Happy – The Procrastination Pen

Sleeping With ASMR

Recently I had a comment on one of these blog items: “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” and I realised that is the theme I have unconsciously been following with recent blog items. The rhyme follows on “and Eyes and Ears and Mouth and Nose”. I have of course covered eyes before for example in the Moran Core blog item.

However, ears – that’s more of a challenge. So to this item which is – you guessed it – an ears exam specifically:

Ears & Nose Examination

This starts a bit louder than I usually like, the patient looks really quite anxious for some reason. This is another one with a dull background throb echoing constantly through the track – I’ll guess air conditioning. The comments indicate that I’m not the first to explore this in terms of ASMR though.

No clues as to where it comes from or to the participants either.

More terms that require defining:

Patent, in this context it means open unobstructed.

Gingiva gums.

It’s only two minutes fifty five seconds and ends abruptly. So lets see what the channel has to offer.

MDforAll is the channel which states that the videos have been obtained from elsewhere, so presumably the content can be a bit random.

The channel contains sixty-seven videos as at today’s date some of which are non-medical. With this many videos we can afford to be a bit choosy about them. There are no playlists and so thinning these down to a handful may take some arbitrary choices.

Searching the videos, it would appear that there are some that feature the same professional and the same “patient” so perhaps we could stick with those. But given the channel is such a resource, perhaps we will be back in the near future to sample some of those other videos.

Pulmonary Examination

This one requires an age verification. At one time I used to include these in the Procrastination Pen playlist until I found that the playlist can occasionally be playing away and then abruptly stop and ask me to sign in to verify my age. Naff that effectively. So this one will not be in the playlist.

At three minutes and eight seconds it is a short one again. The voice is much better here I think so a shame it isn’t going to be included. However I have been debating creating an archive list of items that were in the Procrastination Pen playlist but on reflection didn’t make it. I think this is a natural candidate for that list.

Having watched the video I’m not quite clear what the fuss is about age-verification wise but I’m not about to go questioning YouTube’s policy – life is too short.

Neurological Examination

I notice that the professional here has a badge on her tunic but the visibility is so poor I can’t make it out.

However, the patient states that she is at “Mid Western University” the badge could be similar to the one on the medical professional but I cannot be certain.

The website seems to indicate it should look like this.

Midwestern University has its own YouTube Channel. Two hundred and thirty-three videos at the time I am looking at it but none of them seem to include these two people.

However, it looks a nicely populated channel and maybe worthy of a future visit for ASMR – applicable videos.

George Bush is the president at the time of filming so we know that this is filmed between 2001 and 2009.

Babinski:

(It seemed easier than a definition).

Neck Examination

The patient here is very relaxed. If it wasn’t for the background noise this would be ideal.

It’s only two minutes sixteen seconds and I think in this case it can be included in the Procrastination Pen playlist.

Upper Extremities Examination

This continues in the same way as those seen before. I have often reflected when reviewing videos that if there was a sound filter that worked against forced air systems (such as air conditioning) on the video sound track the quality of many of the videos we’ve seen (and heard) would be so much the better.

PIP Joint (Proximal interphalangeal joints) the second joint of each finger when counting downwards from the finger end.

The medical professional is a bit loud here for me, but I don’t think it’s one to dismiss from the Procrastination Pen playlist. However, it might be one that gets weeded in the future.

General Physical Examination

Wow this is loud! We find that the medical professional is Karen Myers and she is a PA student. I think she says the “patient” is Mrs Dewer but it is quite fast and right at the start of the video so that might well not be correct. I think “PA Student” is a student Physician Assistant.

Nystagmus – eye movement sometimes termed “dancing eyes”.

The video settles down sound-wise (but you may still want to mute the volume a little bit). One of the problems of a playlist is that sometimes the inter-video volume isn’t that normalised – if you’re asleep when this happens it can give you a bit of a start.

Lower Extremities Examination

This starts a little quieter and is quite a good beginning.

Calcaneus – the heel.

If anything with time it becomes calmer – possibly the best one of the set so far. Definitely one for the Procrastination Pen playlist, I think.

