Hypersensitivity Mechanism

2024 Author: Harry Day | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 15:43

Lecture by Gordon Newfeld.

Hypersensitivity in developmental psychology is a state of imperfect functioning of the sensory regulation system - regulation of signals and filtering of incoming stimuli from the senses (Sensory Gating System).

It initially does not work as it should, so there is “a lot of everything” and, given the same input data, some people function efficiently, while others always process too much, which hinders them and distinguishes them from people with a working sensory regulation system.

It may look like giftedness in perception. The feeling that a person has super sensitive skin, super vision, super thin hearing. In fact, these are not superpowers of the human perception system. They don't have super vision since they see more than others. Not superfluous attention to detail, since they are able to notice many little things. Not super fine hearing, although that is what one would think when a child objects to the sounds of singing or cannot sleep because of the ticking clock.

From the environment, the hypersensitive receives exactly the same stream of stimuli that goes to other people. The point is how they are processed on input.

About signal processing

We all have a sophisticated and powerful filtering system that keeps all of the signals from our senses out of the brain, filtering out about 95% of them. The signals that pass through are noticed by the brain. And he reacts to them mainly in the emotional center.

The nature of the response to stimuli in hypersensitive people is, in principle, the same as in ordinary people. They respond to stimuli in the same way as ordinary people. They do not have the so-called "overreaction" to stimuli, so it cannot be said that these people are more pampered than others, or more offended by nature, although tenderness and resentment may be a consequence of their characteristics. They have a poorly functioning system for filtering signals (sensory regulation of signals) going to the brain. And the more signals come in, the greater the emotional response that we see. So, everything is natural.

The term "hypersensitivity" does not include high sensitivity. This is not one continuum. Although highly sensitive people are easily overwhelmed by stimuli, they can recover on their own when placed in their comfortable environment.

If parents who notice hypersensitivity in their child can understand these important features of their brain, they can help children adapt to their environment, organize a more gentle environment, appropriate treatment, smooth corners, and help children connect with other adults. Understanding how his brain functions will help you stay on the side of your child with adequate expectations. And this is more important than correcting the child's reactions.

Just as the skin is a protective barrier for bacteria, so the filter system is a protective barrier for our brain. We need it so as not to be drowned in the flow of information from the senses. The bandwidth and directionality of the filters change on an ad-hoc basis, depending on our priorities, says Gordon Newfeld. They not only cut off the excess, protect us, but also redirect our attention to what is in priority. This is necessary for the efficient functioning of the brain.

We notice a lot around. But only a fraction of it goes to the brain. This is a good (but not complete) video illustrating a team of players in white by Christopher Chabri and Daniel Simons. They filmed a short video in which two teams play volleyballs. Count the number of passes made by the players in white, while ignoring the passes of the players in black. And then watch the same recording, not counting the program.

Filter problems

Our sensory regulation system is very complex. For some people it works well, for another part it may be dysfunctional, that is, it will not cope with its tasks to one degree or another. Then all incoming signals that should have been delayed reach the brain. And the brain cannot cope with them. Gordon Newfeld spoke in detail at a seminar in Moscow about exactly what qualities a full-fledged sensory regulation system should have and what happens if it does not fulfill one or another of its tasks.

Inability to focus on priorities

A person should be able to concentrate on what is important for him at the moment, to pass the signals associated with these events into the brain. The most important thing for us, more often than not, is our attachments. Close people and everything that concerns them. We have to pay attention to moods and relationships in the family in order to feel safe. If a person's filters do not have the ability to move apart and pass this necessary information, then he will not automatically easily switch to what should have become a priority of attention.

For example, a child cannot pay attention to his mother and her signals, therefore he finds himself in dangerous situations, he is careless, not preoccupied with contact, runs away, the conscience of attachment does not guide his behavior. There is no feedback from such children in relationships, they do not listen, do not look into the eyes, do not worry about intimacy, it seems that they do not care. Although they simply do not have the opportunity to pay attention to important things. This means that social functions will most likely be difficult, and this will have a noticeable impact on their lives. This is one illustration - focusing problem.

Likewise, the sensory perception system does not allow them to notice the body's own needs in time, which should also be a focus priority. Children will not notice that they are hungry or that it is time to go to the toilet, will not notice that they are overheated, and will not be able to undress. The body's needs are there, but signals about this do not have priority in filtering.

Another option for a failure of the sensory regulation system is that filters do not remove unnecessary noise poorly, and they all flow into the brain

This slows down, pollutes the flow, interferes with the processing of signals with the required speed and attention. A person simply cannot distinguish between what is important and what can be ignored, he lingers on everything that comes his way.

You can decide that such a person is gifted, because he remembers the unnecessary that he heard once, or notices everything that others do not notice. Such filter dysfunction can also look like distraction or lethargy.

