unusual 'fast feeling' in my head

I'm 20 as of a few weeks ago, and after searching for a bit on the strange sensation that is described in this forum I still don't really know what causes it. When i was much younger, say 10 or 11, I recall being quite badly ill and bed ridden for a few days. Think it was influenza, and being summer in Northern Queensland at the time it was humid and hot. These two factors probably worsened my condition, and I remember having quite abstract yet seemingly aggressive or violent hallucinations. I would be looking at a random object and i would imagine faces usually smiling. This was accompanied by a feeling of helplessness - i could still move fine, but I couldn't stop the hallucinations. Accompanying these hallucinations however was the occasional feeling of increased perception of sounds and touch, along with speed.

Everynow and then even to today I get these symptoms of 'fast' or 'aggressive/harsh' surroundings. I have associated a few things that usually lead up to the effect taking place:

1. Usually rather calm, and i'll be actively thinking about something, such as uni study or in an exam, or even just daydreaming.
2. There usually isn't people around when it starts, and it mostly happens in the afternoon or at night, but never when i am just about to go to bed or if i wake up in the middle of the night.
3. There may be noises in the background, but I don't think i've ever been listening to music on my computer or with headphones on and had this happen.

I can effectively make it last for what seems like as long as I want, however the longest i've had it is probably 15mins or so, with the shortest maybe 2 or 3 mins. A way to stop the 'fast feeling' is to think out loud, with study or whatever, and try and move the body around a bit more, especially eye direction and head level. Most of the time talking to people directly, just being within line of sight and close to people, or watching a video/listening to music that isn't too loud or fast will also stop the effect most of the time. Occasionally though it doesn't and i've just had to wait it out.

It's slightly scary, kind of unpredictable, strangely satisfying at times, and altogether odd. I'm not particularly worried about it but after it goes away i do feel some after affects of grogginess or slight 'coldness'. Just want to know whether its caused by something more serious, or whether it can cause something serious. Otherwise i'm not overly worried. I get these 'feelings' maybe a few times a year, but have had 2 in the last fortnight with one earlier tonight - hence looking it up. Good to know i'm not the only one.

I'm 46 now, but as a young kid I used too have these all the time. It would freak me out so much. I used too lay in my bed wishing it would go away. I ended up figuring out a solution to make it stop...I would focus on another thought or (this is silly) make myself move slower. It would go away after awhile. You all think we are some type of special breed? LOL! I can't find anything online with medical findings. Anyone else?

i have been getting this ever since i can remember but my doctor can't tell me what it is if any one knows please tell me cause i need to know.

HI im 24 and have just started getting this fast feeling! the first time it really scared me but now ive been more calm when its happend again. I also have the same feeling of being super human fast but not really, my thoughts are also moving very fast. i can sense when its going to happen like right b4 it hard to explain but its like my thoughts are being disconected spread out in a sense all my own voice which is just commenting on things around me it starts to get faster and i start losing control of the speed at which they are talking. It never happends for very long sometimes only a couple minutes i can tell when im ok my mind feels more solid and i have regained control. I never got this as a child im wondering if its from exparimenting with drugs?

OMG, This feels so good to read. I had this when I was a kid and feared of telling anyone thinking they would think I was nuts. I am 32 now and hardly ever get it. Maybe only 2-3 times in my adult life. But now, my daughter is having it, and as soon as she started to try to explain it I knew exactly what she was talking about even though no one else did. She started at age 5 and they are happened a lot now. She's had a sleep test and nothing showed and the pediatrician mentioned the the Alice in Wonderland theroy as well and said its a sign she may develop migranes as an adult? I had the feeling and do have migraines easily now as an adult. Anyone else have this same connection?

Wow, I hadn't thought of this feeling in quite a while until for some reason it came across my mind today. I'm 35 years old now and I haven't had this happen to me for a few years, but it used to happen to me quite often when I was younger. I'd say it would occur most often when I was tired or sick; in my pre-teen years it probably happened 3-5 times a year, but less and less as I got older. It can definitely be described as a sudden sense of urgency that everything around you is moving at a mile a minute, but in reality everything is happening at normal speed.