Ears & Nose Examination

This is where we came in so eyes, ears and mouth we have covered and nose is covered here.

Cardiovascular Examination

Another one that asks for an age verification so it will not be in the Procrastination Pen playlist. There’s nothing particularly adventurous in this video so I’m not sure why. But as I’ve mentioned it is frustrating to encounter the age verification prompt if you’re half asleep at the time.

It is a shame because this isn’t bad in terms of sound so it might have made the playlist in other circumstances.

Abdomen Examination

Very short at two minutes fifty nine seconds. Perversely there is easily as much flesh on display here but no age verification prompt. Not that we’ll be watching in any case because it is the sound we’re after.

This is quiet – easily good enough for the playlist I think.

Given the age verification issue has begun to bite I have created a procrastination pen playlist for any that we encounter with that prompt. |(Some people reading might be bothered to try to watch them). I regard it as a pain in the progress of night-time listening.

The videos requiring Age verification playlist is here:

(I have moved any from the main Procrastination Pen playlist that I have noticed require this into the above list.)

The archive playlist of videos that were once in the main Procrastination Pen playlist but have been found (after repeated review) to not exactly meet that high standard is here:

I only maintain that list in case I archive one of your favourites.

The MDforAll playlist on the Procrastination Pen channel is here:

The playlist of all videos covered so far in this blog is here:

I hope that you find it relaxing.

If you enjoyed this blog article why not follow this blog.

Photo by Kaiwen Sun on Unsplash

Sleeping With ASMR

The video quality for this one is a tad poor. And perhaps I don’t mean a tad. However it is quite different to what we have had before and it is partly because of its age and its purpose. This one is recorded (to video cassette tape I assume) in 1996 and reflects its time I think.

The sound quality is actually not as bad as in some of the other videos I have already featured on this blog (and no doubt many to come). There is no loud equipment noises in the background for example.

It is designed to inform/educate and as such is calm and unadulterated by extraneous sounds (such as a snazzy backing track for example). It’s recorded at the University of Michigan – Department of Neurology, February 16^th 1996.

The Neurologic Exam part 1

This video is of sufficient quality that it crops up in a number of ASMR video compilations which are the kind of ASMR videos I do not watch anymore. It is too much like a box of sweets in which a good twenty percent of the sweets you do not like. Compilation videos are complicated by the fact that no one seems to be able to get the inter-clip volumes to agree. If you start off at a quiet sleep-friendly volume you can be woken sometime later by an individual with a predisposition to bellow. This is John Wald and Douglas Gelb in a demonstration of how to run a Neurologic Exam but who (presumably inadvertently) have good voices for ASMR. In this I feel that Douglas edges out John slightly. Which is good news because in this video he also does the majority of the talking.

Johnwaldmd is the channel (presumably the John Wald MD in the video footage although somewhat more advanced in years I would suggest). I’m guessing a great many of the people who watch the ASMR video compilations were probably as yet unborn when this video was first recorded.

There are only seven videos in this channel and it is obvious that we will not be looking at many of those; some of them appear to appeal to quite a narrow audience (probably family and friends).

I think we can consign four of these into the metaphorical ASMR bin without further review, leaving the above one and two others. Part two of the above presentation:

The Neurologic Examination part 2

This is the “review” section which effectively is giving instruction on how to perform the neurologic exam. In my view this is not as wonderful from an ASMR perspective so I think it won’t make the grade for the playlist.

There is also this video:

VTS 01 0

This is both silent and only 30 seconds long so it may have been some kind of test…

So one video only this time around folks.

On that basis I have not created a playlist for johnwaldmd.

The overall playlist containing all the videos featured in this blog is here:

I hope that you find it relaxing.

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Photo by Daniel-Eduard Doman on Unsplash

Sleeping With ASMR

I recently had a nasty shock when posting an ASMR article. For each embedded video, rather than a nice image of the video from YouTube there is a rather abrupt message from YouTube stating that the content of the video can only be shown on YouTube itself.

