Body rocking

[Pauledh]

Hi,

I wonder if anyone could help me figure out something... Up until about 4 years ago I would body-rock. Im now 34, from the age of I realy dont know when... since my memory started at the age of say 2 i would body rock. I'd lie on the floor and rock for between a few minutes up to 6 hours or more. I'd rock on the floor and day dream and it seems that the rocking motion would help me day dream and I'd end up in almost in a trance. It completly messed up my education... instead of studying I'd body rock and dream whenever possible.... I mean I was totaly addicted to it, it may seam strange but it got worse from childhood. Im my teens and twenties i spent most of my spare time doing this, once I got to the age to start listening to music I'd body rock with music playing, with the different type of music depending one what i wanded to dream about or vice versa. It could be for the whole weekend and I've lost so much my life doing this.... You would'nt believe. I don't believe I'm autistic... i dont seem to show any other signs... I have a good career now and live a happy life but I'd like to understand what happened to me for all those years.

I'm not entirely sure this is the right forum, maybe it should be mental health but if anyone could help me understand I would much appreciatre your thoughts! If not i will try the other forums. Thanks for your time

[mudpies]

I am 46 and have rocked my entire life. My mother hated it but could not stop me. I now spend several hours a day rocking to music and reading. If I don't have this time to rock, read, and listen to music I will have the mother of all anxiety attacks.
My rocking is due to several things, lack of affection of any kind from other humans. Neither of my parents were affectionate people. We were not hugged or comforted as children regardless of the circumstances. Even as an adult I go years without being touched in any way by another person if I can. But everyone needs some form of comfort. The rocking is my comfort for the lack of affection and human interaction. I also use it as a coping mechanism for anxiety. Lastly it is hereditary. I understand that the man who fathered me also use to rock.

[AllBahianGirl]

My aunt was telling me that children in war torn Afghanistan bounce due to a lack of love. I personally don't know what to do about my bouncing and it's gotten worst since I've been on disability from my job. Now I have all day to bounce and I notice that my social contacts except for my sister are non-existent. I don't think there is any cure for this and I have accepted the fact that I'm going to continue the rest of my life bouncing and living in a fantasy world. It's kind of creepy thinking that all I did with my life was bounce and I'll be bouncing until Gabriel blows on his horn. What a wasted life.

[Nativepridegirl]

Mudpies, I would have to agree with your thought on this being hereditary. I am 38 and I did not meet my biological father until last year.  I had always assumed that my rocking was a form of Add or OCD. These tendencies run in my mom's family and there were many relatives with OCD type tendencies  on my mom's side. Well then I met my Dad and he has 2 other Daughters. I found out recently that one of my sister's on my dad's side had also rocked in exactly the same way I have all of her life.  Allbahain Girl, I too had a VERY traumatic childhood with abusive parents. My mom was mentally ill and a drug addict throughout my childhood.  My sister (although we have different mothers ) had a very abusive childhood as well and she had similar experiences with her mother.  The fact that my sister who  had never met also rocks is a serious indication that this is definitely something hereditary. However the fact that we were both raised by drug addicted mentally ill mothers has to be taken into account as well. So is this behavior hereditary or is it a coping mechanism  that we developed from being brought up in such a traumatic environment?      In my case (since according to my mother  my rocking started in my infancy and from what I can gather from other family members this was a  relatively  happy time for us)  I think its a little of both..  I get extremely anxious and suffer from anxiety attacks if I go to long without my time to  rock.

[cookies1091]

I thought I was the only one! For the longest, I thought I was crazy and I still think I kinda am! I'm 19 and I can't remember not ever doing it! It takes over my life! I want to be normal for once! Growing up ppl thought I was retired! My family was ashamed of me! I got beat up constantly for rocking! When I rock, it relieve stress, I go into my own world (Day-dreaming)! I become very irritated when I can't not do it! I believe it is a form of OCD!! Plus on top of that I have anxiety disorder! So yes I'm all messed up! From the outside I'm a normal person but really ppl don't have no idea

[AllBahianGirl]

At 50 years old I don't think I will EVER stop bouncing. I feel like why stop now since I messed up my childhood,teenage years,early adulthood and now middle age bouncing?  I feel like I may as well continue to bounce until the Second Coming of Christ. Can anyone else tell me on this message board if their parents were aware of their bouncing and were any measures taken to stop this bouncing? My mother knew I had issues as a child but she was so strange herself that she probably felt like my bouncing was "normal". I feel like if maybe something had been done about this bouncing when I was younger I might have stopped and not become addicted to bouncing up to 7 hours a day like I do now. Even when I went to Brazil in 2003 I still had to go back to my hotel room and bounce for a couple of hours. Even when I'm doing other things I'm still thinking about going home and bouncing listening to music on my Ipod. I LOVE the fantasy world that I can retreat into while bouncing cause my own life is HELLISH!!!

[cookies1091]

Now I think about, my mother never tired to stop my habit! WIRED! Reading everyone else made me realize my own story! I believe my mother ignored it..she simply did not talk about! She ignored all problems! She still ignores my anxiety disorder,and that started at the age of 5 and now 19! Guess she will always be in denial...