Quote:
Originally Posted by kcpackers12
I am quite familiar with this. Just happened actually, and lasted approximately 30 minutes, and it caused me to google it. I have never gotten a concrete answer/diagnosis, but from all the people I have consulted(mother who is an RN, Neurologist), the best answer they can give me it that is has something to do with the eyes and how your eyes perceive physical movement.
It used to happen frequently as a kid(I'm 27 now). I'd say once a month or more. About an hour or so after a nice long videogame session it would start to kick in. I find it hard to believe that it is only eyesight, because there are certain subtle physical feelings I get when it hits full blast. I tend to get mild tingling sensations, and feel a bit of a rush of bloodflow to the brain.
Since puberty it happens once or twice a year. I think some of the posts on here are not experiencing quite the same thing as the original poster. It starts very subtle, where you can "sense" or "feel" a change in your mind(perhaps the rush of blood to the brain), but the physical "speed" of things is unchanged for a minute or two.. then soon you start to notice that sounds around you are louder (like a fan on low that you normally don't hear unless you focus your hearing on it, the fan suddenly sounds a little louder and faster), objects seem to act faster(like the blinking of an alarm clock that was unplugged and flashes 12:00), and your own body movements seem to be sped up ten-fold. You can wave your hand across your face and it "seems" like it went at 50mph, you can walk around and you feel like your walking faster than you've ever walked before. It's important to note that when these things are happening I am cognisant that I am not in actuality walking faster or waving my hands faster, it is merely a TIME PERCEPTION DISTORTION. I can get a little freaked out by it, but that's only because I cannot comprehend how it starts or where it comes from. I do not think this is panic/anxiety related at all.
I don't get a racing heartbeat, it can feel that way to some because of the aforementioned tingling/odd sensations you get in the head/body. It does seem more related to your own physical movements than exterior stimuli. The more I move, the faster things seem to get. It has lasted as little as a few minutes, as long as 45 or so. It does seem to fade slightly then poof things go back to normal. The process of it "starting" comes on more gradually than how it goes away.
I find it very perplexing that I can instantly "feel" the change in my brain when it starts, yet it is very acute and does not hit full-blown "speed up" for another minute or two. I don't remember much as a child, but I can distinctly remember this feeling and I know exactly what it is when it starts.
I've always found this to be very strange, but the one common theme was that after 4-8 hours of videogames was typically when it would happen as a child. It does seem to be random in adulthood.
The comments about inner ear could be on the right track, as it may have something to do with the equalibrium. But an eye/time perception distortion has been the best explanation I can give, considering the main symptom is your own physical movements "feel" fast but you also are aware that they are not in reality.
Thyroid is an interesting comment, I wouldn't mind getting that checked.
Hope this helps.
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Hi all,
Danish male (28 y), living in London.
I think you describe the feeling very well. My first memory of this was when I was very young. I was playing on my gameboy, and I was lying a very quiet room playing away. I could feel the "gradual" activation of the session. I kept on playing though and surely enough it came to me.
Everyting feels very fast, sounds are louder, more intense, and even listening to quiet songs is way too intense. Things also seem softer, like touching my skin. It's very hard for me to explain, but it's very disturbing. My sessions usually lasts between 5-10 minutes. They would happen more frequently as a kid but not as powerful. Maybe it's because they're not as frequent anymore that they feel more powerful these days. I did not have an incidence for a few years when I had one a few months ago. I don't remember what triggered it, but it was the most intense one to date.
Noteworthy incidents was when I was playing the gameboy, one time when I was in a laundromat and the centrifuge was spinning. I was hungover, and it triggered. Another time it triggered was during a fight with my ex-girlfriend. So they are all clearly stress related.
I can more or less control whether or not I want it to trigger when it comes. Meaning that I can try and stop it from happening. I usually sit down on the floor, close my eyes, hold my hands on my ears and try and block out all sounds and light. That helps sometimes. I do something very similar when I try to snap out of it.
I always thought it was some sort of epilepsy, but I don't know anymore. I am very happy to see that other people have experienced the exact same thing as me.
I looked over the Alice in Wonderland Syndrome, and it could maybe be related to that, even though the wiki page (Oct 2014) does not mention anything about speeding up, but only things seeming smaller, larger and things moving slower. I always tell people in my surroundings what I'm feeling when I get the "seizures". I think that's important. I asked a doctor about it too once, but she didn't have any conclusive things to say. She said it might be small brain aneurysms, but then how can I "control" whether or not I want to trigger it or not?
I would like to point out that I was very sick as a child, and that I would get very hallucinating when I had fevers. I saw alot of weird things. My mom tells me about it from time to time. Maybe it's related? I'm not sure. I am also quite prone to depressions, and I have had eating disorders in the past aswell. I have also had panic attacks, and I can assure people that they are very distinctly different from the "fast attacks". I don't think that the seizures are mentally triggered though. Vision is very likely. I have 20/20 vision, with a slight colour blindness though, so it's not like I'm stressing my eyes too much. I also work in front of a computer everyday for many hours.
I'm sorry if this post is very confusing. I just wrote it out as it came to me.
Amazing to read that you all have experienced the exact same thing as I have.
I will try and follow this thread as new posts come in.