Halloween is filled with
the whisperings of people wanting to go to Haunted Houses, Haunted Hayrides,
and what not. But for a person like me I don't need to spend the $20-$60 to go
to a Haunted House. I can go to one for free!
You see I have something called an SPD
or a Sensory Processing Disorder as it is more widely known. The reason I can
go to a Haunted House for free is because our definitions of Haunted Houses are
similar yet different.
People go to Haunted
Attractions to have other people scare them and cause their body to go into a
fake panic/ fight or flight response. They go to enjoy the fear that they feel.
They enjoy their heightened senses, which are caused by the mixture of sensory deprivation
(the dark with occasional lights takes away the ability for your eyes to adjust
and therefore takes away your sense of sight), the sounds, sometimes the
smells, and especially the touch...
But for me, all I need to
do to get that feeling is to go into a room of people. Family parties and trips
are my Haunted Houses. Eating dinner with a group of girls from my dorm is also
my Haunted House. I can not stop the fight or flight feeling that builds inside
of me because everything feels and sounds so much louder than it does for
others. The overload of sensory information eventually triggers the (Severe) Generalized
Anxiety Disorder (that I also have) and causes me to shut down. The only way to
stop it is to isolate myself and hide. I wish that I didn't have to do this but
it is necessary.
