Interesting article.....

(Btw-- I do not have a brain injury, but I have several other neurological issues -- epilepsy, allodynia, pain, etc )

I have Sensory Processing Disorder which can cause sensory overload when too many stimuli, in particular those in which the person who has SPD are extra sensitive to (each person is different in what bother them and what doesn;t) are present that my body and brain can not process and integrate together quickly and all at once. When I go into sensory overload I do not have tantrums-- like the article mentions, but rather my body goes into "fight or flight mode", my world begins to make no sense, everything bothers me and I just need to get away from it all for a little while so my brain and sensory system can calm down, reorganize itself, regroup and have break. From personal experience, going into sensory overload is NOT a pleasent experience it all. However, there are some stratagies and techniques my occupational therapist have taught me so that I can begin to identify when my sensory system begins to get overloaded and deal with it before sensory overload occurs, and when/if I do go into sensory overload ways to readjust, allow my brain to chill and make things easier on me. Theese techniques include anything from having a quiet room to go in for a few moments, making sure to bring a familiar object/food/etc when going into unfamiliar places, using the brushing technique and pressure excerises (theese are used typically when the person knows they are quickly going into overload or are already into overload) to doing calming, peaceful things in an enviroment that isn;t busy, full of people, etc.

My advice is, depending on what the "cause" is--- talk to a professional who is familiar with the sensory system, way it effects your body, can give you more information and suggestions for treatments/coping stratagies. I see an occupational therapist as I have Sensory Processing Disorder; but sensory issues can occur in other disorders and be caused by various things.

L2L