I remember trying to explain this to my Mom when I was around 10, she looked at me like I was crazy and said she didn't understand what I was talking about.

This is weird.. I just got this sort of feeling for the first time in about 5 years.. And much worse than before. I feel like im going insane, I was trying to sleep and I couldnt because of this, I had to get up and see if there was anything on the internet about it, Im very glad I found this.. My body also feels very heavy and everything I touch seems very heavy.. Now this might sound really crazy, and its the first time this has ever happened.. But I keep getting the feeling that someone is telling me to relax and slow down.. And sit on the lounge.. May sound a bit weird, And I feel like im insane typing it.. Really stressing me out. :-(

Has anyone found out what causes this????? My 9 year old has been experiencing it everyday for a week. Last week she had a virus with fever. She feels a fast feeling in her head, hears talking as fast. If she goes outside it seems to help. Had a normal EEG yesterday. I'm so so worried that I can't sleep. She is a slightly shy, generally quiet girl. Doctor said it could be anxiety, another said it could be fluid in the inner ear. Any thoughts? Can someone out there give me a little hope about this? :-(

I'm currently experiencing one right now D8
The only way i can make it go away is by looking at myself in a mirror and convincing my brain that i'm moving slowly.
I'm so glad that im not the only person experiencing this. I get scared so much each time it occurs. Its been happening since i was around seven and i get it each time i play sims 3.

i'm 22 and i started getting this exact feeling that everyone is describing like a year ago. It's been happening to me like once a week, though it happens unpredictably. Everything from movements, speech and thoughts are perceived super fast in my mind even though i know it's happening at a normal speed. It freaks me out and it sucks that no one here has found a the reason as to why it happens. You don't think it's marijuana related right?

I get this too. i would really like to know what it is called, it is pretty irritating, if feels like your body is in warp speed when you are really moving slow. i wish there was a name for it. or if this is a good or bad thing.

Same story here. Started getting it when I was a little kid and no one understood it. I got the fast feeling, sounds seemed intensified, heavy feeling in limbs. I had a few episodes as a teen but just tried to brush them off, too embarassed to tell anyone, and a few more in my early 20's. I'm now 28 and have recently had a few episodes.

I suffer from Migraines as well.

I've found that being in a car with the hazard lights blinking almost always triggers this for me. Something about the repetitive "click, click" does it to me everytime. I am a highway construction engineer and I'm often driving back and forth through construction zones with my hazards on. If I'm driving it doesn't happen, but if I'm the passenger...everything starts speedin up haha.

I finally told my g/f about it and she thought I was nuts, that it was just anxiety. yeah right. I let her read some of the posts on here and now she doesn't think i'm crazy!! Thanks guys!!

This is the first time I've looked this up and surprise other people experience it as well. I never really gave it much thought as it wasn't really damaging, as far as I know. Meaning it didn't make me feel sick or anything. I was only searching for the "fast feeling" and I read that the other thing I was experiencing is common with that feeling. Objects seeming bigger or smaller. I'm 24 now and I still do experience this from time to time. Not as much as when I was younger but they still do happen. It sure sounds like AIWS. Interesting. At least now I can associate a name with it. :-D And migraines are a big issue here too. :-(

I just recently had one of these episodes today so i thought i would look it up i thought i was the only one lol. Been getting them a while now and they are getting more and more frequent just a couple weeks ago i had it while on the computer in my bedroom and it felt as if all my senses were so much more enhanced i could hear a conversation between my mother and sister downstairs aswell as a sort of floating type feeling it feels like a rush in my head and that time is moving in fast forward or something like that. Hope it is nothing to be concerned about o.O

omg the same thing is happign to me right now is liek everythign around me is really fast the telly atm the persomn is talkign so fast and my hands typing this are goign super fast and my brain and what iu'm thinking are so sos so fast and somtimes it makes me talk to my self but ti happings all teh tiem with me lik once a day and i'm only 13 but still its kinda screy fo rme does any one no what it is called or am i just meltal