Smith first came across ASMR in 2011, when she was in the grips of post-traumatic stress disorder after a car accident. “At the time, I was constantly reliving what had happened to me, but not processing it,” she says. “I was having panic attacks and was unable to concentrate. Day-to-day, I was functioning but  I was completely disconnected from myself.”

Smith began searching for nature sounds to fall asleep to when she stumbled upon the ASMR YouTube channel The Water Whispers. As she listened to the performer Isle’s velvety voice, she realised she wanted in on this intimate world. “I started making videos just to be part of the community,” says Smith. “I just wanted to talk to people who experienced this feeling, too.”

Similarly, Sophie Michelle, a 22-year-old ASMRtist from Chester with over 300,000 subscribers, tells me that she first came across ASMR after her brother was diagnosed with a brain tumour. Michelle found herself home alone more often, stressed about exams and struggling to sleep. “I started watching make-up tutorials to relax when ASMR came up as a suggested video on YouTube,” she says. “I didn’t tell anyone about it. It was my own haven of calm.” Michelle, who is a performing arts student, started making her own videos. She’s using the money she’s making, around £5,000 a month, to pay for university.

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