Back to Silence

[Capstan]

My favorite Dire Straits song is probably their biggest hit of Money for Nothing. Sorry to hear things are not going so well for you. I question you are doing anything to cause things to get worse. There may be more you can do that you have not tried as yet. I suggest you look into this option from the American Tinnitus Association (ATA) since a lot of things I learned from therapy helped me a lot to get to habituation not just the Back to Silence method.

I am a member of the American Tinnitus Association(ATA). They have a podcast with a psychologist who has Tinnitus and specializes in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for those with Tinnitus. You can hear the podcast here:

https://www.ata.org/podcasts/episode-10-habituation-tinnitus-using-cognitive-behavioral-therapy

In this podcast, he tells you what he thinks you need to know about CBT. He also has a lot of free resources for those with Tinnitus on his website here:

https://www.cbtfortinnitus.com/cbt-for-tinnitus-resources

He says many people can complete CBT for Tinnitus in as little as 2 to 10 sessions with someone who is trained in CBT for Tinnitus but unfortunately, most therapists are not adequately trained in CBT and don't know anything about Tinnitus.

On his resource page, he has a 90-minute webinar, a mindfulness meditation audio, recommendations for self-help books (he is working on one of his own) and other key self-help information to give it a go for yourself. He does offer coaching on dealing with Tinnitus as well should you need/want that. I suggest you give it a listen and look.

Hope this helps.

@Henry Orlando FL - Have you found any CBT therapists trained in tinnitus in Orlando? I'm in central Florida and may want to pursue therapy.

 

[Henry Orlando FL]

@Henry Orlando FL - Have you found any CBT therapists trained in tinnitus in Orlando? I'm in central Florida and may want to pursue therapy.

I have not found any therapist in Orlando that understands Tinnitus. Many therapists these days work virtually by video conferencing (think SKYPE but more secure). The psychologist I wrote about that ATA interviewed works with people that way and I am sure he knows what he is doing. I only know of one other licensed therapist who I think knows what they are doing and she has an online program based on mindfulness meditation that you can read about here:

https://mindfultinnitusrelief.com/about-the-program.html

Trust this hits the spot.

 

[lightning]

@I who love music
How do you adapt this approach to night time? I have T that cannot be masked, and I'm very prone to anxiety. At night, I use sound enrichment which helps to some degree. However, I always wake up once (or a few times) during the night. When I wake up, I become very aware of the T and start to have anxiety and panic, and that destroys my sleep. What would you do in this scenario? Should I get up out of bed, make the mark in the notebook and record my emotion? Or should I just make a mental note of it without physically writing it?

 

[Hotspur2931]

My favorite Dire Straits song is probably their biggest hit of Money for Nothing. Sorry to hear things are not going so well for you. I question you are doing anything to cause things to get worse. There may be more you can do that you have not tried as yet. I suggest you look into this option from the American Tinnitus Association (ATA) since a lot of things I learned from therapy helped me a lot to get to habituation not just the Back to Silence method.

I am a member of the American Tinnitus Association(ATA). They have a podcast with a psychologist who has Tinnitus and specializes in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for those with Tinnitus. You can hear the podcast here:

https://www.ata.org/podcasts/episode-10-habituation-tinnitus-using-cognitive-behavioral-therapy

In this podcast, he tells you what he thinks you need to know about CBT. He also has a lot of free resources for those with Tinnitus on his website here:

https://www.cbtfortinnitus.com/cbt-for-tinnitus-resources

He says many people can complete CBT for Tinnitus in as little as 2 to 10 sessions with someone who is trained in CBT for Tinnitus but unfortunately, most therapists are not adequately trained in CBT and don't know anything about Tinnitus.

On his resource page, he has a 90-minute webinar, a mindfulness meditation audio, recommendations for self-help books (he is working on one of his own) and other key self-help information to give it a go for yourself. He does offer coaching on dealing with Tinnitus as well should you need/want that. I suggest you give it a listen and look.

Hope this helps.

Hi Henry,

Thanks so much for this and sorry for the slow reply. I unexpectedly started to feel a lot better a couple of days after I wrote that, so I am going to stay away from here for a while and see if that helps.

I've decided to focus all of my efforts on step one of the method (don't think about it, listen for it etc) and so far so good. It helps that I have been very busy and things in my life have been relatively exciting.

I won't say more right now because I don't want to jinx it. I'm sure I'll be back here when I have another dip. But I just wanted to drop in and thank you and say I'm doing ok at the moment.

