I can voluntarily control the size of my pupils & heart rate

[Noontime]

I am someone that can do this as well. For as long as I can remember, I have been able to "flex" something in my head that causes an intense feeling in my head chest and groin area. It's easy to initiate but hard to maintain, I kind of forget to breathe when I do this.

When I was younger (9 or 10) I thought maybe it was some latent super power, I tried to use it to control people, cause things to move, that kind of thing. I never did see any effects outside my own body, so I gave up, thinking it was nothing more than a feeling and had no effects in the world. A little while ago (I'm 25 now) I was playing with a heart rate monitor, and randomly decided to "flex" (I never stopped doing it, just stopped trying to figure out what I was doing) while taking my pulse. It went from a resting rate of around 70 to about 150 in maybe 5 seconds. So I now had something I could google. Didn't find much but I did see a few other mentions of it here and there. Nobody seemed to know exactly what was happening though, most were skeptical.

Today I was at my dad's house and used his blood pressure/heart rate monitor. With this i was finally able to demonstrate to a friend that what I was talking about was real. I took a few control measurements, averaging 70 bpm with a bp of 110/75. Then I took some measurements while "flexing". First result, 150 bpm 141/76 (averaged over the minute or so it takes to take the pressure, I find it quite difficult to keep "flexing" for the entire minute, I end up doing it for a few seconds at a time, taking a breath, ect. for the duration.) The second time I did this I "flexed" really hard, i saw my bpm reach 200, but the cuff (the inflating cuff for the blood pressure) kept re-inflating, redoing the test because my blood pressure was so erratic it couldn't get a read, at least I think that's what happened. So I had to relax, I was also beginning to feel a little anxious at this point, a side effect of "flexing" for extended periods of time. The second final reading was 126-76, bpm of 123, but I did peak at 200 bpm, unknown blood pressure.

I do not think of anything while I do this, I can do this anywhere. I can't maintain a conversation or anything but I can do it in a way where nothing is really obviously different about me. Nobody I've told about this (not that many people) really believes or understands it. People think I'm just bearing down like I'm taking a dump, to stimulate my vagus nerve, or thinking of something really stressful and getting worked up. It isn't that at all. The actual "flex" is nigh ineffable, I can only really describe it's effects.

I don't suffer from any disorders, including panic attacks or anything remotely close. It is a very easy thing to do, nothing to do with my mood, although the effect seems to be greater while under the effects of alcohol or drugs. By effect I mean the intense sensation it causes, I have not measured any effects like bpm while intoxicated.
If anyone finds anything out please email me, I'd love to know what exactly is happening.

[Annapolis]

I've already said this, but the adrenal glands are not controlled by somatic innervation. You don't have direct control over sympathetic innervation.

Also, alcohol is a depressant. It depresses your nervous system (including central nervous system). There's nothing to flex in the brain, but whatever you think you're activating would be depressed with alcohol consumption.

I don't really know what could cause this, and I'm hesitant to entirely believe it unless I witness it or read about medical cases of it.

[chazus]

So, here's my question. Not a troll or anything, I'm actually curious.

I can do this.. thing. I'm not even sure what. It's like flexing a muscle inside my head, and I can hear a rumbling in my ears when I do it. There's nothing I normally do that causes the same sensation. I think it's a muscle, simply because I can only do it for a limited time, maybe 30 seconds or so. I don't see any physical changes if I look in the mirror (it's not like I'm flexing my ears or anything).

Any idea what this is? Is it just maybe 'wiggling' my ear drum or something?

EDIT: Nevermind! For some reason, in all my years, I never thought of googling it. Apparently it's manual control of certain inner ear muscles (tensor tympani)

[AnarchicxA]

Ladies and gentlefrogs, I have our answer.


Reddit com/r/asmr

What we are triggering is an ASMR or Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response. "a physical sensation characterized by a pleasurable tingling that typically begins in the head and scalp, and often moves down the spine and through the limbs."

No adrenaline here. I truly think this is the answer. Check that subreddit out.

[Noontime]

I've already said this, adrenal glands are not controlled by somatic innervation. You don't have direct control over sympathetic innervation.

Also, alcohol is a depressant. It depresses your nervous system (including central nervous system). There's nothing to flex in the brain, but whatever you think you're activating would be depressed with alcohol consumption.

