PERSONAL METHOD to WORK WITH the SOUND

I have two methods which I've had some early success with! I want to share for anyone it may help. First, a quick note about my level of tinnitus:

I would characterize the tinnitus I'm experiencing as being in the mild - moderate range. I say "range" because there are days it can drive me out of my mind (high coping skills days), and, days where it is relatively quiet (lightly present to moments of fairly quiet, as long as there are gentle ambient environmental sounds.).

Like many on here, it frequently troubles me at night when I lay in a quiet room and put my head to the pillow.

In the beginning, I used masking sounds at night a lot. I had all the freak-out reactions described by so many. Etc., etc.

Now, I have been sleeping in a quiet house with nothing on for the past month (with about 75% success! Still have nights where it amps up and wakes me up and it's hard to get back to sleep.).

The above info is just to set the stage for what I'm about to say. Because I don't want to make light of anyone who experiences this in the moderate - severe range, or unrelentingly. For that matter, we know that everyone responds individually, so this is intended as a bit of info for anyone on their journey if they want to give it a try, but it's surely not offered as hard science or a surefire thing.

The past week, I've begun to do two things.

ONE: When I notice it and it upsets me I am making myself stop whatever activity or thought stream I'm in, JUST FOR A FEW SECONDS (MAYBE JUST UNDER ONE MINUTE, is all it takes) and I calmly and actively focus specifically on TRAVELING to the DEEPEST PART of myself. I literally pause and communicate deeply with my own soul, with that part of me that exists in the stillness that is always there when we stop all activity and look for it.

MY OWN THEORY: By doing this, I am actively laying down neural tracks of calmness in my actual physical brain structure. And whenever I do it, my body floods with a peace (despite the tinnitus) and very often the tinnitus either backs off significantly or appreciably lessens.

AND, HERE'S WHAT'S KEY: IT IS ONLY TAKING ME ONE MINUTE. Which feels a lot more doable than making a major project of it. After I do it, I take a few slow breaths and peacefully continue on.

TWO: The other thing I try, with about 75% success, is imagine a volume knob and I calmly hear and acknowledge the tinnitus and then imagine myself gradually turning it down, similar to telling the kids, "It's time to settle down now."

I believe this does two things: returns control to ME, and, also lays down neural tracks in my brain.

JUST NOW: I got really brave, put on my Peltor ear protectors, and did the "DEEP FOCUS INSIDE" activity while the protectors were on and I could REALLY hear the ringing! I gently had myself "listen past the ringing" to the overpowering silence the Peltor protectors impart.

And, again, success! A lessening of the sound.

Overall, I'm in the middle of my fourth straight day in a row using this technique. I think the shortness of the technique makes it easier for me to do it again and again. And the sense of inner confidence it gives.

I will also note: I have gone relatively gluten-free. I don't do dairy or meat. And I stay reallllllly low on sugar except for natural fruits. I still drink one cup of black, caffeinated coffee each morning. I know every has different experiences with diet. So, just saying what mine is.

Also, we are all on personal life journeys, of which the tinnitus is a part, but not the whole. I've done a LOT of personal growth work over the years (and have more to go, forever, because, who doesn't? Plus, growth is what we're here for. Growth, and, contributing to others.). And so any personal growth, overall, that you want to do, to benefit your life overall, as well as the approach to coping with tinnitus, will give you good "garden soil," so to speak, in which to have your coping methods take root and blossom.

If this can be of help to anyone, well, that's why I posted it!

 

Excellent post...

 

Sounds like mindfulness

Well done and thanks for your positive post ☺

 

It's really been working well, as a way to defuse and re-direct at stressful moments!

 

@Path Maker thank you I'm going to try this

 

i realized that my T fade away when i am shortly before sleep in.

 

It's weird ... or actually not weird ... it fits in with that "limbic-fight-or-flight" linkage ...

the very first few weeks that I developed this, I remember sitting on the couch "thinking" it away for just a few seconds, by "remembering" silence, and I marveled at how that happened!

Then I got enmeshed in those horrible early times most of us have with this, and it also "set in" in a more complex way.

But I have a feeling that there is a way, for some people with this, to sort of "walk" toward an exit, by setting down the "struggle" reactions, and using softer thoughts as the compass out.

Sort of like, the harder you fight, the more the net wraps around you. And so doing the opposite. It may not be a short journey, but ... what is there to lose?!? And, there is MUCH to gain.

The best to all journeyers!

 

I definitely agree with @Path Maker's comments.

I've had similar success with mindfulness meditation and guided visualizations. One night during meditation, all of a sudden the volume of my tinnitus dropped to nothing. I was so surprised that I lost focus and of course the noise promptly came back. At first I had no control over when this would happen or how long the sound remained quiet, but very gradually I'm learning to consciously "push" the tinnitus into the background. It's slow going - I've been meditating since last November - but the fact that I'm gaining any control at all over my tinnitus is amazing. And a mindfulness practice has all sorts of other physical and mental benefits that make it worth doing - calming the noise in my head is just icing on the cake!

 

@Kste Adams Thanks for sharing that! I am convinced that there is a lot of sense to this approach. I also use the "going deep for a moment" to send deep calming messages to my entire body. It's taking some practice, but over time I've noticed that my brain and body are building up a memory of this relaxation and it's getting slightly easier to access.

Everything I'm aiming at these days is to relax the body/mind (with tinnitus reduction/fading being the "secondary result" <<-- Well, all right - I admit that's the primary outcome I want but it ain't gonna happen without the "relaxation foundation" to build the house on!

I think tinnitus will fade more with this "back door" approach of gently relaxing the body first. And you're right - meanwhile, it's all so helpful in so many different ways too!

 

happy for you. But I tried both and it didnt work for me. The volume surely didnt settle down.

maybe, if we want to generalize it for tips for everyone, you should make a step 3:I tell myself that it cannot hurt me, acknowledge the sound and accept it and remind myself of smth that makes me happy. or smth like this.

Bc 1&2 didnt help me. I calmed down but didnt do anything for my T and also didnt help me to cope better.
you seem more habituated than me, maybe you could extend and improve my Nr.3? that would be great

 

@Zora I think your Number Three is necessary for all of us! For the record, I don't call myself habituated at all. I'm very much aware of it and I very much don't want it here. But maybe because I've had a lot of time and life experience dealing with some pretty hard things (I mean, don't we all? But I've really been a deep seeker and have applied myself with very dedicated intent since my late 20s toward a developing mindset ...) - so maybe this has stood me in a little bit better stead toward dealing with this. Again - I am NOT tiptoeing through the tulips with this and loving every minute! Truthfully - this ... SUCKS ... BIG TIME!!!!

That said, I am a brightside looker by nature and by hard choice and hard work, my whole life long. I grapple with things.

Also, I've had this about as long as you have, and I have to tell you, I am not habituated nor "done" with it by any means. So I'm offering that up as hope to you. My two things I shared are not a cure, but I AM using them in a personal way TOWARD a letting go for me. That's what all my heart and sights are on.

I hope you give yourself more time and keep on keeping on. It's early days ... keep de-stressing and keep being reaaaallllllllllly good to yourself, even without the removal of tinnitus as your goal. I think it can help a LOT. <3