While I don't have a success story to report yet, I believe that the way to go is through learning, not willing.
In some cases, for some people, it might be possible to force a change in outlook through willpower. But in most cases it's not. I myself have very little control over how I feel about a subject, but I suspect some have it easier.
Most people can learn, though. And once something is learned, really learned, whether it's a fact or a habit, it affects us profoundly.
We need to teach ourselves that T isn't a threat in order to react to it in a reasonable manner. Or better still, not react to it at all.
The late great anthropologist Mary Douglas said about the concept of dirt that it's "matter out of place". Anything can be dirt as long as it's not where it should be. Pebbles aren't dirt on the gravel road, but on your kitchen floor? You get the idea. Tinnitus is perceived as a noise disturbance because we feel it's "out of place". And we react as if we should do something about it. If we could go to the doctor and ask for the pill to take it away, that would be fair enough. But at this point, that's tragically not an option. Coping is our best bet.
We need to teach ourselves that tinnitus isn't out of place. The sound is coming from me. I'm making it. Tinnitus is me, I am the tinnitus. There is no line that can be drawn between the two. And if you want it to truly go away, I don't think that's impossible, but not without this understanding. Tinnitus isn't a thing. Treating it like a thing is misguided and will warp your outlook in a negative manner.
That's part of the reason, I think, why the back to silence method is effective, you don't treat the T as a thing, but acknowledge your reaction to it. Which is entirely real and legitimate, in other words, positive.
Therapy is one way of going about this, but it's not always easy to get a therapist, let alone one with experience in this field. Luckily, meditation and mindfulness can be practiced by anyone, anywhere, and can be very helpful. Part of mindfulness is accepting your entire experience, even the painful and scary parts.
I've been using meditaton apps lately, and they have helped me reinforce feelings I had mostly forgotten about. For instance, I'm usually one who shrugs at gruesome news from around the world. But a "compassion" exercise in Stop, Breathe and Think suddenly had me in tears over Syria. After a good meditation session, my T feels softer, probably because my focus is more balanced. In time, I hope this can be more permanent.
I would rant more, but I have to go to work.
Member
In spite of your believe in free will, some people can't habituate without AD meds. You can color it, you can put gingerbread around it....invite the tooth fairy to hang out and sing nursery rhymes, them is the facts. Some people can't by force of will quell their anxiety and quiet their contempt to 'allow' habituation without a change in the brain chemistry brought about by medication. Btw, some people can't get on an airplane without medication either as much as they want to whereas the vast majority hop on with a smile.
