How My Life Has Changed

I totally disagree with you and this is the reason: A lot of Hearing Therapists and Audiologists that practice TRT, CBT or counsel people with tinnitus also have tinnitus. They were either born with the condition or acquired it at some time in their life. I will even be more specific and say this: Unless a person has tinnitus they cannot make a good counsellor for treating people with tinnitus because they will have no understanding of it. This is the difference between a Tinnitus counsellor/Hearing Therapist that has tinnitus and a psychotherapist that has not a clue about tinnitus.

Michael

 

I'd say that, all things being equal, a counselor with tinnitus will be more effective. One of the hardest things about this condition is the feeling of being exiled from a normal life. A counselor who is "in the trenches" with the patient will have more credibility and will make the sufferer a more willing participant in therapy, which should improve the outcome.

 

You see @Kste Adams
There are people that have never had TRT, CBT or have any experience with a tinnitus counsellor and believe it is the same as talking with an ordinary counsellor. Nothing could be further from the truth. I counsel people with tinnitus, and do this freely for those that wish to contact me.

When I was having TRT I said to my Hearing Therapist one day. " You seem to understand what I'm going through so well". She smiled and said: " I was born with tinnitus".

Michael

 

@fishbone; completely unrelated to this post, but how is your wee dog? x

 

Thank you for asking! She's doing wonderful and running around the house like a little maniac. She can't see well so I have to supervise her when she runs or she might bump into the wall. I am still angry at the fact, that the dr almost put to sleep a happy dog that is doing well. This dr suggested 2 times that my dog be put to sleep and I was stubborn and i said no. I will love her, help her heal and help her live her life.

I am stubborn and I guess that is why tinnitus will NEVER WIN!!!!

PS-I am filled with joy that she is hanging in there....

 

I always thought that people whom are born with tinnitus didn't know any better, since they never experienced silence?
If anyone should be truly 100% habituated, I would expect it to be one of those people.

The fact that she "knew what you were going through" kind of fits with my theory, that people are simply not wired for having sound inside their head...no matter how long it's been.
Even if someone is born with it, instinctively they know that something is very wrong.

 

Hi @Wolfears

You make some interesting points in your post. I asked my Hearing Therapist when did she realize that she had tinnitus. I was told at primary school she asked the other children "How do you cope with the ringing in the ears"?. They replied: "We don't hear any ringing in the ears". My Hearing Therapist informed me that her tinnitus is low compared to mine and other patients that she works with.

I want to reiterate, that I believe unless a person has tinnitus they can never fully understand it or counsel people with this condition to what I believe to be a "high quality" standard. However, this is not to say that a tinnitus patient will not gain any benefit from seeing a: physcotherapist, psychiatrist or a counsellor. The reason is being, many people that have tinnitus also have additional problems in their life. Due to the fact that life is problematic and this applies to everyone not necessarily those with tinnitus. These problems can exacerbate the condition because of their emotional impact. We also know tinnitus is directly linked to our emotions.

If these other problems whatever they may be are addressed through counselling and medication given where required, in most cases, a positive influence on the tinnitus will result in lowering its intensity and intrusiveness over time which will often lead to habituation. It is for this reason, a positive outlook to life is crucial to living and coping with tinnitus. This does not mean one should never feel negative for that would be almost impossible to do. What I mean is to try and not make negativity become all consuming.

Michael

PS: Habituating to tinnitus does not mean that a person will never hear it although some people habituate and the tinnitus is rarely heard. Please read my post, The habituation process: https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/the-habituation-process.20767/

 

@fishbone Im so delighted to hear that!!! Long may this continue! We are the best judges of our own health and our pets as we are there with them all the time! She will feed from your strength! Your such a trooper! x

 

@fishbone

You just need to find that nice soul to share your life with!
Just work your magic bit harder!