Now, a few nights ago, I was lying there insomniacally, minding my own business, when I heard a strange rhythmic sound coming from the other side of the bed. I turned and looked over, to find Adam, face down, palms flat on either side of his head, slamming his face repeatedly into his pillow. For a long time. It was pretty freaky.
I heard this rhythmic... thing, and I looked up, and you were going (lying face-down, lifts head and slams face back down into pillow, repeatedly)
ADAM:
Oh my god, I was head-banging again!
KAREN:
And at one point, you briefly turned to the side (turns head, and continues demonstration)
ADAM:
I do it on the side!
KAREN:
But then you said, nope (face-down again, bangs a few more times). You did it for, maybe, a minute straight, a long time.
ADAM:
I used to do it for twenty minutes, half an hour, awake, when I was a kid.
KAREN:
Is that how you do it? Down into the pillow? It wasn't that you banged your head on the crib or something?
ADAM:
No! No, that would've hurt. I used to do this, hang on.
KAREN:
Wait, you remember this?
ADAM:
Oh God, yeah.
KAREN:
How old were you?
ADAM:
This was going from when I was very very young, 'til about eight or nine. I used to put myself to sleep this way. I used to put music on, and head-bang to music.
KAREN:
Okay, do it.
ADAM:
Okay, I did it more on my chin—
KAREN:
Okay, I'll sing, ready? (singing horribly, as Adam head-bangs along) I set fire to the raiiiiiiiin, watch it (giggles)...
ADAM:
And sometimes I do this (head bangs more slowly)—
KAREN:
Yes! That tempo is exactly what you were doing.
ADAM:
It's really nice.
KAREN:
Hold on, let me try it. So, on your chin—
ADAM:
—on your chin and mouth.
KAREN:
(tries a few bangs) .... I don't find anything nice about that.
ADAM:
(joins in, and we bang together) I used to do this, Mum and Dad would be in the room, and I used to talk to them like this (bangs to the side). And I'd be talking, but it's not so nice on the side, then I did it face down. And I did it so much, I used to get a callus. I used to split my chin, and there was blood all over my pillow, a scab on my chin—
KAREN:
And what did they think about, you'd be talking to them doing that?
ADAM:
Well, they took me to the the doctors, and they said, actually, a lot of boys do it. Um, normally they grow out of it before I did—
KAREN:
What, before they're 39?
ADAM:
Yeah. And very few of them did it to music. But it was relaxing. It was a de-stressor.
KAREN:
It freaked that shit out of me. It was really really really strange.
ADAM:
Um, hmmm. Well, something's bothering me, or—
KAREN:
But you've never done it before. Certainly never that I've known of—
ADAM:
I wonder if it was the rosé that's—
KAREN:
What?
ADAM:
—having alcohol—
KAREN:
No, you've had alcohol other times.
ADAM:
I don't know, maybe it was the tiramisu, took me back to childhood... Something's triggered me.
KAREN:
Maybe it's just all this stuff with [name censored]. Or maybe it was just fun.
When I was a teen I had a friend who did this in her sleep on occasion, it really freaked me out the first couple of times. I can't remember if I ever asked her about it when she was awake.
Children find "Self Comfort" mechanisms when they are very little, sucking a thumb, or rocking, and others. Mine was rubbing my feet together in a sort of figure 8 motion, which I find myself still doing in times of duress. Somehow I don't think I would find head banging especially comforting, but to each his or her own.
I dated a man (he was 21 when we started dating) who did this his whole life. From what I understood, he did this to put himself to sleep when he felt sick (he has cystic fibrosis so he was sick a lot AND he was an alcoholic). It freaked me out too, I had never seen anything like it until I dated him and I grew up with 2 older brothers.
I would bang my head on my pillow too! Eventually, I stopped but I still remember doing it. I don't even know why I did it some much. Maybe I was trying to knock myself unconscious, LOL
My son, who is 30 now, started doing this at 9 months to a rhythm he 'sang'. The doc said that many sensitive children do it to self-soothe. He turned out to be a fine artist, and still does it on occasion.
Jika kalian semuanya yang tinggal di Jakarta, lalu ingin pergi ke kota Bandung untuk mencari tempat wisata tentunya terbilang mudah. Karena sekarang anda semuanya bisa melewati tol Cipularang yang akan memangkas waktu tempuh untuk sampai di Bandung kurang lebih 2 – 3 jam saja.
Jadi tidak perlu merasakan heran lagi jika banyak di antara para https://Yogyakembali.web.id wisatawan domestik atau pun internasional yang telah mengunjungi Bandung. Untuk transportasi menujung Bandung juga tidak sedikit.
When I was a teen I had a friend who did this in her sleep on occasion, it really freaked me out the first couple of times. I can't remember if I ever asked her about it when she was awake.
ReplyDeleteI use to suck my thumb, some kids bang their heads I guess.
ReplyDeleteChildren find "Self Comfort" mechanisms when they are very little, sucking a thumb, or rocking, and others. Mine was rubbing my feet together in a sort of figure 8 motion, which I find myself still doing in times of duress. Somehow I don't think I would find head banging especially comforting, but to each his or her own.
ReplyDeleteI rub my feet together too! Or I kick them. Not my whole leg, just little foot kicks, like a flipper.
DeleteIts not so odd I used to do this when i was a kid too
ReplyDeleteI dated a man (he was 21 when we started dating) who did this his whole life. From what I understood, he did this to put himself to sleep when he felt sick (he has cystic fibrosis so he was sick a lot AND he was an alcoholic). It freaked me out too, I had never seen anything like it until I dated him and I grew up with 2 older brothers.
ReplyDeleteI would bang my head on my pillow too! Eventually, I stopped but I still remember doing it. I don't even know why I did it some much. Maybe I was trying to knock myself unconscious, LOL
ReplyDeletewho is that censored person?
ReplyDeleteWow, what happened to good ole masterbation?
ReplyDeleteMy son, who is 30 now, started doing this at 9 months to a rhythm he 'sang'. The doc said that many sensitive children do it to self-soothe. He turned out to be a fine artist, and still does it on occasion.
ReplyDeletei used to do it too... right up to adulthood. i stopped when my husband asked me to. i should ask him if i still do it in my sleep.
ReplyDeleteJika kalian semuanya yang tinggal di Jakarta, lalu ingin pergi ke kota Bandung untuk mencari tempat wisata tentunya terbilang mudah. Karena sekarang anda semuanya bisa melewati tol Cipularang yang akan memangkas waktu tempuh untuk sampai di Bandung kurang lebih 2 – 3 jam saja.
ReplyDeleteJadi tidak perlu merasakan heran lagi jika banyak di antara para https://Yogyakembali.web.id wisatawan domestik atau pun internasional yang telah mengunjungi Bandung. Untuk transportasi menujung Bandung juga tidak sedikit.
he did this to put himself to sleep when he felt sick (he has cystic fibrosis so he was sick a lot AND he was an alcoholic)
ReplyDelete