|| First published: | Last edited: || 📚🕒 Reading Time: 2 minutes Deep pressure is a natural sensory need where firm, consistent pressure (like heavy blankets or tight hugs) helps tension melt away from your body. Many people naturally seek this through things like snug clothing or curling up under blankets – it’s your nervous system’s way of finding calm and comfort.
Deep pressure is particularly beneficial for people with sensory processing issues.
Who is deep pressure for?
You may already be engaging in activities that provide deep pressure without realizing it. 🙂 While deep pressure can be part of occupational therapy, it doesn’t need a therapeutic setting to work.
You can try it at home by using a weighted blanket, or ask to be wrapped up in a nice bear hug from someone you love. It also works with massages and activities that naturally provide deep pressure, such as swimming or yoga, where the water pressure or body positions exert a calming, grounding effect.
These natural behaviors can be comforting and grounding, helping you feel more centered.
What does deep pressure feel like?
Deep pressure is often described as a comforting, grounding sensation. It can feel like a warm hug or a gentle weight that envelops the body, providing a sense of safety and calm. This experience can be particularly soothing during times of stress or sensory overload.
How does it work?
Many neurodivergent individuals seek deep pressure as a way to self-soothe and manage anxiety. It can serve as a coping mechanism to help regulate emotions and create a sense of stability in overwhelming situations.
This form of tactile sensory input can stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, reducing anxiety and promoting feelings of calm and relaxation. It can also improve body awareness, focus, and overall sensory integration.
Using deep pressure in stressful situations measurably lowers the heart rate, as it was found in a study of autistic students. 1
Is deep pressure the same as restriction?
While deep pressure is something you choose and control for comfort, restriction is very different – it’s when someone or something limits your movement against your wishes.
Deep pressure should always feel releasing and calming, never constraining or distressing. You should be able to easily adjust or stop the pressure whenever you want.
Restriction feels threatening and distressing, like being trapped against your will. This distinction is crucial because some people mistakenly try to force deep pressure on others, which turns a potentially comforting experience into harmful restriction.
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