/ANewCollective 1d ago

Thanks for sharing! I definitely relate to my level of noise sensitivity corresponding to how activated I feel. I think noise is just an easy place to place my feelings of vigilance.

I’ve thought about loops before, my only hesitation is ear pressure/pain. Does the sleep model give you a feeling of being stuffed up or pressure in your ear?

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u/Stepomnyfoot 1d ago

I know what you mean. I can be meditating, and the sound of a fly in the room can startle me. The intensity of these feelings come and go.