Am I the Only One... Who Finds Tinnitus Soothing?

I've had it for 3 years (loud hissing in right ear, loud ringing in left). In the first year I felt suicidal. Ever get those nights where you were hopeful to not awake from your sleep? I was like that every day for a year. Sometimes I'd hit myself, pull chunks of my hair out and curse at god for doing this to me.

And then one day I got sick of being tinnitus' bitch. I remembered from my Psychology class 5 years ago that there was this treatment to treat phobia. I think it was called something-conditioning? Say you had a fear of dark rooms, the doctor would put you in a dark room and let you shit yourself to get all that fear out of your system. There were no small steps towards getting to the dark room stage, you were just put in there.

Anyway, continuing on, I decided to make tinnitus my bitch. I'd been afraid of it ever since it first started. Always dodging silence, dreading sleep, and panicking whenever I could hear it. So I devised a plan; for a couple of hours each day I'd sit in a quiet room, no music/tv etc and do nothing except listen to my tinnitus and feel sorry for myself. On the fourth day when I went back into the room, the feeling of dread and anxiety had disappeared. All I felt was calm.

I discovered later that week that actively listening to my tinnitus helps me sleep. It helps me drown out the usual bad stuff that keeps people up.

Also, I kinda make music with my tinnitus. When I clamp down on the right side of my jaw, the hissing in my right gets quieter but higher in pitch. When I clamp on the left side of my jaw, the ringing gets quieter and turns into a screech. It can be quite fun when you're not afraid

Oh and one last thing just for my curiosity: say you became totally deaf in both ears, would you still be able to hear your tinnitus? I was looking into having my auditory nerves cut to kill the tinnitus (reminder that I was at my lowest in the first year of having T ._. ) I can't believe I even thought about it to be honest

Anyways, thanks reading my post. I hope I can meet some "soothers" like me or even inspire someone to try it out

 

Your actions to purposely listen to your tinnitus and make friends with it is at the heart of mindfulness therapy for tinnitus. In mindfulness therapy, you listen to your tinnitus with an accepting attitude. That acceptance releases your limbic system from its perception of tinnitus as something to be feared. Dr. Gans talks about this a lot. Click here for information about mindfulness for tinnitus.

Severing the auditory nerve works for some people. But there's no guarantee. For a discussion on severing the auditory nerve for intractable tinnitus click here.

About finding tinnitus sounds soothing, I do believe you're an exception. But, hey, whatever works! I'm happy for you!

 

Interesting and inspiring. I first came across this exceptional approach to otherwise irritating sounds in a great book called How to Stop Worrying and Start Living.
One of the stories shared in the book is about a man living in a New York (I think) apartment where boilers were used for heating. The whistling and cracking sounds from these pipes drove him MAD....until he recalled that on a previous camping trip he had SOO enjoyed looking into the fire, out among the wilderness and stars, listening to none other than the soothing sound of the fire whistling and cracking as expanding gases escaped from the heated logs.

After that time of realization, the sounds of the boiler no longer bothered him.

Of course this is very different from tinnitus, but it illustrates how some people are able to powerfully reframe their experience in a way that can even go from irritating to enjoyable.

 

I like this. Given the process of an emotional response, I know and have read in the past how Cognitive Behavioral Therapy has been successfully used with adults with strong Misophonia. In fact I watched a documentary on it a number of years ago where a couple sat in the same room together with ear defenders on - they lived in a city which I found amusing. But CBT was successful in helping them (I cant remember if it was both or one of them) to develop an almost normal tolerance to previous distressing sounds. I think the reframe, such a short word, both as a concept, a process and a modality, is key to moving on with T.

 

Incredibly inspiring post...

 

Wow dude!
You're the Tinnitamer!

 

Very nice!

 

I can relate to this as mine is a soft hissing sound. In total silence I don't mind it so much.

 

Be thankful that your tinnitus is low @Sam Bridge and try to keep it that way. If it really gets loud you will then know the true meaning of "intrusive tinnitus".
Michael

 

It may be a soft sound but i can generally here "bits" of it while watching the tv for example but yes it ie just a static noise and not a ringing as such:

 

In time the static noise that you hear will be insignificant and as you know this is called habituation.
Michael

 

Getting there slowly i think. Thanks for continued words of wisdom

 

Thanks for your kind comments Sam. You are doing pretty well with the words of wisdom too. Please keep spreading those words....

 

I wear hearing aids and will take them out when I want peace and quiet, noises that drive my wife crazy I am blissfully unaware of.

 

Alaminator that is a really interesting thought approach! My husband has a similar one. He's had tinnitus since he can remember but doesn't give one care about his(didn't even know it had a name). During the day his brain pushes it aside, if he tries then he can hear it. But at night or in a quiet room he hears it but just doesn't care, I've also heard him describe it as "my sound" and that it's sort of soothing although it's a high pitched beeeeep. I'm very new to Tinnitus so do I think he's nuts, maybe a little Do I wish I could be just like him, oh yeah! Good for you for making your peace with it!