Sound (& thought) of Chewing/Eating

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photonic

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Son would lose consciousness under psychological stress, have apparent anxiety attack, pass out and stop breathing for 3-5 minutes. Possible Aspergers related. He cannot tolerate being near people chewing/eating food and never goes to restaurants. If he sees, hears or thinks too stronly about me chewing, he has to hit himself in the chest or ears to distract or counterbalance whatever it is he is experiencing. He wears sound-proof headphones (29dB rated) to block out unwanted noises. If someone on television makes a sound with their lips & tongue (like "tsssk") he has to start humming loudly to distract himself and over-ride the sound. Deeply troubling. He cannot tolerate hearing me breath. He avoids the combination of food and people, because of the chewing aversion.
 
Photonic, I have a similar issue. I can't stand to hear people eat anything, if I got to the movies, I have to sit at the end of the row where no one is eating popcorn or force myself to eat popcorn so I can drown them out. I HATE popcorn but it keeps me from getting frustrated. I can't stand to hear someone chomp on ice either. I am like him and find it easier to wear headphones when someone in the office is eating, especially if it is loud such as ICE, chips, apple, etc. I really can't stand it when someone is making noise with their mouth. Why is that?
 
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Photonic, I have a similar issue. I can't stand to hear people eat anything, if I got to the movies, I have to sit at the end of the row where no one is eating popcorn or force myself to eat popcorn so I can drown them out. I HATE popcorn but it keeps me from getting frustrated. I can't stand to hear someone chomp on ice either. I am like him and find it easier to wear headphones when someone in the office is eating, especially if it is loud such as ICE, chips, apple, etc. I really can't stand it when someone is making noise with their mouth. Why is that?

Dear Bergoomay,
I asked about the specific experience that results from these sounds. He tells me that it is an extreme pressure (force) in both ears, not "within" the skull, but more in the inner ear. It's like being 100 miles beneath the surface of the ocean: tremendous hydrostatic pressure. Please describe the affect(s) that you experience. What do these sounds induce that you find intolerable?
 
Photonic, I have never given it much thought until you ask this. I had mostly just chalked it up to being something I could not stand. I listened this morning to my husband eat his fruit loops and determined that when he eats, there is pressure and pain inside the eat. It almost feels like they need to be popped. I have never noticed why eatting bothers me; just that is makes me irrated when people eat around me. I get really mad and have to walk away or put on ear phones as well. I will keep an eye on it this week to see if I notice anything else.
Connie
 
Please let me expand this question, as I am just trying to understand the real nucleus of the "response". These are all separate questions, as related or unrelated to one another as you prefer. In your "mind": would the thought of someone walking (stepping) on popcorn or on ice pellets and cracking them result in the same reaction? Is there any component of the "thought" that teeth and/or tongue are "involved" in the generation of the sound a factor? Does your own chewing affect you? What if it were a beautiful horse chewing a carrot? Have you ever tried to look upon the chewing process in purely mechanical and necessity terms (pragmatic, matter-of-fact perspective)? Imagine a physics text book describing the chewing process: a compressive force applied to initiate micro-crack propagation and shear stresses to further macroscopically reduce the size of particulate matter so that it may be swallowed without blocking the air passages and safely introduced into the stomach for digestion and life-sustaining nutrition. Would this frame of mind alleviate or mitigate any "personal attack" nature of it (my son describes it as people intentionally attacking him with these sounds)?
Continued Best Wishes
 
i have noticed when I chew my food, I am unable to hear sounds. My brothers eating cereal used to drive me insane as a child. I can't stand when someone on tv is chewing food and or chewing it and talking! When someone is clipping there nails, I go insane. if i think of chewing in a scientific nature as you describe, I have to spit out what is in my mouth, as I cant swallow it.
 
I find that if I eat something "crunchy" or something that requires alot of chewing that I do have tremedous pressure in my jaw and ear area. I always thought this was TMJ disorder.

I have psychological reactions when eating meat. I think of veins etc and it physically makes me sick. But to hear someone else chew or watch them do it does not bug me, but my own chewing does.
 
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