Hang in there everyone!

 

[Sevv]

@I who love music
Thank you, thank you so much for this method. I was so depressed today and for the past few days after my recent worsening that I saw no other option anymore than to get hard medication (the thing is audible over most sounds through the day, not very loud, but high pitched). I'm feeling a huge relief having tried this just for a couple minutes. So nice... I hope this method allows me to get through the next couple years without getting even worse (ah yes, bit anxious there, I did notice that!), until there is a treatment. Thank you again.

 

[JohnFox]

Hey Terry, I just found this thread and it is very encouraging. Part of why I say that is simply seeing the positive results with you and others using this technique gives me hope, and hope is a positive thing, and anything positive regarding tinnitus/hyperacusis allows our minds to move further to that place you are describing.

I haven't read all the posts here yet, but quite a few of them. I am definitely going to begin practicing this technique. Looking back on my time with tinnitus (only about 14 months now) I can see how I have benefited from this technique a little bit by accident. In other words, I had no idea of this technique, but I do see now that my times of "relief " from tinnitus have had a lot to do with this technique... (I think).

Reading about this, is does seem that a major ingredient in this technique is complete and total acceptance of the tinnitus itself. If we are completely avoiding "measuring it" is this not at least in part completely accepting it? This is something that I have come to grips with on my own, that is to stop thinking or waiting for this thing to get better. Just total acceptance. And maybe by doing that I have begun to also sorta consider my response to it, rather than complaining about the volume of it. I will now make more of a conscious effort to practice noting my "response" to the tinnitus noise.

Something else I noticed in my journey with tinnitus/hyperacusis is when I play music. This is still a bit of a mystery, but I think it has something to do with what you are describing, and I would love to hear your take on it. I have pretty severe hyperacusis along with the tinnitus. They both are very much related. Dishes banging together is a no-no around me. Also a room with a lot of people talking. Anyway, I'll get to the point. I play acoustic guitar and harmonica, but here's the catch. Because of the hyperacusis, any noise drives the tinnitus nuts. However, it is all completely different when I play music on my guitar or harmonica, or both at the same time. When I play, the sound from my guitar and/or harmonica is quite loud, yet...while I am playing I don't give a hoot about the tinnitus... (even though, if I consciously turn my attention to it, it is VERY loud.) BUT,...it is very easy for me to not pay any attention to the tinnitus when I am playing music, to the point that I simply don't hear it. Something to do with my brain engaged in the wonderful mechanics of music playing breaks the attachment that it has with the tinnitus noise blaring away in my head. It's almost like magic. Well, I guess it is. No doubt music is a magical thing. We see the truly magical things that music has on those with Autism and others with issue that find their source in our mysterious brains.

Thanks again for all the posts. Would love to hear more about the music thing. I am a convert to this technique you describe and will give follow ups in the months to come.

John

 

[Christopher805]

Hi Terry,

Thank you for sharing your method. I will give it a try.

Chris

 

[I who love music]

Hey Terry, I just found this thread and it is very encouraging. Part of why I say that is simply seeing the positive results with you and others using this technique gives me hope, and hope is a positive thing, and anything positive regarding tinnitus/hyperacusis allows our minds to move further to that place you are describing.

I haven't read all the posts here yet, but quite a few of them. I am definitely going to begin practicing this technique. Looking back on my time with tinnitus (only about 14 months now) I can see how I have benefited from this technique a little bit by accident. In other words, I had no idea of this technique, but I do see now that my times of "relief " from tinnitus have had a lot to do with this technique... (I think).

Reading about this, is does seem that a major ingredient in this technique is complete and total acceptance of the tinnitus itself. If we are completely avoiding "measuring it" is this not at least in part completely accepting it? This is something that I have come to grips with on my own, that is to stop thinking or waiting for this thing to get better. Just total acceptance. And maybe by doing that I have begun to also sorta consider my response to it, rather than complaining about the volume of it. I will now make more of a conscious effort to practice noting my "response" to the tinnitus noise.

