Reddit reviews Tinnitus Retraining Therapy: Implementing the Neurophysiological Model

>So yeah, sitting in my office listening to phones ring, people bitching about TPS reports, the HVAC system humming away, hundreds of computers running, and trying to pick out almost inaudible tones from a pair of $2 headphones is not what I'd call a very useful hearing test.

I dont think its takes the intellectual capabilities of a theoretical physicist to work out that you are not in the idea environment to "give it a twirl"! It was the best online audio tone generator that went above 8Khz with volume control that I could find at short notice that will give you an idea of possible reduced hearing capability.

I went last year for extensive hearing tests and MRI scans as I have tinnitus in my left ear and have a substantial difference of response in my left compared to my right. [-25dB SPL @ 8Khz and -10dB SPL @ 6Khz], so know all about anechoic chambers. [I also used to work as a sound engineer].

I didn't begin to suffer from tinnitus because of working in studios or DJ'ing, as I was aware of any damage to my ears, but from an ex-flatmate who thought it would be really funny to hit a saucepan with a wooden spoon next to my head whilst I was engrossed in coding. It took about a month before he finally faced up to that he had fucked my hearing permanently and pretty much destroyed any chance of a long term career in sound engineering. Needless to say that we are no longer friends.

I have a copy of Pawel Jastreboff's book on Tinnitus Retraining Therapy that I have been using the advice and techniques from and would recommend anyone who also suffers from tinnitus to read up on the advice offered at the 1995 styled website

I've had it for a few years...I've always noticed I was sensitive to noise (ie I'd avoid loud things, I'd hear real quiet sounds that other people would not be aware of).

I think part of why I have it is because of this sensitivity. Anyway I undertook Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT) in Sydney. Cost a lot of money but it has helped.

Basically it comes down to this:

1. Being stressed out often triggers Tinnitus, then being exposed to a loud sound like a concert will mean your focus is on the tinnitus and it wont go away.
   
   
2. Tinnitus is the result of being stuck in a negative feedback loop. It involves a negative emotional response to the tinnitus which gets stuck and you keep hearing it.
   
   
3. Working out what causes the negative response and challenging these beliefs are how you can help to reduce your exposure to Tinnitus.
   
   
4. White noise maskers (such as a white noise sound on an Ipod or clock radio) can help you to sleep at night. Ironically I prefer to sleep in a really quiet room, if someone has a tv on in the room next door I will focus on it and can't sleep. Again I think this relates to my response toward sound and why I notice Tinnitus.
   
   
5. Tinnitus is something most people here, tests have shown up to 97% of people here it (so it is a "normal sound"), but most people do not have a negative emotional response to it.
   
   
6. Tinnitus can be controlled, I went from someone who heard it most of the time to someone who now only notices it occaisonally/when I am reminded of it (such as this thread). I am also not as frustrated by it anymore and it goes away quickly.
   
   For those are want to know more I went to here for treatment.
   
   http://www.hearingbalance.com.au/
   
   Costs a fair bit (as the sessions are done by a psychologist who specialises in treating Tinnitus) but I am much happier now.
   
   Also another thing I believed caused it was I had a rough couple of years (job stress, health issues) which left me feeling a lot of negative emotion, which I believe contributed to it.
   
   This is the book that the retraining is derived from
   
   http://www.amazon.com/Tinnitus-Retraining-Therapy-Implementing-Neurophysiological/dp/0521088372/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1290128976&sr=8-1
   
   You don't need to buy it though as it's based toward professionals who do the training. I'd suggest looking for articles from Jastreboff and Hazell who came up with the retraining method.
   
   Feel free to ask me any questions.
   
   Edit - Also it is usually caused by damage to the nerves in your inner ear, unfortunately there is no cure for this at the moment. This often happens when exposed to day to day noise (loud traffic, sirens, aircraft) so it doesnt necessarily have to be a specific cause (rock concert).
   
   Also most people who live in a city probably have damage to these nerves, but most people don't notice tinnitus, so that is why TRT focuses on the emotional response to it.
   
   Tinnitus is actually the sounds inside your head, it's the nerves looking for feedback/noise but in the absence of any noise they then pass on the ringing noise to your brain which is then interpreted as a negative tinnitus sound.
   
   Edit 2 - Also if you want to be exposed to loud sounds without triggering Tinnitus/causing damage to your hearding I'd recommend going to an audiologist and getting custom fitted ear molds. You can then put in attenuators that have different levels of blocking (depending on how loud it is) which will help dull the sound. I use the loudest (15db) which lets me to go concerts and feel fine. I actually find them great to use in really loud bars as it doesnt distort the sound, it only reduces the volume so I can actually hear more of what is going on in these environments than without any protection.