I’m happy to share that my book “Brain Tingles” has recently been published by Simon & Schuster and is now available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

The focus of the book is to help individuals learn the types and key principles of ASMR triggers for stimulating person-to-person ASMR.  The book covers how to use light touch, gentle sounds, soothing voices, and calming activities to bring the blissfulness of ASMR to people in your life.

The book is also filled with quotes from ASMR artists, quotes from those who experience ASMR, and references to ASMR research findings –  tying together the practice, experience, application, science, and hypotheses about ASMR.

I’ve organized the book as follows:

• Chapter 1: covers the sensations, trigger types, history, and the potential biology and health benefits of ASMR.
• Chapter 2: goes through all the considerations when trying to stimulate ASMR in someone who is in the same room as you.  This includes mindsets, permission for light touch, the influence of the immediate surroundings, and the flow of the session.
• Chapters 3 to 10: these eight chapters each highlight a different type of ASMR trigger by explaining the principles, key techniques, and helpful tools for each one.

I’ve included a full outline of the chapters at the end of this article if you would like more details about each chapter.

The book also contains three helpful, printable forms for those looking to create structured and optimized ASMR sessions:

• ASMR Trigger Menu: A complete list of triggers to review for inclusion or exclusion from ASMR sessions (peek HERE).
• ASMR Personalization Form: to record consents, preferences, and allergies of the ASMR session participant (peek HERE).
• ASMR Session Plan: A form for mapping out the trigger plan for each ASMR session (peek HERE).

Below are seven examples for how understanding person-to-person ASMR could be helpful for families, friends, spas, yoga studios, health professionals, researchers, and content creators.

Example #1: Soothing an infant.  Most parents already know to soothe stressed infants by speaking to them softly, holding them gently, and using distracting hand movements.  What about making tapping sounds, crinkling sounds, mouth sounds, repeating specific words that strongly trigger ASMR, or using other ASMR triggers?

Example #2: Lulling a child to sleep.  My mother somehow discovered that the magic trick to getting me to lie still and fall asleep at night was to run her finger lightly on the inside of my arm.  There may be lots of ASMR triggers that parents may not think of when helping a restless child to fall asleep.  Parents could whisper a story instead of reading it aloud, slowly turn the pages to accentuate the sound, trace the illustrations with their fingers, repeat words with ASMR triggering sounds, and attempt many other ASMR triggers at nighttime in search of that one magical trick that works best for that child.

Example #3: Relaxing a friend, family member, or partner.  When someone tells us they had a rough day at school or work, we often offer sympathy and support – which are important and helpful.  But what about offering a little ASMR session to de-stress the person?  You could have them sit down and then you could play with their hair, trace letters on their back, create trigger sounds with objects, read them a story in a whisper, or use whatever triggers they prefer the most.

Example #4: Offering expert ASMR services.  When you want the best haircut or massage, you probably seek out an expert rather than a friend or family member.  This may be the same when you want the best in-person ASMR experience.  Spas already have the environment and personnel for blissful relaxation – adding ASMR sessions could be a welcome option for their clientele.  Yoga studios and wellness centers may also find creative ways to incorporate ASMR sessions.  Creating a service that focuses only on ASMR sessions is another option for bringing ASMR triggers directly to individuals.  Melinda Lauw, the co-founder of Whisperlodge and the founder of Whispers-on-Demand, has created two great examples of what expert ASMR services could be like.  She also provided valuable consultation on the content of the book and wrote the foreword.

Example #5: Incorporating ASMR into health care.  If proper clinical trials consistently demonstrate health benefits from experiencing ASMR, then it is likely that ASMR triggers will be incorporated into treatment plans as a relaxation technique.  Counselors, therapists, and clinicians will want to know how to best use their light touch, soothing voices, and appropriate dispositions to stimulate ASMR in their clients and patients.

Example #6: Optimizing ASMR research.  As researchers investigate the potential health benefits of ASMR,  they will want to use experimental procedures, techniques, and settings that allow ASMR, rather than accidentally inhibit it.  Whether research participants are watching videos online, watching videos in a room with the researchers, or being touched lightly to stimulate ASMR, the researchers need to understand the key principles, techniques, types, and environmental influences for experiencing ASMR to conduct a proper study.

Example #7: Creating ASMR content.  ASMR videos and podcasts are recorded simulations of how ASMR triggers manifest in the real world.  The tips, techniques, and tools in the book for stimulating person-to-person ASMR should also be helpful for reenacting those moments for the creation of ASMR videos and podcasts.

Outline of the book:

• Part 1: Learn about the background and principles for stimulating ASMR.
  • Chapter 1 What Is ASMR?
    • Discover the sensations, triggers, history, biology, and benefits of ASMR.
  • Chapter 2 Preparing for ASMR
    • Understand the importance of partner selection, location preparation, and open communication for ASMR.
• Part 2: Learn about the specific techniques and tools for creating and using each ASMR trigger type.
  • Chapter 3 Velvety Voices
    • Using gentle voices and whispers
  • Chapter 4 Soothing Sounds
    • Creating trigger sounds
  • Chapter 5 Feathery Fingers
    • Using fingers and light touch
  • Chapter 6 Tingly Tools
    • Using head tinglers, feathers, and more
  • Chapter 7 Tranquil Treasures
    • Displaying items as show-and-tell
  • Chapter 8 Assuaging Activities
    • Demonstrating skills and tasks “like a Bob Ross”
  • Chapter 9 Hands-On Role-Plays
    • Creating scenarios with light touch
  • Chapter 10 Hands-Off Role-Plays
    • Creating scenarios without light touch

Here are some sample portions of the book:

• Foreword, Introduction, and First Chapter excerpt (click “Look Inside“).
• Excerpt about Solitary ASMR vs Partner ASMR.
• Enjoy a promotional video of the book created by the ASMR artist, Jellybean Green.

Feedback and Availability

If you read the book, then please do share your thoughts with me at asmruniversity@gmail.com.  I’ll be looking to incorporate your quotes, stories, applications, ideas, and suggestions into future editions or other ASMR projects.

“Brain Tingles” is currently available from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

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This post brought to you by ASMR University.  A site with the mission of increasing the awareness, understanding, and research of the Art and Science of Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response.