Misokinesia: Misophonia and Visible Triggers

Probably the most questions I’m continuously requested is, “How do visible triggers relate to misophonia?” Whilst it’s a very good query, the unlucky reality is that we don’t but have a definitive solution. In 2013, Arjan Schröder presented the time period “misokinesia” to explain visible triggers skilled by way of people with misophonia. This wasn’t supposed to determine a separate dysfunction however quite to spotlight a phenomenon that didn’t are compatible smartly into the prevailing figuring out of misophonia (Schröder et al., 2013). Newer analysis by way of Davidenko et al. (2022) has additionally tested visible triggers, suggesting there could also be overlapping mechanisms between auditory and visible sensitivities, even though this space stays underexplored.

To start out, it’s necessary to explain that misokinesia, which interprets to “hatred of motion,” might oversimplify the problem. Present analysis doesn’t supply sufficient proof to decide whether or not visible triggers constitute a definite phenomenon, an extension of misophonia, or an element of a broader sensory processing dysfunction. It’s additionally unclear whether or not maximum or only a few people with misophonia enjoy visible triggers.

We merely don’t know but if all folks with misophonia even have misokinesia, or whether or not some people react completely to sounds whilst others react to each sounds and visuals. It’s believable that those aversions exist on a spectrum, with permutations in severity and sort throughout circumstances. As of now, that is an open query that calls for additional analysis.

What I will with a bit of luck state is that many people within the misophonia group, together with myself, document experiencing each visible and auditory triggers that impress identical fight-flight-freeze responses. For many who do enjoy misokinesia, the physiological and emotional reactions will also be simply as intense as the ones brought about by way of auditory triggers. Our autonomic anxious programs are activated, resulting in emotions of discomfort, misery, or even ache.

The time period “misophonia” itself will also be deceptive, because it implies a hatred of sounds (or visuals) when if truth be told, the reaction stems from the mind processing positive stimuli as threats. Nonetheless, that is the terminology followed by way of each researchers and the general public, so it stays the usual for now. It’s an important to acknowledge that our figuring out of those triggers—each auditory and visible—remains to be in its infancy, and lots of main points stay to be clarified.

For my part, I to find my visible triggers to be as difficult, if now not extra so, as my auditory ones. In contrast to sounds, which is able to from time to time be blocked out with earplugs or noise-canceling headphones, visible stimuli are more difficult to keep away from. Even ultimate my eyes doesn’t lend a hand, as the pictures regularly linger in my thoughts lengthy after publicity. I’ve been pushed to tears by way of positive visible triggers—legs shaking, folks swaying, or arms tapping—or even grammatical mistakes, corresponding to double spacing after sessions, have brought about misery serious sufficient to make me block folks from verbal exchange.

Coping with each visible and auditory triggers has made day by day existence considerably tougher. Visible triggers associated with grammar, typing, lighting fixtures, or even vacation decorations can render actions like internet surfing, gaming, and being close to flashing Christmas lighting fixtures virtually inconceivable.

Listed below are some examples of my visible triggers:

• Double areas as an alternative of unmarried areas after sessions.
• Abbreviations like “u,” “r,” or “ur” as an alternative of complete phrases.
• Misuse of “you’re” and “your.”
• Over the top punctuation, in particular exclamation issues.
• Ordinary frame positioning, corresponding to one leg up and one leg down.
• Palms leaning out of vehicle home windows.
• Untied shoelaces.
• Animated results in video video games.
• Shiny lighting fixtures.
• Rotating items like pinwheels and windmills.
• Luggage swinging on fingers.
• Items flipping or fluttering within the breeze.
• Unsuitable grammar utilization.
• Overuse or misuse of ellipses (e.g., greater than 3 dots in a row).
• Chewing—visually, now not essentially the sound. Actually, I regularly to find the visible extra nerve-racking than the auditory facet.

Explaining visible triggers has been in particular tricky as a result of even inside the misophonia group, they aren’t extensively mentioned. This isn’t because of negligence however quite a loss of information—each medical and anecdotal. In contrast to sound triggers, visible triggers can’t be blocked with earplugs. Whilst blindfolds would possibly look like an choice, they’re rarely sensible for day by day existence.

The important thing takeaway is that visible triggers are an actual and distressing enjoy for many of us with misophonia. Whether or not they proportion the similar underlying mechanisms as auditory triggers remains to be an open query, and ongoing analysis, like that performed by way of Schröder et al. (2013) and Davidenko et al. (2022), will probably be crucial to untangling those complexities. Till then, it’s necessary to manner this subject with interest, empathy, and a willingness to be told as new knowledge emerges.

This publish additionally seems in Misophonia Issues: An Advocacy-Primarily based Option to Dealing with Misophonia for Adults, Teenagers, and Clinicians however has been revised for Psychology Lately.