Started Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in New York City

Well, after 4 years of t. I decided to start tinnitus cognitive retraining therapy. I started it yesterday with Dr. Katz in NYC. I have to travel 1.5 hrs every Wednesday to see him. (We could do the sessions on Skype but as long as I can, I prefer the first sessions to be in person). My insurance will cover part of it. I went to my first 2hr appointment yesterday. I forget how loud and busy NYC is.... My husband went with me. I will post my progress. Wishing you all the best. We just need to keep living and everyday think positive and try to get better and better. God is the source of my strength... Praying for all of you.

First lesson: To acknowledge and process the thoughts but do not engage them...to slowly steer them to a positive thought.

Here is his website: http://tinnitustreatmentnyc.com/

 

Hi @OnceUponaTime,
Thank you for sharing your experience. Regards Phil

 

Hi, @OnceUponaTime: I wish you good luck in trying to find better management techniques for your tinnitus. While it would be wonderful to have a cure right now, in the meantime it helps to do as much for ourselves as we can, in my opinion.

One thing I wanted to mention,though:
I never have heard of "tinnitus cognitive retraining therapy."
It appears this may be a term that Dr. Stephen Geller Katz has invented himself. It seems to draw on the titles of two well-known and long-standing therapies: cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT).

CBT, which is the topic on this thread, teaches you how to redirect negative thinking and shut down anxiety spirals. It has been practiced by psychotherapists for many, many years and used for many disorders. Only fairly recently have people realized it can be very useful for tinnitus patients. I believe one of the medical associations for ENTs now recommends medical doctors suggest CBT to patients who are disturbed by their tinnitus.

TRT, also widely discussed and debated on this board, is far newer than CBT but also around for awhile. It is designed to promote habituation. As I understand it: it is a combination of directive counseling (similar to CBT) coupled with sound therapy (you listen to a sound generator designed to tamp down your nervous system's response to the tinnitus). You do not need a special TRT license to practice it and "tinnitus retraining therapy" is not a licensed trademark. So anyone can say they have been trained in TRT. I believe most legitimate TRT clinics, however, would have an audiologist or similar clinician on staff, not just a psychotherapist. If you want to know more about TRT, just search the board.

I participated in a sound therapy program similar TRT, called Neuromonics, and coupled it with CBT on my own. So I had access to an audiologist and a therapist.

Dr. Katz, according to his web site, is a licensed psychotherapist. I see no mention about an audiology staff or sound therapy. So I guess what he is doing is his own version of CBT with a tinnitus focus? Not sure. I might be a little concerned about a practioner who is using a selling a service with a title very similar to TRT when it doesn't appear he is doing TRT. Just a thought. Don't know what special training Dr. Katz has regarding tinnitus, other than he's seen patients with it. His other specialties, according to his web site, are hoarding disorders and coaching businesses how to be more successful.

Has anyone on the board had experience with the Tinnitus Cognitive Center in New York City?
Again, OnceUponATime, wish you the best and am not saying anything here is wrong. And maybe you already have checked out Dr. Katz completely. Just saw a couple of things that raised red flags for me and wanted to point them out. I have run into plenty of "professionals" who have misrepresented themselves to tinnitus patients.

 

@LadyDi Hi Lady, thank you so much for your input and information. I did go to my first TRT appointment with Susan Adams in NYC a month ago. She is the only TRT licensed person in NYC. My insurance does not cover the therapy and the in-ear device bothered me much. I decided to try the TCRT with Dr. Katz because he seemed really knowledgeable in the area and my insurance covers his services. Yes, it is cognitive behavioral therapy but he has been specializing in tinnitus for the past 10 years or more. I feel confident and positive about it. This is what my insurance covers now so I will give it a try first. Dr. Katz was very reassuring, professional and compassionate. So it is another step on the right direction. I also have an appointment next Wednesday with the best ENT in Mount Sinai Hospital who specializes on t. I have been doing this for 4 years now...over 10 different ENTS, audiologists, 2 MRI's of the ear and brain.... you name it and I have done it or tried it. So I have decided to go to NYC where the doctors are more into research and experimental treatments than this little town where I live. Im just glad I am not too far from NYC and my sister and parents live there. My sister had t. for 3 years and she is now t. free. Woke up one day and it was not there...just like that. And her T. was torturing her..it was like a diesel truck hum sound. My mom has it for over 40 years. Very sad.

Anyways, I will let you all know how it goes for me as I continue the therapy with Dr. Katz. Thank you LadyDi, wish you happy days. Big hug.

Never give up hope...never stop searching for help, relief ... a cure.
I have confess and declared that 2016 is a year for healing in my family, in Jesus name.
"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."
2 Timothy 1:7

 

Hi @OnceUponaTime Could you please tell me the name of this Dr?

 

Thanks for the reply, @OnceUponaTime. You obviously have done your homework and more. So hope this treatment is successful for you!

