This morning is the day before my exam results get released. Of course, I’m very nervous and my hands are sweating to the extent of dripping on the floor.
No, I’m not nervous (touch wood – actually, I am), it’s because I have a hand condition known as hyperhidrosis. It is a genetic condition and is basically when you sweat profusely in certain areas (in my case it’s hands and feet) triggered by certain stimuli – for me it’s certain materials and sounds. The instant I touch or even see certain materials (mostly fabrics) or hear a certain sound my hands become damp and start sweating. What’s interesting is that even when I just think about the stimuli, it occurs. This means its very easy for me to trigger it – stopping it is another issue completely, something which I have been quite interested in for a while.
The common medical practice for dealing can be split into two ways: the permanent and the temporary. The permanent method involves sedating you in an operating theater and burning away your nerve endings with a surgical laser. This isn’t quite my cup of tea, so I looked at the temporary solutions. They range from ultra-powerful anti-persperants, half-hour soaks in baking soda to mild electrocution with a 12V battery (there’s even a YouTube Video of this). No matter what the math says, I’m not planning on hooking myself up to a battery anytime soon.
Another thing I would like to note is that it’s very uncomfortable, even on the brink of painful when this occurs. Think sharp pins jabbing your hand.
What I was interested in was whether or not I could stop this with my mind. It’s quite well-known that the mind is certainly powerful – such to the point that it can even convince itself of death.
What would happen, I reasoned, if I forced myself to feel a material that I knew would trigger it constantly? I took a silk tie and scrunched it within my hands. Instantly I felt sharp jabs of pain in my hand and the tie became damp. What I discovered was interesting – normally I would instantly withdraw my hand, proceeding which they would get damper until they would drip water. However if I kept touching the material, they would get damp, but never more than that – and I can guarantee you it wasn’t because the tie was soaking it up.
Whatever it is they make touchpads out of, that’s another one of the materials I can’t stand. As soon as I so as touch a touchpad, it becomes damp. However, despite this I love having the ability to use a touchpad. It’s convenient and near to the keyboard. However once my hands become damp the touchpad is unusable. Forcing myself to touch it coupled with intense concentration has somehow managed to make it so that the majority of the time, I am now immune to that material.
Even when it does become damp, I have found that through the mind I am able to now actually make it stop (depends on the situation – but it’s improving!)
It isn’t about how my hands feel the material, its about how my mind interprets that feeling. The feeling is still as sharp as ever, but interjection from the mind allows you to separate the feeling itself with the interpretation.
Just my two cents on the topic. I’m going to go wipe the keyboard now.
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Wow, this sounds like a very uncomfortable condition. I hope you get this cured permanently because it can be very embarrassing when you have to shake hands with somebody.
Glad to know that you’ve discovered a way of controlling it though. The power of the mind is amazing.
Though others with the same condition seem to find that social issues is the main complaint, I personally don’t care. If such a situation does arise throwing a medical term at them is enough to make them not want to shake hands with you anyway.
I am interested in ‘the mind convincing itself of death’. Care to elaborate?
Yes. There have been a few cases where this has happened already.
There was once a prisoner that was condemned to death. On the day of his execution he was blindfolded and tied to a chair. This was actually a test being carried out – not a real execution, but the prisoner did not know that. A person took a wet knife and pressed the blunt end to his throat, he then dripped water down the end of the knife. The prisoner felt the tip of the knife and assumed the water was his own blood – he soon died.
Another case was when a person accidentally locked himself in a freezer (warehouse freezer). Knowing he would die he gave a summary of his thoughts- recounting as his body parts slowly froze. The next day he was found dead due to the cold. The thing is that the freezer had been turned off that night – it wasn’t cold at all.
Death is probably quite extreme an example and probably one of the very rare possibilities – but nevertheless it is no question that the mind can have great influence on what we feel and our reactions to it.
I had no idea it was that powerful. I knew it could do amazing things, but to convince yourself that you’re dead is amazing. I don’t know whether they were incredibly clever, but still :p
“Death is probably quite extreme an example and probably one of the very rare possibilities – but nevertheless it is no question that the mind can have great influence on what we feel and our reactions to it.”
Maybe an extreme case of fright in the case of the condemned man? Also the fellow in the freezer… could it be that he was actually suffocating from lack of fresh air?
I don’t know. The psychological profession has an interest in inventing new terms to describe what most people already know pretty well about human behaviour.
Nevertheless, it was an excellent excuse to use that sentence in a blog post
The mind is the most powerful tool.Yet to control it,is a mastery art itself.Try meditating.
This year, I discovered what has plagued me all of my Life… Craniofacial Hyperhidrosis.
I am now in my 40’s and am severely impacted by the Symptoms.
I sweat profusely from my head and scalp. This can happen at anytime.
I am the only freak I know, who has this condition.
Hyperhidrosis won’t kill me, unless I die from embarassment.