Hi there! I'm interested in doing the DNRS (Dynamic Neural Retraining System) course for my primarily middle ear noxacusis and my loudness hyperacusis. And if I decide to go through with it, I'll document it on here. So if you don't know, DNRS is a course you can complete that focuses on retraining your brain to unlearn pain pathways from chronic illnesses. It's been studied on Long COVID-19, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Lyme Disease, Food Sensitivities, Anxiety, Chronic Pain, and many others. There are some theories that the symptoms of noxacusis can be mitigated by retraining your brain. Noreña and Fournier suggested in their acoustic shock model that central sensitization can play a role in the middle ear noxacusis pathways. @Marin on here was able to get her life back from severe noxacusis by a combination of DNRS, a strict carnivore diet, and homeopathy. Which suggests to me that central sensitization can mimic the symptoms debilitating cases of noxacusis that stem from nerve damage. Has anyone here have any experience with DNRS and have you had success with it? If so, can you please describe your pain and symptoms in detail (where the pain is located, what type of pain was it, etc.)? Thank you!
Still doing my research about it. I might try the Curable app instead. It looks like the same deal except way cheaper, $70 for a year instead of $350 for the DNRS course.
Curable is a good starting point to help shift the mindset from 'my ears are broken' to 'my body is overreacting', which shift I found to be most helpful in my recovery. Although the turning point for me was when I started going to doctors specializing in hyperacusis and psychotherapy. I guess I needed some expert confirmation that I'm thinking in the right direction. Internal motivation is very important, but for me at least, it fluctuates and having external reassurance helps keeping momentum.
Did your doctors recommend any good desensitizing exercises or how did you go about this retraining? What things did you do specifically?
Make sure you research this thoroughly. There is only one study related to this program, and the patients were recruited directly from DNRS workshops. So there are zero blind studies by anyone who is accredited, who uses a control group, or is not affiliated w/ them. The science behind it is confusing. They talk about rewiring your brain, but then they talk about working w/ the body's limbic system. The two are not the same, although the limbic system is a PART of the brain. The trouble w/ this sort of thing is that once the neural connections are made and reinforced (for example, w/ someone who may have tinnitus, hyperacusis, etc), they are going to be there. Period. We can retrain our brain to a certain extent by modifying behavior, like we do when we stop using drugs or stop smoking cigarettes, but those neural connections are still going to be there. Over a long period of time they can be used so little that they may weaken... but those examples are related to changes that we make on a conscious level. I'm very dubious they could work w/ hearing issues because they are not part of our conscious volition. Here's a little write up below on DNRS if anyone is interested: Trial By Error: What Is the Dynamic Neural Retraining System?
In that area the only advice I got from them was to stop protecting against everyday sounds. Normally at this point I would have called bullshit, but this time I was at a stage where I said ok, let's give it a shot. And to my surprise it has worked. I posted about my experience here: My Pain Hyperacusis Is Improving Rapidly