I don't really know what could cause this, and I'm hesitant to entirely believe it unless I witness it or read about medical cases of it.

I didn't say anything about adrenal glands, and the bit about alcohol was a subjective observation. I'm aware alcohol is a depressant, that does not preclude the possibility of it intensifying a sensation.
"There's nothing to flex in a brain". Did you not not understand I was using the term loosely, not in the sense of "flexing a bicep"? I'm aware there are no contractable muscle fibers within your brain.

It is understandable what I say is hard to believe, but if you actually read my post you would see I am not claiming anything supernatural, I am describing as best I can the effects and sensations that result.

And to the person saying this is asmr, I am a subscriber to /r/asmr myself, this is not even close. Asmr is the feeling some people get when watching Bob Ross paint, the topic of this thread is to do with the possibility of directly affecting your sympathetic nervous system. Great subreddit though.

[alxdude]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biofeedback

[theone2213]

Annapolis,

Well you said you wanted to see this done, here you go... this is the only video on youtube showing this.
wwwDOTyoutubeDOTcom/watch?v=7dIvulMMBkk[/url]

This man is doing exactly what we can all do... as i said in my earlier post i have been to my doctors about this and have a few more appointments this coming week, so i will have some answers.

[Tziva]

Anyone is capable of doing this, but for most it requires training themselves.

Read about some of the stuff religious ascetics -- particularly in Hinduism -- can do; it's very impressive.

[Irisel]

I am someone that can do this as well. For as long as I can remember, I have been able to "flex" something in my head that causes an intense feeling in my head chest and groin area. It's easy to initiate but hard to maintain, I kind of forget to breathe when I do this.

You described it exactly!

---------- Post added 2012-10-14 at 01:09 AM ----------

I can do this.. thing. I'm not even sure what. It's like flexing a muscle inside my head, and I can hear a rumbling in my ears when I do it. There's nothing I normally do that causes the same sensation. I think it's a muscle, simply because I can only do it for a limited time, maybe 30 seconds or so. I don't see any physical changes if I look in the mirror (it's not like I'm flexing my ears or anything).

I can also do this, but it's not related to my pupil/heart rate ability.

[glo]

I can also do this, but it's not related to my pupil/heart rate ability.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but it's not an "ability" that's unique to you.

Pupils expand when one is excited, mentally inducing a state of excitement (and the following release of adrenaline) is achievable by anyone with practice. It's also not healthy for your heart whatsoever, and I'd second think doing it.

[Deleted]

I can switch between sharp and blurry vision. Pretty useless, like your 'skill'.

As a kid, I was told I needed glasses. But I was like "fuck that, I'll just keep using my good vision then".

[jimmy valmer]

that feel of your stomach falling out of your ass

This made my day

[ratcheer]

I can do this, exactly as described, since childhood.

It's not a meditative or guided imagery trick at all - it's like directly telling the adrenals to release adrenaline. My pupils dilate quickly, blood pressure goes way up (I also freaked out doctors this way) and pulse gets fast and erratic. I also find it VERY useful for clearing alcohol, if I've had too much to drink! The feeling is like fear - like someone goes "boo!" and you jump into the air - except it's entirely devoid of emotional content, so it's not the least frightening. It's purely physical and immediate, like telling yourself to raise your arm or blink you eyes - you just do it.

[Zangeiti]

I looked up on the internet what this was and they say its some weird disease that allows you to perform things better then others when it happens.

[Rendia]

clearly you're a witch.

Feels relevant.

OT: It is amazing what people can do to/with their bodies when putting their mind to it. Look up some of the thing Buddist Monks can actually do.

---------- Post added 2013-06-26 at 09:54 PM ----------

I can shoot spit from the glands under my tongue, like a cobra. Lets join teams.

(and for those who wonder, YES its great fun in the dentist seat when hes about to bend to watch in ur mouth)

I can do that! Gleeking! It is great fun in all kinds of situations.

[Unalorian]

Anyone have an idea of what the hell is happening?

The only thing I can imagine as a possible explanation is that when you look at the mirror to check your pupils changing, you are probably so ugly you scare the hell out of yourself (and then you think you can "control" that).