Something else I noticed in my journey with tinnitus/hyperacusis is when I play music. This is still a bit of a mystery, but I think it has something to do with what you are describing, and I would love to hear your take on it. I have pretty severe hyperacusis along with the tinnitus. They both are very much related. Dishes banging together is a no-no around me. Also a room with a lot of people talking. Anyway, I'll get to the point. I play acoustic guitar and harmonica, but here's the catch. Because of the hyperacusis, any noise drives the tinnitus nuts. However, it is all completely different when I play music on my guitar or harmonica, or both at the same time. When I play, the sound from my guitar and/or harmonica is quite loud, yet...while I am playing I don't give a hoot about the tinnitus... (even though, if I consciously turn my attention to it, it is VERY loud.) BUT,...it is very easy for me to not pay any attention to the tinnitus when I am playing music, to the point that I simply don't hear it. Something to do with my brain engaged in the wonderful mechanics of music playing breaks the attachment that it has with the tinnitus noise blaring away in my head. It's almost like magic. Well, I guess it is. No doubt music is a magical thing. We see the truly magical things that music has on those with Autism and others with issue that find their source in our mysterious brains.

Thanks again for all the posts. Would love to hear more about the music thing. I am a convert to this technique you describe and will give follow ups in the months to come.

John

Your post is interesting. Ya, I've also found that playing music is a 'release' from tinnitu, but in my case.... Oh, the tinnitus and the distortion that came with it put me out of commission for a few years.
From one musician to another, I wish you great luck for the future and I hope the method works for you.
Terry

 

[JohnFox]

I wish you great luck for the future and I hope the method works for you.

Thanks Terry.

 

[GastonFla]

Hi Terry, first of all thank you very much for sharing your method. I'm so glad it worked so effectively for you!
I have tried using it several times, but I think I was not consistent enough. Anyway, I have found things that help me a lot like yoga, meditation, sleeping well, etc.
I don't know if it is the best place to ask, but I've already tried making my own posts and haven't gotten too many answers. I want to know if you have (or anyone else has) any advice to give about constant pressure / pain in the ear.
I have had T about a year ago, and I would say that I am relatively used to it, but the pain doesn't stop bothering me and I don't know what to do anymore.
My T started because of acoustic trauma, but I think that the pain may also be due to TMJ since when I move my jaw it cracks, and I also have bruxism.
My ENT tells me that the pain I feel cannot be from the ear, that the T does not hurt ... but I am not convinced.
I hope the message is not inappropriate in this post, thanks!

 

[ThomasC]

This is incredible. You have been able to cope with loud/severe tinnitus for decades. I admire your courage and I'm glad you've found a way to ignore tinnitus.
To be honest, I don't know if I would be able to cope with my tinnitus for another decade.
Anyway, thank you for sharing your method with us. I will try.

 

[DebInAustralia]

Hi all,

I've relapsed and returning to this thread to get back in the horse.

Something I wasn't sure of is:

Terry, you state that what worked for you was focusing your attention onto reactions, even negative ones.

So, for example, I'd say *I'm feeling irritated...*

But, Silvene has alluded to avoiding stating a negative response.

So, I'd say *I am ok...* even if I feel I'm not???


Can someone please help clarify?

 

[Phil-O]

Hi all,

I've relapsed and returning to this thread to get back in the horse.

Something I wasn't sure of is:

Terry, you state that what worked for you was focusing your attention onto reactions, even negative ones.

So, for example, I'd say *I'm feeling irritated...*

But, Silvene has alluded to avoiding stating a negative response.

So, I'd say *I am ok...* even if I feel I'm not???


Can someone please help clarify?

I followed Terry's Back to Silence and just said how I felt good or bad, make a note with a pencil in the book. So you concentrate how you feel not the noise. Terry will confirm. Good luck. Best Wishes Phil

 

[DebInAustralia]

I followed Terry's Back to Silence and just said how I felt good or bad, make a note with a pencil in the book. So you concentrate how you feel not the noise. Terry will confirm. Good luck. Best Wishes Phil

Hi Phil,

How are you getting on with this?

I recall you were using white noise generators too?

 

[Lane]

So, I'd say *I am ok...* even if I feel I'm not???

Hi @DebInAustralia -- I'm of the opinion it hardly ever works to try to be dishonest with ourselves. If I were to somehow convince "part of myself" I'm OK when I'm not, there's still that part of me that knows for a fact that I'm not doing OK. Kind of like the expression, "A split mind rings like a cracked bell". When I'm not doing OK, I generally don't try to convince myself otherwise. I instead try to stay calm, and (believably) tell myself something like "this too will pass".

I often think in terms of cycles. Just about every area of our lives cycle up and down, so I try not to get too high when things seem to go right, and not too low when things get tough. But I am generally quite honest with myself when it comes to tinnitus, and readily admit to myself that I may have to go through a period where I just kind of "endure". But I do it knowing that I'll likely cycle up again to a better place. -- I hope you can figure out some things that will help you through this latest relapse. It sounds like it's pretty tough going for you at this time. -- Big hugs from across the globe...