I don’t see this as a problem. I was anticipating that in reading this you were eager to get to the playlists at the end and see what new joys of ASMR I had found for you. However, it does look rather unattractive.

I apologise for this. I do not know a workaround other than to delete the video from the blog altogether. That seems a bit counterproductive since you wouldn’t get to experience the video at all.

If anyone has any suggestions as to how the ugly warning box can be dispensed with and something more attractive put in its place, I would welcome that kind of input.

Today’s video subject is another nerve examination – they are a rich source of ASMR material. I have no idea how the medical education process seems to churn out so many people with calm quiet voices but long may it continue and long may they continue to post their videos.

Quick Neurological Screening Examination

Judging by some of the comments I am not the first to divine that this is a great ASMR video. I’m hopeful that you find it soporific, if you’ve decided to use the playlists to get off to sleep, as I do.

Prashant for that is the YouTube channel has posted just ten videos but has 4.06K subscribers as at today’s date. This makes me wonder if there are a shed-load of ASMR devotees out there.

A number of the videos could have been effective but they are in a language I do not understand and hence there is a risk I’m posting something that I shouldn’t. Therefore, I have discounted them.

This next one features Dr Prashant himself. He has quite a good voice, but I’m not sure the coronavirus is a very restful subject so I am discounting it from the playlist.

Corona Virus (COVID-19) Pandemic

Which leaves only one video:

Mental Status Examination

This takes a while to wind itself up, the exam proper does not really start till six minutes five seconds into the video. Sadly whilst it is the sole remaining video in this channel worthy of consideration, I don’t think it really made the grade. (Your experience may differ). So one more video for the playlist, remember it is found here:

I hope you find it restful.

If you liked this article why not subscribe to the blog.

Photo by Emre Camcıoğlu on Unsplash

Sleeping With ASMR

“Unintentional ASMR” now seems to have become a “hot” category in that a large number of videos are being labelled with this term. It therefore becomes one of those categories that is easily abused. To the extent that I wonder whether some of them are in fact “unintentional” or are instead scripted by ASMR professionals keen to attract additional views.

On the face of it this video looks genuine:

Unintentional ASMR Cranial Nerves Exam

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9En6xPy6bg

Not that I would be an expert in diagnosing videos that have been put together to confuse the unwary. This has been liberated from somewhere but the text gives no clue as to the identities of the participants. That said, there is limited possibility of tracking the originator down, less verifying that those featured are not simply actors or (whisper it) ASMR artists.

I notice that the comments reference “sandwich breath” which was featured in a previous blog item. However I have to confess I cannot (yet) clarify fightfightfightfight, or putapitapaper. “The bulldog” will be clarified below.

From the video we have Mr Evans and Dr Wu, for whatever credence we can place in this. The crest that appears at 0:08 indicates this could be a hospital or university. A Google Image search indicates that it could be the “Royal Prince Alfred Hospital”.

However a search of the website, does not reveal this video and an overly long search of YouTube using the “Royal Prince Alfred Hospital” title reveals a heck of a lot of videos, but not this one. This might be like the Hollie Berry experience which, lacking further evidence, I put down to older training videos which had subsequently been pulled from YouTube and yet preserved by the ASMR community (for which we need only be thankful).

So after that lengthy distraction/discussion, what is the video like in terms of ASMR? (Which is presumably why most people are reading this). Dr Wu is excellent, a properly attentive voice, measured, calm, not overly loud. I can’t think how many videos I have rejected due to shouty presentation. Mr Evans does not get a lot of opportunity to talk in this one so I can’t really judge how he stands up ASMR wise.

L M (for that is the name of the account where this is posted) seems to have a few of these videos available. At the time of writing ten. As usual they are variable in their ability to produce ASMR effects.

There is but one playlist this contains music videos and not any ASMR material as far as I can tell.

My favourite (of this set of videos) so far being the one above. You will notice that some of them are similar and feature the same people. My guess would be that they were originally destined to be training videos – probably a little while ago by the look of them.

Ten is quite a long blog post but without obvious methods available to filter them I will crave your indulgence. If you’re bored already scroll right to the end where you will find the relevant playlist.

