David McCullough ...

Hi All -

Pulitzer Prize winning author David McCullough has just written a book on the Wright Brothers, two bicycle repairmen who are credited with the invention of the airplane. I saw an interview with McCullough on TV yesterday, in which he mentioned something Wilbur Wright (the older of the two brothers) wrote in his journal back in 1900: "No bird ever soars in a calm." McCullough goes on to observe that adversity is what lifts us.

Perhaps this is the message that tinnitus is meant to convey to mankind: Adversity is what lifts us.

 

Conversely, it is also what weighs us down... momentarily.

 

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a perfect example of a very effective way to adjust one's sails in the face of adversity. In fact, adjusting one's sails is the essence of CBT! If you cannot do anything about the wind that is tinnitus, then the realist adjusts the sails. William Arthur Ward has it exactly right!

 

I recognize everyone is different and not everyone responds to treatments in the same way. But of all things I tried during my first year with tinnitus, cognitive behavioral therapy (with a good therapist) by far did me the most good. It enabled me to get beyond the panic, accept what I couldn't change, and figure out what I COULD do to help myself move into my "new normal."

My advice, though: a qualified therapist is critical. This can include someone who isn't necessarily "trained" in CBT for tinnitus, because few people are. But they do need to understand how tinnitus interacts with the limbic system, how to work with patients suffering from extreme panic or anxiety, etc. The first person I was referred to (by an audiologist, no less) was a total quack.

My ENT tells me that when he suggests CBT to his tinnitus patients having trouble coping, most won't consider it because its "psychological" therapy. That's a pity. Tinnitus isn't the only curve ball that life will throw most of us. Its important to learn skills that keep us in the game.

 

I, too, benefited from CBT. Unfortunately, my ears have gotten better and I have not been dutifully practicing the techniques.

@LadyDi Do you continue with the meditations, journaling as well as other components with CBT? My thinking is that continued practice would keep a person "in armor" for when the next storm hits. What are your thoughts?

 

Appreciate the posts by @ATEOS and @Dr.Nagler. T kind of forces me out of my comfort zone and I have to make adjustment in face of such adversity. I realized back then whatever my life skills or mental-health skills I had wasn't enough to combat the relentless anxiety and panic attacks triggered by T & H and that I had better made the necessary adjustment to change my old ways of managing my emotions or reactions to challenges in life. I used to fall into panic & negative reactions the minute things went wrong. The cumulative effect of all that is suffering decades of anxiety and panic disorders.

I needed to learn new skills or copy what strategies other have used successfully to deal with T. Through the support forums and some T veterans, I learned about CBT and cognitive distortions, the need to counter these and replace them with more realistic or positive ones. I learned new skills such as mindfulness and acceptance in handling anxiety and panic. I learned positivity and how some folks with severe T & H still manage to live a normal, even enjoyable & abundant life. I copy their strategies, their attitude, their positivity. So when a new problem arise, instead of panicking & worrying, I stay calm & positive. I tell myself I need time to study & analyse it, evaluate & choose the bad course of actions, make plan and take actions, and accept & flow with the consequence whatever it is, accepting any compromise if needs be. When I do this, I find I have less tendency to panic like before T.

In the fierce storms of life, one needs to learn and be willing to adjust the sail of life in order to smoothly sail through stormy waters in the Ocean of Life unscathed.

 

Hi, @Teri, that is a great question...

Sadly, as it so often goes in life, I have not kept up with my daily CBT practices, as I should. It really is like physical exercise; you need to do at least a little every day to keep yourself limber and fit. Therapists agree on this.

When I was knee deep in T misery, I was diligent about regularly using my CDs and self statements and other tools I learned from my therapist. The good news for me is my tinnitus crisis has passed (for now at least). The bad news is I have gotten lazy. Thanks for giving me a kick and reminding me to get back on track. I am not very disciplined

So do you continue your CBT practices?

 

Somewhat. I need to do more as well. Like you, I have not been as diligent as I was when the T was causing me grief.

 

Yeah, anxiety and misery is a great motivator. I looked into group Mindfulness sessions a few months back, which use many of the same techniques, to get myself back in the groove. But it was expensive. And I could do the same thing on my own if I would just put myself to task.