Recent content by Tom Cnyc

It took me years to accept that many of the issues I’ve experienced were tied to nervous system dysregulation. At first, hearing that was upsetting, both for me and for others. But in the end, coming to terms with it has been empowering.

At 14 months, I started to feel better. My hyperacusis went away. By 3 years, I was much better, living a completely normal life and not thinking about my tinnitus. Around 4 years, it was basically gone. However, this does not mean anything for anyone else’s timeline.

You can reject this concept, or you can try something different. How well has your approach worked for you? People often reject this concept because they feel attacked. “This is not my fault, I do not want this.” “I am a victim of this.” “This is not all in my head, I am not crazy, it is...

Reminder. I am posting here because, for the second time in my life, I had an injury that the world will tell you is permanent. You think tinnitus is bad? Try a brain injury on for size. I became obsessed with forums again, and the negativity made me MUCH WORSE. And now? I am dramatically...

I am sorry you people are suffering. But that does not change the fact that nearly everyone will be OK. And it also does not change that it is really quite unfortunate for you to kill a positive post in an otherwise highly negative place. You are not raising awareness. People here obsessively...

OK, since people can’t seem to resist posting negativity in a thread meant to be positive, I’ll share a quote from Sarah Polley: “Everyone tells you to listen to your body, but very rarely does someone ask you, ‘How much are you listening to your body?’” Yes, be careful. Wear earplugs. But...

You are completely ignoring everything I have written. I am not suggesting a four-day rave on the first day. What I said is that you need to balance your nervous system and gradually reintegrate. Honestly, you might want to give it a try.

So, your body releases cortisol heavily twice a day. The first time is when you wake up, to help you get going. The second time? Around 2:30 a.m. This release helps transition you from deep sleep into REM cycles. If your baseline cortisol levels are too high, that 2:30 release can mimic the...

What helped you was exposure therapy, which is exactly what I am recommending and what you are dismissing. What is not helping you, or anyone else reading this, is believing that pizza will make your ears ring. I mean, maybe it will if you convince yourself of that. Salicylates are only...

Exactly. You just described the type of people who visit forums more than two or three times. More negativity. Honestly, moderators should lock comments on success stories. As a musician, all my friends have various levels of hearing issues. Most went through an acute phase and are now doing...

I feel for you, man. Ultimately, when you say you come to forums looking for hope, I get it. That is the whole point. But I am a good example. I got better, and I waited six years before saying so. Most people never come back to say they improved. That is why it is so rare to find hope here...

Dude, again — I’ve told everyone to feel free to reach out to me. I’m not going to write out a step-by-step guide to my recovery. It took three years, as I’ve mentioned earlier in this thread. It takes time to get back out there, but a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. And...

Well, given that my tinnitus is gone most of the time, yes, it has improved. I cannot stress this enough. I used to have to wear earplugs just to talk to my wife. My tinnitus was louder than my dishwasher, television, washer, dryer, and air conditioner all running at the same time in a 619...

You have this experience because when you wake up, your body performs a kind of “systems check.” Asking yourself, “How do I feel?” upon waking is something we all do every single day. And quite literally, if you always search for your tinnitus when you wake up, you’re creating a neural network...

You completely missed the point of what I wrote. But cool—spend as much time thinking about this as you’d like. There is no magic bullet for this, and all the science points to a hyperactive amygdala, as shown in fMRI studies. This is your nervous system caught in a negative feedback loop...