Sadly, we see Dr Wu no further in any of these videos, so let’s focus on Mr Evans who appears in quite a few.

They are here:

Unintentional ASMR Clinical exam

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLGlo_N9djw

Dr Lynn (I’m not sure about that spelling) and Mr Evans, the title on the video itself is “Clinical Examination Gastrointestinal”. The comments are quite fun – one thing they point out is that Dr Lynn starts scanning the room as if he is sizing the place up to purchase – what is he expecting to find on the ceiling? Perhaps he’s looking for spy cameras? Anyway this does not in any way affect the ASMR-i-ness of this video (now an established term). Dr Lynn has a great voice in this respect and this one is definitely going into the playlist.

Unintentional ASMR Respiratory exam

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ir7kQT15gAc

Dr Lynn (if I’m going to spell it wrong I might as well be consistent) and Mr Evans again. He introduces himself as if he’s never seen him before. So far so normal training video. As someone astutely points out, what is the point of Mr Evans putting on a top in any of these videos since one of the first actions is to get him out of it. However, he seems suitably stoical about it. In my view equally as good ASMR-wise as the previous one. In fact thus far we appear to be achieving a remarkable level of consistency. One more for the playlist then. After this Dr Lynn disappears (from the videos), but Mr Evans, that plucky participant that he is, keeps plugging on.

Unintentional ASMR Hand exam

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Te1OnjqR-wE

Mr Evans again with Dr Richards this time. (I’m more comfortable with that spelling).

(The comments on this video are quite hysterical. Normally I would miss the comments, as I would be hearing the audio whilst laid in bed, so it is interesting to review this video whilst I am more awake.) I notice that one comment asks where the “lovely and floppy” comments are – referring to Hollie Berry. This community all seem to be watching the same material that I am – probably unsurprisingly.

Dr Richards again scans for spy cameras in the same way that Dr Lynn (excuse spelling) did previously. This must be established procedure, perhaps hospital rooms get rogue geckos on the walls?

That said Dr Richards has a great voice here. This is a definite playlist candidate.

Unintentional ASMR Back exam

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJdcYYNFw0I

Dr Richards and Mr Evans again. Now we find the origin of that “the bulldog” term mentioned earlier. This isn’t a term I like particularly as to my ears it does not sound respectful. One of the comments states “bull-dog is a colloquial term for examining assistant”. Goodness knows where they found that because I’ve been unable to track it down.

That said, I am trusting that this is not a dreadful term in some way because I’m intending to include this one in the playlist. It would not be the first time that a term in common parlance a decade or so ago is now regarded as basically rude. If anyone finds this to be the case let me know and I’ll delete it from the playlist.

Unintentional ASMR Cardiovascular Examination

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vbaJesbzXY

Dr Richards and Mr Evans again. Once again with the lighthouse head examination of all the walls in the room – maybe an extreme form of arachnophobia.

One of the commentators states “I know she clearly wanted to show that she is looking around the room for surroundings that can give a hint of heart issues (maybe machines, medicine etc.)” This seems the most reasonable statement on the scanning behaviours we’ve seen but if it’s really to detect all those things it is a bit perfunctory.

Interesting that Dr Richards should choose “stop breathing” as a term rather than “hold your breath” – as if anyone could voluntarily choose to stop breathing. “Cosmic Parsec” comments that this is Dr Bethan Richards.

So ends the videos featuring Mr Evans. Now we are into a much more mixed bag ASMR-wise.

Unintentional ASMR Hands & Arms Exam

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fACorImwU94

Mr O’Neill and Dr O’Carrigan (potentially misspelled both of those). This is such a gentle approach to examination. Very effective in terms of ASMR.

A number of commentators are interested in the use of the term “light monkey grip” which I’ve not heard before this. No doubt this will become another term reiterated in ASMR-related exchanges as we go along reading comments on other YouTube videos.

This one definitely belongs on the playlist.