When I did my CBT, I tried to find a therapist who had extensive experience or a specialty in tinnitus. Couldn't find one locally -- except for this guy who claimed he was an expert and turned out to be a total quack. I ended up with a therapist I had used before, with great results -- she admitted she didn't know much abut tinnitus but had been doing CBT for years. It worked out fine. She helped me tremendously.

Sounds like we have had similar treatment journeys. I also went to multiple specialists around Florida. I ended up at University of Miami, where they have researchers specializing in tinnitus, and it made a huge difference. Hope you have the same experience at Mt. Sinai.

Interesting your insurance covers Dr. Katz's therapy but did not cover the TRT. I had a similar experience. My insurance covered part of my CBT (the psychotherapy) -- but not the Neuromonics, the sound therapy part.

@Robert44: If you look at the top of this thread, you will see OUAT's first post gives a link to Dr. Katz's web site, which includes his full name and contact information.

OK, OUAT, will look forward to follow up posts from you.

 

@Robert44 I PMed you.

 

Hi, Once upon a time... I would like to talk to you.. I'm from New York also, my name is rose

 

@OnceUponaTime What did you sister get T from? It is very encouraging to know hers went away after 3 years. I just started CBT yesterday too. My doctor told me to stop complaining about it and it only adds to the negative thought process of it. When I start thinking about it, for me to try to think of things that make me happy. It sounded similar to the "Back to Silence" method that @I who love music came up with, so I am going to start his method too along with the CBT recommendations. I bought a little pink book yesterday and a mini pen to carry with me everywhere.

 

Any updates @OnceUponaTime?

I'm thinking about trying CBT/TRT once I'm finished with my clinical trials. I very skeptical if they will be able to help me with as loud and intrusive as my tinnitus is, but I'm pretty desperate.

 

I've been seeing him for 4 weeks. He sees a lotn of patients, clearly- he's very informed on the topic. I was there today.

I'm the biggest skeptic and I like him. I have longstanding anxiety issues. We tend to focus on that more than tinnitus - which is fine actually as it seems to be helping.

Most important is he has seen a lot of people recover to a happy life - which is a great benchmark rather than this board - which despite being supportive, is mostly horror stories.

 

She is not sure! Just one night woke up to the noise of what she thought it was a truck in front of her house...the sound it makes when it is on but on parking if that helps. She got better after 3 years... all she remembers doing was a 40 day fast... the Daniel Fast. You can google it. And that's when she noticed it went away for good. I hope you get better soon. Be well.

 

I did 16 sessions of TCBT in NYC. It helped me much. The t. is as loud as ever, that doesn't change, but you learn to deal with it better. Just one day at a time.

 

Yeah CBT or TRT or hearing aids not working for severe tinnitus, I'm trying and making words,every person that I know severe tinnitus is the same, iff we still baying this thing never we going too get the real treatment.

 

Since this helped your sister Did you ever try it to see if it helped you????

 

What is different with this therapy than talking with a friend who also got T and then you automatically feel good about your T?

I think the answer is that you do not have to spend a great deal of money when you are chatting with your friend unless you are a hardcore alcoholic.

But if it works for you, I'm happy for you.

 

Hey Robert.... Nope, I am only 95lbs wet and do not want to loose any weight. My sister lost like 30 lbs when she went on that diet. But trust me...if I could I would have already done it. sigh Then again, maybe it was the diet maybe not. Who knows.

 

Hi Rose, please message me. I'd love to talk to you.

 

Can you share some of the techniques he shared with you? What was most helpful?

 

I'd like to very respectfully weigh in here on Stephen Katz and his Cognitive Retraining Therapy. First, despite what he calls himself on his website, Mr. Katz is not a "doctor." He has a masters degree in social work. Second, his "cognitive retraining therapy" is absolutely not the Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). It is something he made up which bears little resemblance to true CBT.

True CBT is a clinically-proven treatment for tinnitus, which is recommended by the national association of ear, nose and throat doctors (AAO-HNFS). It involves a combination of cognitive (thinking), behavioral (activity), mindfulness (attention) and desensitzation strategies, and, when it's done properly, also includes sound therapy (self-guided or in coordination with an audiologist) and coaching in strategic use of hearing protection.

No single treatment is best for eveyone with tinnitus. And Mr. Katz may have a fine approach. But please don't mistake this for true CBT, simply because the word "cognitive" appears in the title!

Peace!
Dr Hubbard

 

@Dr. Hubbard Thanks for your response here.

Are you willing to share whether or not you leveraged sound therapy in your own recovery?

 

Hey Tom
Sure! I explored working with an audiologist, but saw the in ear devices as a last resort. I used external background sound strategically: when I was working at my desk, to help with concentration, and for sleep. Used it for about the first year, then tapered it off. Haven't used it since then (about 10 years).
Dr Hubbard