My feedback loop is broken

According to accepted wisdom, you can't tickle yourself.

"Even if you do know that you are about to be tickled, the fear and unease of someone touching and possibly hurting you causes you to laugh. Some people are so ticklish that they begin laughing even before they are touched. "
So if you try to tickel yourself, there is not unease, it's not unexpected so it doesn't work.

Well they are wrong.

I'm very ticklish (as the Kodiac has doscovered, and AM before that).

I actually can tickle myself. But only if I break the feedback loop.

If I tickle myself with my fingertips, there is no response. My sides detect my fingers, and my fingers detect my sides. Feedback loop.

If I use my fingernails, the reaction is one way (I don't have many touch receptors in my nails... too many years of biting them I guess) so I tickle myself.

Is that normal?

(No? Kewl!)

take care,
Will