Tactile defensiveness—how the research explains physical touch sensitivities
If you're autistic and get extreme and overwhelming anxiety from physical touch…
But have a hard time explaining this to others, I have an explanation that might help...
Research has found that autistic brains don't filter touch information the same way as nonautistic brains... and can trigger the parts of the brain related to PAIN, fear, and survival.
The researchers referred to this extreme sensory reaction as "tactile defensiveness." I'll explain more about what happens in the brain that causes this reaction in just a second, but first, here are some examples of how it can look...
- Extreme distress when wearing certain types of clothes
- Extreme sensitivity to tooth brushing, hair washing, hair brushing, or other grooming activities
- Wearing long sleeves and pants so things don't accidentally touch your skin
- Extreme anxiety when someone tries to touch or hug you
But here's the part I found most validating about this research (as a HIGHLY sensitive autistic person)... the physical touch doesn't have to be intense to cause tactile defensiveness. Even a gentle caress can trigger this extreme reaction.
Ok, so let's get back to what the researchers found happens in the brain that causes tactile defensiveness...
They found that if a person has tactile defensiveness, the system in the brain that normally filters and interprets sensory inputs doesn’t properly regulate the protective system... which alerts the brain to threats.
This means that even SAFE touch can trigger parts of the brain tied to pain, fear, and survival.
So when a person's tactile defensiveness is triggered, the internal reaction they experience is the brain wanting to protect the body from what it instinctively feels is dangerous. It's about SURVIVAL.
But what I think is most important to understand in all of this is that NONE of it... is within a person's control. And no amount of logic or rationalizing will change the automatic internal response that someone with tactile defensiveness has.
If this is you and you're wondering what you can do about this... and believe me, I know EXACTLY how you feel...
You can start by giving yourself grace because it's not your fault.
And realize that it's OK that you have these needs. Express them. Advocate for yourself. Half the battle is people understanding this about you so they don't unknowingly have unreasonable expectations of you.
And if you have a loved one who experiences this... don't take it personally if they don't want to be touched a certain way. This has nothing to do with you or how they feel about you. I promise. ❤️
Here are links to the research...
https://juniperpublishers.com/oajnn/pdf/OAJNN.MS.ID.555573.pdf