Unintentional ASMR Leg and Walking exam

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAEtmNQv6pg

Mr O’Neill and Dr O’Carrigan again. Yet again Mr O’Neill spends hardly any time with much in the way of clothing on. As one of the commentators relates, he is suspiciously attractive.

One of the commentators states that this is Dr Daniel O’Neill – neurologist and Dr Brent O’Carrigan.

This is another for the playlist.

And now a complete change.

Unintentional ASMR Scleroderma Exam

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrAxrsVSwbA

Mr Parker and Dr Blaiswell (potentially misspelled). As a number of people comment the catches releasing on that briefcase at the start is far too loud for proper restfulness – in an ideal world I would edit that out. However this is a lovely peaceful exam. Very attentive and careful.

This is another for the playlist.

Unintentional ASMR Activator adjustment (Brasil)

Lots of positive comments with this one but it wasn’t very useful in my opinion. To be honest it is so muted (and there is so much background noise) it isn’t that great as an ASMR video – so I will not include it in the playlist.

The L M playlist is here:

The complete playlist of all videos covered in this blog so far is here:

I hope that you find it restful

If you like this blog item why not follow this blog.

Photo by Matthew Henry on Unsplash

Sleeping With ASMR

I’m continuing the medical examination theme as I think at the moment it is proving to be reasonably fruitful. I wonder if there is some association between those providing care and calming/soothing voices.

Perhaps the medical training engenders not only medical talent but a predisposition to calm and soft-spoken. Long may people continue to train – medically – if that is the case.

Dr. Simmons – Exam

For those who are sleep afflicted. In this case I think we’re looking at an examination for someone (Victor) who has a need for a device to assist with a snoring condition. Snoring is something I only started to display in recent years, sleeplessness being not the only effect of gaining so much in age. Nothing like Victor though, thus far no one is suggesting an appliance.

Dr Simmons has a good voice, very calm and very attentive. The other thing I find with medical professionals like Dr Simmons is that they actually listen to what the other person is saying. This is a rare (and I’m sure much appreciated) skill.

Modus Five is the channel.

I count nineteen videos at today’s date of which only a subset are connected with medical examinations. (The current theme for these ASMR articles – although I’m sure that will change in time).

Seven seem to me medical-examination related so I’ll focus on these:

Victor Mouth Piece

Victor again (hence the title) and now we see the results of the earlier examination. CPAP is referred to here – a device that is used to treat breathing difficulties in sleep. These devices sound unpleasant to use and I’m guessing you use them where the alternatives are even more dire (such as apnoea).

The content is quite technical and the results sound quite worrying, hats off to people who use appliances like this and learn to live with them.

It is a little variable in terms of ASMR content and covers different examinations – I am not convinced this one belongs in the playlist.

Dr Simmons – Oral Appliance Therapy

The start of this video is not at all ASMR-y and the sound quality is not amazing. It stacks up as an advertisement. It is fascinating for someone (me) who attends NHS services to listen to a system where insurance information is very nearly the first question someone asks.

I will not include it in the playlist. I’ve included it here to allow you to evaluate it for yourself.

Sleep Apnoea

Not a medical exam as such, more of an interview which gives the background to Dr Simmons interest in this area. Of course, there is an interest in getting people to address snoring. I can only imagine the amounts of money that must be involved here.

Interesting but not much ASMR effect here – so I’ve not included it in the playlist.

Dr. John Roesler – Performing a Nasal Exam

Dr John Roesler rather than Dr Simmons here. This is quite an interesting interview, presumably especially if you do have sleep issues.

However the medical exam does not occur until a good way into the video (the patient is Dr Simmons). I don’t think this one is a candidate for the playlist.

Dr. Michael Simmons – Taking Dental Impression

This seems to start out quite loud and a bit too enthusiastic for a sleep-aid I think.

For some reason Dr Simmons has lost the soothing voice in this one and so it is not effective for ASMR. I also did not find the mixer noise at the beginning that soothing (other people may differ here). It’s not a candidate for the playlist.

Dr. Michael Simmons – Sleep Disorders

Designed for other professionals who are also providing treatment in the sleep problem area (dentists). It breaks the rules as there is no patient, no medical examination.