On a serious note: you think you can, but you can't really. What you observe is an indirect effect of something that happens to you, fo example, a sudden drop in blood pressure, something you cannot control as well (wouldnt be that uncommon in some people to have that by standing still without relaxing in front of a mirror for minutes, for example, staring at their pupils really hoping they will move because they think they can). It probably happen to you a 10x in a day without you even noticing.

[cuzox]

I looked up on the internet what this was and they say its some weird disease that allows you to perform things better then others when it happens.

I found out I can do this as well. Was any useful conclusion reached on this?

[Pitkanen]

It's not that hard for the vast majority of people to draw on either meditation for calm or turbulent thoughts for excitement is it? At least for the heart rate.

[arjunadawn]

The Power to control your Sympathetic Response- voluntarily- is very real

I feel very bad for the people here who are trying to communicate an utterly super strange ability that happens in their body/mind. However, it is like describing light to a blind person- they really don't get it.
For the guy who "flexes" to make this phenomena happen, stop describing it as "flexing"- they don't get it. They think you are really flexing something. Like a poet or mystic trying to describe the ineffable, language fails and your effort lessens your cry for help. You see, there is a parasympathetic response triggered by "flexing" pelvic floor muscles, thus lowering heart rate, etc. So, when you use such a word, you inadvertently suggest this phenomena. Sorry, I too describe this ability as "flexing," except everyone takes me very seriously.
I have been practicing western medicine for 30 years and for a change also just completed my masters in Oriental Medicine (2014). [We] have for years used different equipment to play with my "ability" while in the ER/OR/Office while no patients:
PulseOX, EEG, EKG, spirometry.The fact is, it is an instantaneous- literally as fast as thought phenomena/ability that can send my HR up to 200bpm is seconds, all while maintaining a NSR-normal sinus rhythm (PQRST remains unremarkable, otherwise); it is simple tachycardia. The pulse ox remains saturated and whereas the BP may raise to over 160/96 within seconds, the arterial pressure at rest does not substantially rise.
I have always asserted (the reason is lost with age) that I "squeeze" my adrenal glands. It does not matter that western medicine says that this is not possible. What matters is the similar reports from disparate people all around the world. We are all describing something similar. Variously, some report that they are squeezing something in their head. Perhaps this is due to the incredible electric-like sensation tingling around the neck, head, and shoulders.
My breathing does not change and while my tidal volume remains the same we once calculated that my stroke volume for cardiac output only begins to become effected at x ___bpm after a few minutes. Those of us who do this cannot really do this for minutes at a time; we exhaust then stop.
I often would engage in conversation, laugh, or drink water just to demonstrate to others that this is not contemplative, or bearing down on pelvis, contra stimulation of parasympathetic response, etc. In every single case I have convinced my peers, professors, cardiologists, and others that this was real. In every case they stood corrected, surprised, but did not understand.
So reserve some mystery for the unknown; these posters here are not unbalanced. We can tell, as a bona fides, others who have this versus others who are imagining it. It requires no thought, emotion, respiration, or other manipulation and it does not respond to time; its instantaneous. Oh, and when done, there will be an appreciable difference in armpit smell. This may be due to the secretion of porcine/like glands related to... fight or flight- sympathetic response!
Lastly, I am also a well adjusted 50 year special forces medic with over a decade in war zones- I tell you plainly that some of these posters do not need mental health exams! I too, when young, wondered whether this odd ability had manifestations outside of my body. I too stared at candles to put out flame, tried to get a girl to turn around, etc., while "squeezing." I think these were/are normal actions of a curious, examined mind. (The girls didn't turn around and the candle remained lit).

My final note is, while lost in time related to the Posting date, I hope my comments serve some benefit for anyone searching to discover what is happening to them. I began searching for explanation before internet age and the medical books, as the internet now, had nothing conclusive. And yet... each one of us who does this is just 100% positive that this ability IS deeply related to something else; isn't that right? Here is a throw away email address I offer if anyone can help me still to understand this ability. I will keep email for 24 months from Apr 14. priapus4u (at) hotmail. com

[Angella]

I can speed up/slow down my heart rate. Never tried to change my pupil size but it's a response to light so not sure how you are managing that. Heart rate though should be pretty easy for anyone in moderately descent shape.