 

[Phil-O]

Hi Phil,

How are you getting on with this?

I recall you were using white noise generators too?

Hi Deb,
I thought it would never work because as soon as I made a response there it was again, but persevered and slowly Tinnitus bothered less. May be partly habituation mainly getting weary of Tinnitus controlling you. I don't know. The responses became further apart as Terry says. Also you feel you are doing something rather than being at Tinnitus' mercy. Occasionally when I am tired or unwell Tinnitus creeps in more and I put the WNGs in for a short time, but this has also become less. Hope this helps. Terry's Tinnitus was worse than mine from what I gather. keep going with it, we will be wishing you the best to get it under control again. let us know how you get on Regards Phil

 

[Hotspur2931]

Hi all,
Just wanted to check in and give you all some hugs. I've been having some good times and some not-so-good times. I'm trying to do as Lane suggests above and just accept that some days will be worse than others, as they always are in life, and remember that there is always a better day ahead.
I haven't been doing BTS lately – it just doesn't seem to click for me, but in general I am trying to concentrate on how I feel rather than on the volume, and it does help. I've started doing 5 minutes of mindfulness meditation each morning – trying to teach myself to relax with the sound. I'll increase the time as I get braver. The rest of the time I just stay busy busy busy and keep finding things to be excited about. I'll let you all know how it goes. I really think habituation is a process whereby you sometimes have to try different techniques. Every now and then you have a small breakthrough, and then a setback and then another breakthrough. But as long as you keep learning as you go, and don't let the T take control, it gets easier with time.
I love the positivity and community on this thread. I hope we can continue supporting each other on our tinnitus journeys!
Lizzy
xoxo

 

[wwtsai]

Hi, I'm looking on some help implementing BTS especially at night time. I have a low droning tone that pops up when I'm bed which feels impossible to mask. It makes it hard for me to fall asleep and therefore hard to ignore it. Thanks.

 

[Pkelly62]

Can certain medications make T worse? I take LDN

 

[Henry Orlando FL]

Can certain medications make T worse? I take LDN

You can download a list of "Prescription Medications, Drugs, Herbs & Chemicals Associated with Tinnitus" from the American Tinnitus Association here:

https://www.ata.org/sites/default/files/Drugs Associated with Tinnitus 2013_Updated2017.pdf

You can also Google "ototoxic drugs" and find more information. Hope this is helpful.

 

[lis]

How do I use the Back to Silence method with a sound-evoked distortion that sounds like a horrific explosion... that is triggered by many everyday sounds?

It's not ignorable, you will always physically hear it because it follows real incoming sounds like an exclamation mark (as opposed to ringing that is independent of external sounds), and the explosion is intense!

Please help. Thank you.

 

[Henry Orlando FL]

How do I use the Back to Silence method with a sound-evoked distortion that sounds like a horrific explosion... that is triggered by many everyday sounds?

It's not ignorable, you will always physically hear it because it follows real incoming sounds like an exclamation mark (as opposed to ringing that is independent of external sounds), and the explosion is intense!

Please help. Thank you.

I am sorry to hear about your situation. Given how I understand what you have written it does not seem to be exactly like how I understand Tinnitus or anything like mine. I presume you have been assessed by competent professionals. If not almost certainly that would be something to do. Also, given what you have said I don't know that the Back to Silence method is the best option for you or is indeed workable for your situation. What I can do is give you how I understand the use of the system from studying it and writing it up so I could use it (successfully) with the hope you can use it or adapt it in some way to have it be useful to you. Here is my finding and hope it is helpful:

Back to Silence Method from a TinnitusTalk.com string here:

The Back to Silence string is huge. I have read it all and complied the most important parts in a document that is still huge.

Here is the "bottom line" on how to implement it from my researching the Back To Silence String:

The "Back to Silence" method calls for not measuring the sound(s), not to monitor the Tinnitus sound(s) or focus on it, don't describe the sound(s) or compare the sound(s).

Another way to think about it is follow the four "don'ts" of the Back to Silence method:

1 - Don't measure it
2 - Don't monitor it
3 - Don't describe it
4 - Don't compare it

Do the following:

1- STOP talking about tinnitus, measuring it, comparing it, describing it, and thinking about it.
2- When you hear the sound(s), tell yourself, "I hear it, I feel .........." (insert your true emotion)
3- make a note of this incidence (just put a hash mark for instance and add them up daily) and each emotional response in a word or two on paper, review your paper weekly to see the change in your responses.

