Does Mindfulness Meditation Help Reduce Tinnitus Volume?

[Hazel]

Mindfulness meditation is religion.

No it's not. It's just a technique for focusing the mind. It does come from ancient Buddhist practice, but mindfulness is totally stripped from any religious connotation. I'm an atheist, and would not be practicing meditation if it involved adhering to any religious belief system.

 

[threefirefour]

Mindfullness and Meditation are a part of CBT. Sometimes they are used as synonyms, but at least in the context of CBT, they're not the same. I did some meditation but never really got into it. Mindfulness is about learning to redirect your focus, changing your attention from where it is to where you want it to be.

I remember asking my therapist more than once if all this wasn't just some feel good mumbo jumbo, and we talked about the research and benefits.

I wouldn't expect any of them to lower any sound. Once I started habituating I was under the impression that my Tinnitus was lower, as in, it gets easier to mask and not pay attention to it. I remember turning on the same white noise app that I was using before starting CBT, and objectively I think the sound was the same. It's just that my brain was changing it's focus.

Anyway, it's certainly not useless, you just need to be realistic about what to expect.

Best,
Zug

I thought you were stopping.

I did CBT without the meditation. CBT is a scientific approach. Mindfulness meditation is religion. It annoys me when you go to a scientist for help and they tell you to perform a religious activity.

You're giving CBT too much credit. Just because it's scientific doesn't make it any good. Not that MM is any better.

Some1 suggested me yoga, I haven't tried it, so it may work, or not.

I've seen people say it make sense it temporarly worse. Depends on the cause I suppose

 

[threefirefour]

And please do change your avatar @threefirefour
No need to aggravate others more than you already do ;-)

I'm going to. I'm honestly surprised it took people this long to notice. I'm thinking of a cartoon Hugh or something.

 

[glynis]

@threefirefour ,
Would be lovely see your face on your avatar

 

[threefirefour]

@threefirefour ,
Would be lovely see your face on your avatar

Thanks but I don't want people to know my real identity. Too afraid of people finding me irl. Thanks though

 

[threefirefour]

There are different branches, and who can say what will work for your particular aetiology.

Did you read the section from the conference on neurofeedback?

There is a branch of evidence showing reduced Alpha and increased Delta activity in the brain. Learning to control the Alpha activity could reduce the volume of tinnitus, be that through Yoga, meditation, mindfulness, neurofeedback or whatever.

It's often about finding the right technique that makes the most sense to you. I suggest neurofeedback with a visual display judging your need to see results. In this way you have clear indicators that the technique is working or not.

Here is a review of neurofeedback https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5717031/

From the conference report, the neurofeedback presentation:

"They use visual feedback for their tests; a UFO travelling along a tunnel, alpha brainwaves control the speed and Delta controls direction. The aim is to balance things for a smooth ride. There was no placebo group for the data presented, however they did find that an increase in Alpha activity in those with tinnitus corresponded to a decreased loudness of tinnitus and decrease of tinnitus distress. When they followed up at 3 months the loudness had returned to baseline."

So basically if you stop training your brain it can go back to baseline - or in other words if you get back to obsessing / focusing on tinnitus the brain goes back to the same patterns. Nothing concrete but it's worth a shot because they did report a decrease in loudness.

Interesting research. Thanks I'll be sure to read This paper.

 

[Zug]

I thought you were stopping.

Come on, you're such a joy to talk to, I couldn't resist.

I thought you would appreciate a more balanced answer.

Best,
Zug

 

[threefirefour]

Come on, you're such a joy to talk to, I couldn't resist.

I thought you would appreciate a more balanced answer.

Best,
Zug

How is it more balanced?

Well thank you for your input then.

 

[SugarMagnolia]

No it's not. It's just a technique for focusing the mind. It does come from ancient Buddhist practice, but mindfulness is totally stripped from any religious connotation. I'm an atheist, and would not be practicing meditation if it involved adhering to any religious belief system.

I would never suggest that someone stop meditating if it helps them. But it is what it is. A Buddhist practice doesn't stop being Buddhist just because it is performed by an atheist.

 

[SugarMagnolia]

You're giving CBT too much credit. Just because it's scientific doesn't make it any good. Not that MM is any better.

I can't say anything about CBT for T, but it has helped me with my OCD. The behavioral part was effective in getting me to gradually expose myself to the things I feared. The cognitive part (which was not very effective for me) challenged my beliefs about the things I feared.

The value of the behavioral part is that by changing how you behave you gradually change how you think. I improved a great deal and had less anxiety about my OCD fear. However, once circumstances in my life changed, I found it more difficult to maintain the new behaviors and I relapsed.

 

[Jazzer]

I'm an atheist, and would not be practicing meditation if it involved adhering to any religious belief system.

Hi @Hazel - I am with you on the above.
On some sites I am slightly reluctant to say so.
Some of my friends and neighbours are devout Christians, and I still believe that there is a perception that non-believers are somehow not very nice people.

