Stimulus Overload
Stimulus Overload is the idea that you can overload your nerves with some sort of stimulus so that you no longer feel some other unpleasant sensation.
The first time I consciously tried this out was when I got an allergic reaction and decided that I should apply a lot of scalding water to my skin.
When I mentioned this to my dad, a surgeon, he mentioned Gate Control Theory as a possible mechanism. I suppose people have already thought of this in much detail!
One problem with this idea is that not everyone encounters desensitization when encountering an allergen. Some actually sensitize in response. A few classic allergens that cause sensitization in many are apparently tree nuts[1] and shellfish. Desensitization seems to involve the opposite of this, and requires increasing the exposure slowly[2], but is still not guaranteed to work.
Notes
- ↑ Sicherer, Scott H.; Furlong, Terence J.; Muñoz-Furlong, Anne; Burks, A. Wesley; Sampson, Hugh A. (2001). "A voluntary registry for peanut and tree nut allergy: Characteristics of the first 5149 registrants". Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 108 (1): 128–132. doi:10.1067/mai.2001.116381. Retrieved 2025-01-14.
- ↑ "Tree Nut Desensitisation". Allergy London. Retrieved 2025-01-14.