(Not that breaking the rules is necessarily a bad thing in terms of membership of the playlist.)

Although Dr Simmons is back on form with calming voice I am not going to include this one.

Overall therefore one video that is helpful in an ASMR fashion and quite a lot of fascinating content about managing sleep issues. That though is not the purpose of this blog (at the moment anyway).

Therefore there is no purpose in creating a playlist for Modus Five.

I will add the one video to the overall playlist for the ASMR videos covered so far.

That playlist is here:

Subscribe to my YouTube Channel @theprocrastinationpensite

(I have found the best way to view this is through YouTube rather than embedded in the blog – for example you get access to the ability to shuffle the order of the videos) (which can be helpful if you listen to the same playlist more than once).

I hope that you find it restful.

If you liked this why not follow this blog.

Photo by Lydia Torrey on Unsplash

Sleeping with ASMR

The next item in the ASMR sleep series is a little more complicated. Now that I have been following ASMR-related videos for a while it has become obvious that some ASMR publishing people are trying to game the system.

From the number of follows, comments, views, and so-on I am not the only person who is searching for ASMR content. There appears to be a subset of people who are interested in videos where the person produces ASMR effects by mistake. Examples include speeches made where the person has a gentle voice; a lecture where the lecturer’s tone happens to be the correct one to set off ASMR in some of the listeners; interviews where the participants have very calm voices.

Some professional ASMR artists, (and indeed amateur ASMR artists) are now making videos deliberately but claiming they were produced entirely coincidentally. There is obviously a money angle – the more adherents you have – the more advertising-related revenue you can captivate. So the temptation is there, frankly, to cheat.

Some titles will say something like “by a genuine person” (as if there were non-genuine people wandering around). Sometimes there are “medical examination” videos, with a couple of suspiciously attractive young people in the video who don’t appear to know a great deal about medicine.

In this climate I am a little unsure about this series. They are great videos for ASMR which purport to be part of a medical education series.

Patient Examination Series- Dr Hollie Berry

Given I am suspicious I took a look on DuckDuckGo (other search engines exist) and it turns out there is no Dr Hollie Berry other than as part of this video series (or other people discussing this video series). No LinkedIn account, no medical papers, no references or citations – and no college sites linking to the videos.

So far Aidan Blunt appears to be the only source and he (assuming it is a he) is obviously aware that Dr Berry has this affect in some listeners as he has produced some videos edited in order to enhance the ASMR effect.

Here:

Cranial Nerves Examination ASMR Loop

I have a dislike of ASMR loop videos. There will be (say) a medical exam which is about ten minutes and to make it an hour it will play (or parts of it will play) over and again. It might be that I am just dosing when a part I’ve heard before comes winging back. This is one of those. So I will not be adding it to the playlist.

And here:

Cardiac Examination ASMR Edit

This one edited in order to enhance its ASMR effect. Again I won’t add this one to the playlist, however some people reading may find this kind of thing right up their street perhaps.

And here:

Abdominal Examination ASMR Edit

Also edited for its ASMR effect and therefore, as before, not included in the playlist.

And here:

Upper Limb Neuro Examination ASMR Edit

As before.

However Aidan also produces some more dedicated medical videos so for the purposes of this blog item I am prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt.

I found this series originally through a posting on Reddit

Which leads to this video:

Cranial Nerve Examination

Which leads me to suspect that the filming was done at Manchester Medical School and the Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. However I am currently not able to find any similar video content other than that put out by Aidan.

This video has the smell of the genuine article and is a sensible seven and a half minutes in length which seems to fit with a reasonable length medical examination video found elsewhere.

Aidan Blunt – this is the channel where the Hollie Berry videos are all found. There are thirty four videos here and so too many to feature in any one blog item.

However I started with a Hollie Berry video and so I will concentrate on the videos from this channel that feature Hollie Berry.

Apart from the compilation, ASMR edit and ASMR loop videos (all of which I know to be doctored and therefore will discount) there are these:

Abdominal Examination

This is a sensible length at five minutes thirteen seconds.