 

[threefirefour]

View attachment 16139

Hi @Hazel - I am with you on the above.
On some sites I am slightly reluctant to say so.
Some of my friends and neighbours are devout Christians, and I still believe that there is a perception that non-believers are somehow not very nice people.

Wish we had more old atheists here in the states. Here everyone above 50 is religious. Europes a lot better with religion than we are I suppose.

 

[Jazzer]

Wish we had more old atheists here in the states. Here everyone above 50 is religious. Europes a lot better with religion than we are I suppose.

When I was a child I grew up in isolation.
My mother was mentally ill so no possibility of bonding for me - though she did managed to love my twin brother.
My schizoid/depression followed me right up into adulthood, and meant I needed some considerable psychotherapy.
Now 'don't you think I prayed?'
With tears running down my face.
There was never an answer, never a feeling of presence, which was what I was looking for.
'He' didn't put his arms around a sobbing child.
The prime motivation towards religion is fear.
Just my view.
But atheism should be awarded exactly the same respect and approval, as faith.

 

[Jazzer]

@threefirefour
"Did you read the section from the conference on neurofeedback?"

Sometimes I read up on some research findings, as we really need both a treatment and a cure for this wretched 'thing' - but I always come away thinking:

"....running around like headless chickens..."
OR
"....it's a wild goose chase...."
OR
"....not so much the blind leading the blind,
but the partially deaf leading the partially deaf "

Don't get me wrong.
Research is so necessary and so urgent.
I have just not been able to muster up any great enthusiasm for anything I've read yet.
I really hoped that stem cell treatment could work.
If they can grow a human ear on a pig's back, you'd have thought they could grow a few measley hairs on a cochlea.
As somebody who clearly reads up on the science, do you know anything on the stem cell issue?

 

[Jazzer]

Would be lovely see your face on your avatar

Quite agree Glynis.
When you see somebody's photograph you feel that you've met them.
I mean, what does 'threefirefour' actually look like?
Somebody told me he'd probably got two heads, but I didn't believe them,
- gave him the benefit of the doubt.

 

[Contrast]

When I was a child I grew up in isolation.
My mother was mentally ill so no possibility of bonding for me - though she did managed to love my twin brother.
My schizoid/depression followed me right up into adulthood, and meant I needed some considerable psychotherapy.
Now 'don't you think I prayed?'
With tears running down my

face.
There was never an answer, never a feeling of presence, which was what I was looking for.
'He' didn't put his arms around a sobbing child.
The prime motivation towards religion is fear.
Just my view.
But atheism should be awarded exactly the same respect and approval, as faith.

cool i'm mentally ill and come from a disfuctional family too but that's not the reason i'm non religious
simply put, there is just no evidence.

 

[Contrast]

@threefirefour ,
Would be lovely see your face on your avatar

@threefirefour you heard the lady!

 

[Jazzer]

cool i'm mentally ill and come from a disfuctional family too but that's not the reason i'm non religious
simply put, there is just no evidence.

I totally agree.
And should you try to find "Him" - nothing happens, unless you are prepared to exercise a vivid imagination.

 

[Agrajag364]

@threefirefour -see this https://www.hearinglikeme.com/meditation-helps-soothe-my-tinnitus/

 

[threefirefour]

@threefirefour -see this https://www.hearinglikeme.com/meditation-helps-soothe-my-tinnitus/

Super anecdotal but it's not like there's any statistical data on this, so this is the best we have to go on.

 

[Agrajag364]

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/28357966/?i=4&from=meditation tinnitus

Are you familiar with Pubmed, the database of all published peer reviewed scientific literature? It's good for answering questions like this one. You can PM me for full texts

 

[Tweaker]

Some1 suggested me yoga, I haven't tried it, so it may work, or not.

A lady from our Tinnitus Support Group tried yoga. A few weeks later, she told us her tinnitus had gone. She no longer comes to the Support Group. I think she had had T for a couple of years. Coincidence? Maybe, but she was convinced it helped her.

 

[Agrajag364]

@Tweaker a woman from my local support group got improvement from yoga as well

 

[newarrior]

Do meditate but expect no outcome..It should be one of the pillars of health along with diet, exercise, spirituality, a practice of gratitude and good sleep hygence

 

[newarrior]

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/28357966/?i=4&from=meditation tinnitus

Are you familiar with Pubmed, the database of all published peer reviewed scientific literature? It's good for answering questions like this one. You can PM me for full texts

THANK YOU!!

 

[Starthrower]

Thanks but I don't want people to know my real identity. Too afraid of people finding me irl. Thanks though

oh @threefirefour I thought you were much younger than your current avatar shows.

 

[threefirefour]

oh @threefirefour I thought you were much younger than your current avatar shows.

No that's just how I act.

 

[Manny]

No that's just how I act.

So you're saying that you're young but you act like your avatar?

 

[threefirefour]

So you're saying that you're young but you act like your avatar?

Threefirefour in the streets
My avatar in the sheets

 

[Bill Bauer]

oh @threefirefour I thought you were much younger than your current avatar shows.

According to threefirefour, his avatar is just a picture of some plumber that he found on the internet. LOL