In an attempt to systematize the surrounding reality, which overwhelms the brain with signals, such hypersensitive ones can look for patterns, repetitive motives, arrange things in order, create rituals, and perform the same type of movements. Children love to run in circles, swing from side to side and spin. These are noticeable reactions in the case of obvious and pronounced problems, it is easy to understand from them that there are problems with the filters. But everything is individual and the degree of malfunction is a continuum, where it is difficult to say what the norm is.

Another dysfunction is the inability to protect your psyche from those powerful feelings that return to the brain as a result of interaction in society.

This dysfunction of the filter system is the inability to turn on the filter in time to protect the brain from vulnerable feelings in a hurting situation. Failure to filter signals in such a way as to ignore signals that hurt the heart; not to hear that you are not accepted; not to notice boredom and neglect from dear people.

Every tired look or disapproval of mom is absorbed, comprehended and acutely wounds. People with this filter trait feel divided and resentful even when others criticize something that is close to them or they are offered something that they did not want. The moment other people use their defenses and put off experiencing hurting feelings for later, they are vulnerable and vulnerable emotionally.

All this mass of emotions drives them, they are under the influence of impulses: biochemical processes occur, pressure, breathing changes, the nervous system under the influence of hormones. In this way, many sensory reactions are created in the body, which then must become sensations, passing through the filters again. But the hypersensitive get a fireworks display of unfiltered sensory responses. It is impossible to recognize them because of their volume and understand "how I feel now about this."

Since they are difficult to cleanse and interpret, they are difficult to manage. Is the person nervous, upset, ashamed, afraid, just tired? Difficult to say, since the neocortex does not cope with this task, receiving such feedback from the body.

That is why hypersensitive children can dwell on resentments and conflicts, often recall disturbing events, are subject to inexplicable fears, they are constantly on the alert, may be confused for no reason, looking for a threat. They are overwhelmed by these wandering sensations, not knowing what they are feeling. And because of the difficulties with recognition, emotions are not able to mix in the prefrontal cortex. This predetermines problems with balance, impulsiveness in the behavior of children.

These disturbing sensory reactions, which I wrote about a little higher, can be chopped off on the way back from the body, can be suppressed or turned off - this is how another layer of problems begins.

If suddenly this happens at all, then Newfeld attributes the complete emotional blockade to the phenomenon of schizophrenia.

There is another option for defenses that are not required, but someone may have: the periodic suppression of these sensations with the help of "Attachment Protection", which are not intended for this. This option causes a number of symptoms, on the basis of which various diagnoses are also made (which have little practical meaning and are more like labels), since due to the specifics of these defenses, the child's development suffers.

How exactly does it suffer?

If the defenses are constant, the person is not capable of close relationships, empathy does not develop, there is no awareness and understanding of oneself, and other signs of psychological maturation. In addition, the manifestations of these defenses can be very unpleasant: defensive alienation from those with whom you should make contact and whom you should obey, escape in case of problems, the desire to do spite. Also problems with speech, with the development of social norms, problems with nutrition. Attachment to clothing, fantasy, or animals instead of humans. Refusal to obey and take over the initiative, painful urge to be first and foremost, other disturbing thoughts and obsessions.

Variety of symptoms

This is how the problem with the system of signal regulation and filtering of incoming stimuli affects a person in a variety of ways. Each hypersensitive person has its own characteristics, and one cannot apply one description to all people, endow them with one set of qualities, as, for example, it cannot be generalized that all such people have a "tendency to observe and think before acting."

Why is there one organic disorder, but the result is such a variety of symptoms?

It can fail in different ways. Newfeld identifies three goals of sensory filters that every person has: filtering out noise, focusing attention on priorities, and protecting vulnerable feelings, which is very logically intertwined with his concept of vulnerability in development theory. Accordingly, if the filters fail, one or more of these goals will not be achieved or will not be partially achieved. Variants of combinations of such disorders open up opportunities for the manifestation of a variety of symptoms.

Even more variety is provided by the domino effect that occurs when the sensory system is malfunctioning. Since we understand how the brain processes signals, we can trace the entire chain and see that failures can be at different stages of sensory signal processing. And a person will behave in one way or another depending on where in the brain there was a failure in processing and responding to stimuli, or what defenses the brain used to survive in response to difficulties.

This is a huge field for study and research. It is possible to try to find an explanation for each modern syndrome and neurological diagnosis in terms of the contribution of hypersensitivity to the course of the disease.

Newfeld mentions in a lecture that hypersensitivity is often present where doctors make serious diagnoses. He notices it in all cases of autism, in many cases when diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, in some cases of giftedness and attention deficit disorder.

Medicine and pharmacology do not see and do not take into account such a criterion - whether the sensory regulation system is functional. None of the diagnosticians looks for the presence of hypersensitivity and does not allocate a special place for it among the symptoms, as some scientists do. Nevertheless, this is important, since if it is possible to compensate for the state of the filtering systems in case of hypersensitivity, then these measures will help all hypersensitive people, regardless of the name of their diagnosis.