Raleigh 'slimer' says ASMR relieves anxiety
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- Whispers, taps and soft cooing sounds are just a few things heard in viral ASMR videos.
ASMR stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response.
ASMR videos garner hundreds of thousands -- to millions -- of views on social media.
Donovan Rockwell is a "slimer" and creator of ASMR videos on Instagram.
The Raleigh-based slimer said ASMR helped with her anxiety and insomnia, which is why she started doing it online.
"I suffer from a fair amount anxiety, and I used to watch a lot of slime videos and ASMR videos," Rockwell said.
Rockwell has been creating ASMR content for a little over one year and has already gained a few thousand followers on Instagram.
For the mom of one, it's a type of therapy.
ASMR has become so popular it was even featured in a Michelob ULTRA ad for the 2019 Superbowl.
As entertaining as the videos can be, experts said they're also helping people's health.
"So they're body is automatically instantly feeling calmed or relaxed," said Dr. Zach Rosenthal, a clinical psychologist and professor at Duke University.
Rosenthal said so many are fascinated with ASMR because of how easily the content is available, saying the community of people who experience ASMR have driven its use.
Some said ASMR creates a sense of calm, others said it sends a tingling feeling down their spine.
"Whether you have ASMR or not, when you watch these videos they're interesting and they elicit a reaction in you," Rosenthal said. "Some people don't like them and have an aversive response to them."
