8 Effective Sensory Therapy Alternatives

Explore more ways to help those with sensory needs.

In part one (Issue 143-November), we looked at some of the unintended downsides of exposure therapy for sensory sensitivities, and why it doesn’t actually desensitize as intended but teaches the person to mask their visible reactions. What if there were a different way?

In fact, there are several alternative options that can help with different aspects of sensory “issues,” and a multi-pronged approach often has the best chance of everyone being happy with the outcome.

Here are a few other options:

Integration therapy

Sensory integration therapies, when led by a responsive therapist, do what exposure therapy intends to do. It actually calms the nervous system so that it becomes less reactive, or more responsive, as appropriate.

The whole idea here is to teach the nervous system what calm feels like by engaging senses in combinations—pairing one or more senses that are happy with one sense that is not.

The idea is that the senses that are happy will teach the other one that what they are experiencing is okay. For example, someone may have no problem with scents and like heavy pressure, but their vestibular sense makes them nauseous at any movement. So we might put out some essential oils that they like, and ask them to wear a weighted vest while bouncing on a big yoga ball.

As much as possible, the child should be able to participate in selecting the intensity of the exposure. If they are the one bouncing on a yoga ball, they can bounce a little or a lot, stopping when they need to. This way it can activate their vestibular sense without making them nauseated.

This kind of sensory integration helps the nervous system learn to process the external stimuli so that it’s not as overwhelming.

Listening therapies

Some autistic individuals have had some excellent results with various listening therapies. Each version is a little different, with different outcomes, so look for one that meets your needs.

I’ve personally experienced very good results from the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP). It enhances vagal tone and helps bring the nervous system out of fight-flight-freeze-fawn activation and into a state of calm and safety.

Technology aids

There are technological aids that can help. Here are a few options:

• Apollo Neuro is a wearable wristband that gently vibrates in different modes to help your body rest and relax, sleep or wake up, get energized, or focus.

• Dreampad is a pillow that sends soothing sounds and music through gentle vibrations to your body, triggering a natural calming response and helping you sleep.

• Alpha Stim is used to feed the brain alpha waves, which reduce anxiety and depression, enhancing your ability to focus and learn.

DIY aids

Stimming, weighted blankets, sensory toys, fidget toys, and the Wilbarger Protocol of skin brushing and compressions are some ways we can self-regulate our own bodies’ needs throughout the day so that they don’t become overwhelming.

Anxiety management

Living with senses that are frequently dysregulated can create a lot of anxiety. Senses can be frequently overwhelmed, not stimulated enough, or react without warning, and this can be scary knowing when it’s going to happen next, or knowing that it will happen but that you can’t avoid the situation, can also be stressful.

Unfortunately, when anxiety levels rise, it heightens stress responses in the nervous system, which makes sensory processing even more challenging.

Sensory overwhelm is not the same thing as anxiety, but worrying that you’re going to be overwhelmed can cause it. Here are a few options to help manage anxiety.

Dr. Stephen Hayes developed Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) after struggling with anxiety himself. It teaches simple strategies for how to let go of the thoughts that won’t leave us alone.

The Work of Byron Katie is a powerful, yet simple series of questions that helps us find the truth in the thoughts that are causing us pain. It works in every area of our lives, and applied to sensory things, it might question beliefs such as “It’ll never get any better,” “I can’t deal with this,” “I don’t know how to help my kid, “It’s not okay to be different,” “No one will accept him the way he is,” or “She needs to change.”

Some of those thoughts above may apply to your child, or to you as the parent who’s watching your child struggle and wanting the best for them.

Coaching

Working with a coach can give you personalized help in adapting your life to be a sensory refuge. It can also help you to work through those thoughts and expectations that may be getting in the way of being your best self as you try to help your kid. An autistic coach, or one with sensory differences, can offer personal insights and perspectives that are often profound.

Acknowledge sensory differences

The hardest thing about living in the sensory minority hasn’t been the sensory experiences themselves (and I am not in any way diminishing the pain of that), but feeling that I was wrong for having those experiences. Believing that I was broken, disordered, not good enough, that I would never be the way people expected me to be, and being told that I just needed to try harder when I was already trying my absolute best was excruciating.

I wish my parents and teachers had used language like, “How does this feel to you?” “What does your body need right now to feel good?” “How can I make this better for you?” “It looks like you’re really struggling. How can I help?” “What can we do so we both feel good?” or “If that doesn’t work for you, that’s okay. Let’s find another way together.”

Sensory pleasures and euphoria

So much of the conversation around sensory differences focuses on the difficulties and challenges, and we often overlook the parts that are truly wonderful.

Look for sensory experiences that your child loves, that help them feel pleasure or euphoria. Add more of those good sensations into their daily routine, and focus on them whenever possible.

Remind your child that not all sensory differences are challenging. Also, bring up how other people don’t get to experience those pleasures in the beautiful ways that they do.

Closing thoughts

What we need to feel good in our sensory bodies is not the same thing as the strategies we use to meet those needs. You might need to feel calm, but there are many ways to calm down, including deep breathing, stimming, using fidget toys, being alone, being with someone else, and more.

The more strategies you have available to you, the more you can adapt as situations change and needs change. I hope this helps you find a variety of strategies to meet your own family’s ever-changing needs.