Cardiovascular Examination

This one is five minutes six seconds.

I think Hollie may have my favourite ASMR voice of the videos I have covered so far.

Diabetic Foot Examination

Three minutes twenty five seconds in length.

A repeating theme in these is that the “patient” appears either petrified or completely distracted. I’m not sure what they could have said to them to get them in this state. Hollie seems the ideal medical person – professional and relaxing. But for the people in these videos it does not appear to be working.

Lymph Gland Examination

Three minutes fourteen seconds in length. And given the comments I’d say a number of people find Hollie’s voice to be relaxing.

Respiratory Examination

Five minutes thirty four seconds in length. The more I listen the more I think this set of videos is a great find ASMR-wise.

Upper Limb Neuro

This last set seem all to have been posted eleven years ago. I think we can assume that Hollie Berry does (or did) exist and probably made a set of videos for the Manchester Medical Schools a decade or so ago. They’ve moved on and taken down her videos subsequently but Aidan has preserved them for some reason.

Why Hollie should disappear altogether at that point is anybody’s guess but a set of six short videos is all we have of the greatest ASMR voice I have so far discovered. A great shame.

The playlist is here:

The complete playlist of videos covered so far is here:

Photo by freestocks on Unsplash

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Happy Seed – Worry Seed

I’ve used this technique myself with clients. It is a good creative technique to use with people who worry excessively or are anxious. Sometimes it is good to use techniques other than talking (and listening) in the room. Visual techniques are helpful in that they display to the client where their current thinking style/behaviour is taking them. It also can help them to clearly see changes that they need to make.

Everyone in the world has two seeds. There is a happy seed and a worry seed. You can do what you like with either seed – there is no instruction book. However the way you behave towards these two seeds is not without consequences.

This exercise is to show what happens when you pay attention to one or other seed.

Draw a happy seed and a worry seed at the bottom of a large piece of paper.

The client can pay attention to either seed. They must first nominate one as the happy seed and one as the worry seed. (Draw a label clearly at the base of the paper so that there is no doubt which one is which).

They can pay attention to either seed. Each seed needs feeding and watering so that it can grow.

If the client is prone to worry it is usually easier for them to pay attention to the worry seed. If a worry comes to mind have them draw a shoot from the worry seed. Have them attach a leaf to this shoot labelled with that worry.

At this stage the worry seed is developing into a plant. The happy seed is still just a seed. The client has free rein to add shoots to either seed. Have them add more shoots with whatever comes to mind.

Their predominant thinking style will rise to the surface. Someone who worries draws more worries.

Dependent upon how much the client has to bring up it might be that you will need a very large piece of paper for this. (Plain wallpaper for example is good).

As you watch what the client is doing you can see that they have a tendency to water and feed one particular plant dependent upon their thinking style.

This can continue for as long as you have time designated to this. However a definite pattern will have emerged.

Eventually the client will run out of things to add – or will have added as much as they can within the time you allotted for this activity. There will usually be an asymmetry between the two plants:

At which point you can point out to them that in life there is only one pot of time. They can pay attention to anything that they like but only one thing at a time. If they pay attention to the worry seed – they care for it, water it and it will start to grow.

A first worry leaf develops. With further attention to the worry seed another leaf pops up. If they keep caring for the worry seed in time a tree of worries will fill the page.

Their life will be full of worries and there will be no space left for happy.

They can’t care for the worry seed and at the same time pay attention to the happy seed. With no attention to the happy seed they concentrate all their energy on worry.

The worry tree becomes so huge that it is overwhelming. By comparison the stunted happy tree is undeveloped. In fact the happy tree is completely overshadowed by the worry tree and is not going to grow properly.

Get them then to consider how life would be different if they spent at least some time on the happy seed.

Better still if they watered and cared for the happy seed at the expense of the worry seed. How much different would life be then.

The intention is for them to seek out the parts of their lives that are happy and to minimise the time they spend worrying.

Thanks to my counsellor Rachel http://www.elyhypnotherapy.com/ for suggesting this technique.

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