Tinnitus Habituation Therapy: Techniques, Benefits and How It Works
There is a monster in your mind causing you great distress, and you have no idea how to wrangle the beast. It bothers you every moment of the day, mocking your sense of self and making you question reality. It starts subtly as a slight ringing in your ears before ramping up in volume and disrupting your focus forever.
It’s tinnitus, a constant ringing in your ears that can disrupt concentration, frustrate you, and aggravate you. Despite the sophistication of modern scanning and diagnostic technologies, we still have much to learn about tinnitus’s causes and mechanisms. That’s where Vibrant Hearing comes in. We aim to help you finally control this beast. So, how do we do it?
Understanding Tinnitus
Before we talk about how your tinnitus can improve, let’s first take a minute to understand why tinnitus can be so annoying. As you probably know, it’s all in your head — literally.
Tinnitus is a neural activity. Various filters allow you to ignore or focus on certain neural impulses. You also have a tiny little organ in your brain called the amygdala, which decides which neural impulses are most important to health and safety. Unfortunately, your amygdala isn’t easy to reason with, and when it chooses to hyper-focus on the tinnitus activity, it can be challenging to convince it to settle down.
Luckily, there are many therapy options available to help. Vibrant Hearing’s tinnitus habituation therapy has made people suffering from tinnitus feel like anything is possible.
Tinnitus Habituation Therapy and You: How It Works
Most current tinnitus treatments aim to achieve habituation, which reduces or eliminates the adverse reaction to tinnitus through repeated exposure. While it might seem counterintuitive to expect bothersome tinnitus to improve with exposure, this approach has proven effective for many individuals. Habituation therapy focuses on helping patients perceive tinnitus as less disruptive over time, allowing it to fade into the background.
If hearing loss exists, this therapy often combines amplification and noise stimulation. The type of noise used varies significantly depending on an individual’s experience and self-rated level of annoyance. Examples of noise include white, pink, or environmental sounds, such as gentle rain or ocean waves. Unlike music, which stimulates memory regions of the brain and can be difficult to ignore, these noises are specifically chosen to blend with the tinnitus and gradually fade into the background, making them ideal for therapy.
Personalization is key to the success of habituation therapy. To tailor the treatment, an audiologist or hearing care specialist typically assesses the patient’s needs, including tinnitus severity and its impact on daily life. This individualized approach ensures that therapy addresses auditory and emotional tinnitus responses.
Habituation therapy offers an evidence-based, non-invasive way to manage tinnitus, helping patients regain a sense of normalcy. Although living with tinnitus can be challenging, effective treatments like habituation therapy provide hope and significant relief for many.
Benefits of Habituation Therapy
Habituation therapy is a long-term solution for tinnitus sufferers. It trains the brain to perceive tinnitus as neutral background noise, helping it fade into the subconscious over time.
This therapy improves focus, reduces stress, and enhances quality of life. With tailored noise stimulation and amplification, habituation therapy provides a non-invasive, effective solution for managing tinnitus and regaining control over daily life.
Let Us Help You Manage Your Tinnitus
Tinnitus relief is possible! However, it’s up to you to find it. With Vibrant Hearing in your corner, we can help you unlock a world of relief and renewed focus. Our trained audiologists can discover your tailored treatment path and restore your self-confidence. Contact us today to learn more.
