Steve's story is similar to the story of Phineas P. Gage (1823-1860), an American railroad construction foreman who is known for surviving for 12 years after a large iron rod was driven completely through his head, destroying most of his brain's frontal left lobe. In 1848 he was directing a team of workers in rock blasting to clear a path for a new railroad, he was packing a hole in the ground with blasting powder when the tip of his tamping rod created a spark igniting the powder and driving the rod through his skull. Gage became an important topic of discussion in the fields of neurology, psychology, and neuroscience, not only for the highly improbable odds of his survival but for his sudden changes in mood and behavior in the years following the accident. He was perhaps the first case known to medical science to suggest the brain's role in determining personality, and that damage to specific parts of the brain might induce specific mental changes.
AMSR stands for Autonomous sensory meridian response, a tingling sensation that usually begins on the scalp that runs down the back of the neck and spine, it can also cause aesthetic chills (goosebumps) on the skin. It is described as a low grade euphoria with a static like tingling sensation. For some it is triggered by a sound, like someone whispering in their ear, it can be erotic and sexual, like getting goosebumps and an electric tingling sensation down the spine by being lightly touched, especially by a lover. It is not always sexual in nature though, for some people it is triggered by the sound of whispering (any whispering), other people report it happening from quiet, repetitive sounds like pages turning in a book, or waves lapping on a shore. Some report experiencing ASMR when watching certain mundane tasks like brushing hair or preparing food, others from hearing sounds like paper being crinkled or typing on a keyboard.