If you are in a position (like say driving a car, in meditation, in bed getting to sleep or up in the night etc.) where you can't note down your occurrence then, do it verbally and add a hash mark and note later in writing if you can recall it.

Once you have gotten to 5 to 10 times a day by noting the tinnitus occurrences you can stop writing them down if desired. Just do the "I hear it, I feel _______ (insert your true emotion) to yourself with no need to keep a count.

 

[lis]

Thank you Henry Orlando FL! Your compilation is invaluable.

To @Phil-O, @I who love music, to those who have success with BTS...

I know there's others with hearing distortions, I think Terry mentioned he has it. Granted, what I hear is more volatile as an "crunching snow" explosion that follows auditory stimuli. I have a medical team working on what may be an ossicular (ear bone) abnormality. But in the meantime, I need to cope. Just curious if any of you know how to adapt BTS for hearing distortion, not just tinnitus.

Thank you!

 

[I who love music]

Thank you Henry Orlando FL! Your compilation is invaluable.

To @Phil-O, @I who love music, to those who have success with BTS...

I know there's others with hearing distortions, I think Terry mentioned he has it. Granted, what I hear is more volatile as an "crunching snow" explosion that follows auditory stimuli. I have a medical team working on what may be an ossicular (ear bone) abnormality. But in the meantime, I need to cope. Just curious if any of you know how to adapt BTS for hearing distortion, not just tinnitus.

Thank you!

Hi,
Ya, I've got (had) the distortion since about 1975. Tinnitus, Distortion, and hyperacousis. My T and distortion rise and fall together usually after exposure to loud sounds. BTS is a way for me to distract from T sounds. Distortion can't be ignored, by me. When I'm going thru times of the distortion I usually put some cotton in as to not irritate it further. Been doing this all these years, starting when I was 16. I'm 62 now, the distortion hasn't gotten a whole lot worse since when it started. The T and the distortion started when I played LOUD LOUD rock music as a kid. I was the drummer with amps and monitor speakers all around me.

 

[Harry1123]

Terry,

Thank you for this post, and most importantly keeping up with it over the years to encourage more people to use it, allowing them to share their success, making this thread the most important resource in this site. Without all your efforts this thread could have lost in the heap, and I would have dismissed it as some mumbo jumbo.

I have used this exact method in managing my anxiety during meditation. So I know the basis why it works, and a belief.

I started this method yesterday, and I feel that my panicky response has gone away. I am confident that this method is going to work. It's just going to take some time.

Thank you!

 

[Phinehas]

Very interesting thread!

 

[Dazg]

Hi Terry, I'm new to this, and am just starting to put your method into practice, would love to see a new video to hear about what the last five years have been like for you, would be a real encouragement . Thanks Dazg

 

[VeryUnfortunate]

I'm not usually the type of person to believe in this kind of stuff, but it was very warming to watch a video of someone who has a similar struggle as I do (although Terry's tinnitus seems much worse than mine).

I wish there was more of these on here. Thank you for the video. I really appreciate it.

 

[albertmontemayor]

Hi, Terry, thank you for the 40 year cure article. I enjoyed reading it and listening to your talk. I've had tinnitus for 3 months and it has really given me a hard time. I am ready to go to work on the 40 year cure treatment today. I am also trying to get the address to Tinnitus Talk to make a donation by check. I would appreciate you sending this to me.

Albert Montemayor

P.S. I am a Michigander living in Arkansas.

 

[Ahlstrom]

I'm new to tinnitus and have only had it a week; sorry if the answer is somewhere in this thread but it's 24 pages so I'll ask again:

What if you describe to yourself how you feel, but no more than 5 seconds later you find yourself checking for the noise again? Do you just describe again? And again? Multiple times in the span of a minute? And just keep doing that until you find yourself checking less?

It seems very similar to cognitive behavioral therapy I do regarding catastrophic thoughts related to my panic disorder: "Acknowledge, and dismiss." Dismiss as in stop thinking about it after acknowledgement, not dismiss as in the opposite of acknowledgement.

So should I just say "I acknowledge my tinitus. It makes me feel [insert feeling]." and that's it, as much as needed? Multiple times a minute if it gets to that point? Is there anything else you include in your formula?

Do you do it when you "look" for your tinnitus and don't notice it too? "I acknowledge my tinnitus. I don't hear it right now. That makes me happy."