Habituate Me!

[Martin69]

Gauge your reaction.. Not your T.
I don't even hear mine anymore, til I come to this forum. hehe Really.
I've had it bad for 40 years. I learned this technique here. Please don't "Wait" for habituation. Make it happen. When you hear your T, don't think how loud or intrusive it is, or what frequency it is, or if it's louder today. Don't think ANY of those things. Instead, think how your reaction to it is different or the same as the last time you heard it. And measure your reaction.
This is magic. You'll notice a change in a few days or weeks.

Hi IWLM.
I also went through my day today without trying actively listening to T.
Maybe I was lucky that it was not loud, maybe I made things better. I had a better day.
But T is still 100%, maybe today only 95%, on my mind. Still high annoyance factor.

My question: What do you make differently from before?
So how did you change your behavior? Any examples?
Everyone here wants to learn.

If you say you don't hear it: How loud is your T or does it not matter?

Thanks, Martin

 

[Kathi]

@Kathi

Wow, lucky you had the opportunity to do that class with all the different relaxation techniques. That's really impressive.
Unfortunately here is AUS there's nothing like that but I know it would be good for me too.

Kathi would you mind describing your daily routine in terms of relaxation?
Also what did you find most beneficial out of all relaxation techniques you mentioned?

Thanks!

I work in healthcare and just had to call behavioral health--so yes, I am lucky to have had access to this workshop. Actually, it was the first one--kind of an experiment-- to aid people with anxiety disorders.

My daily routine is this:

When I first open my eyes, I listen to Yasmine Buraik. Her podcasts are free on iTunes. If you don't have iTunes, here is a link. I really like Autogenic Relaxation, Progressive Relaxation and the Relaxation Room. Place of Bliss is excellent too. I think the deep breathing exercises were the most beneficial.

https://sites.google.com/site/yasmineburaik1

Then I jog a couple of miles, or now that it's cold I'll use my treadmill. Then off to work. Some days are really good and some days aren't but I manage it --I continue with the next thing I have to do and lately, I'm enjoying life again. I forget my T for periods of time and then when I hear it, it's like, yes, I know you're there but I'm busy. If I am really stressed, I will do the relaxation at bedtime also.

 

[I who love music]

Hi IWLM.
I also went through my day today without trying actively listening to T.
Maybe I was lucky that it was not loud, maybe I made things better. I had a better day.
But T is still 100%, maybe today only 95%, on my mind. Still high annoyance factor.

My question: What do you make differently from before?
So how did you change your behavior? Any examples?
Everyone here wants to learn.

If you say you don't hear it: How loud is your T or does it not matter?

Thanks, Martin

Hi Martin,
First let me describe my T. I want folks to know how powerful this method is. I've had horribly loud T since the 70's. I was a stupid kid playing very loud music in rock bands. I mean LOUD. My T is as loud as the voices on TV, as loud as the voices of people I talk to. It's as loud as my acoustic guitar. It's as loud as the radio .. etc... It squeals and hisses, sometimes roars and often I have the thump thump of Hyperacusis. For over 40 years.
The technique I described "Sorted out" important sounds from the unimportant sounds of tinnitus. Now I hear the important sounds and only occasionally hear the unimportant sounds. I believe in "Patterns of action," I'm not the kind of person to wait or hope or wish for things. I believe in making things happen. The technique requires that when you hear the T, you immediately ask yourself how you feel, and how you feel about the T. To tell the truth, I didn't expect such good results so fast. How did I change my behavior? Simply by answering the T with, "There it is, I feel good knowing it's not bothering me so bad today." ..or something like that. This is how I live now and honestly, I rarely hear it. Before discovering this technique, I might have said to myself, "Oh god, it's morning and the T is loud already. What am I going to do?" Big mistake.
So now I simply acknowledge the T and describe (to myself) how I feel. I never, never describe, or measure the T. This sounds so simple. But when you start to do this, a wonderful feeling comes over you. It's very strange, at any given moment I can hear the T if I listen for it. But since I've trained myself to not measure it, it's simply gone. I would call that habituation. And like I said, I think it's a waste of time and it brings on worry to try to wait for habituation if there's things like this technique available to us.
Good luck!!!

 

[I who love music]

Thanks music,

My T gets so loud I don't know how to react. I try and accept it and keep moving but it builds intensity to where I reach for any meds that keeps my sanity.
It's not an answer but hopefully the anti depressant meds will allow me to be strong enough to get stabilized so that I can learn to live with tinnitus.
I hope so.

May I take the liberty to dissect and respond to your message?

"My T gets so loud I don't know how to react." I think I can help you react purposely and cause a positive change.

"I try and accept it and keep moving.." This almost sounds like surrendering and avoidance. I think you'll have better results meeting T head on with a technique that I, and others, have found to be powerful.

"..but it builds in intensity to where I reach for any meds that keeps my sanity." Here you are describing your T. This is a no-no.

And your last sentence is a statement of hope.
Here is some hope -

Wow, you are headed in the right direction.
Please give this technique a try. Try it for 10 days. When you notice your T, tell yourself how you feel at the time. Please don't compare the T volume to yesterday's volume or anything like that. Basically you'll be accidentally noticing the T and quickly putting emphasis on how you feel about it. Talk to yourself. Say, "I'm nervous but not as nervous as on Monday." Or something like that. But do NOT measure the T. Measure yourself .. your feelings about it. From what I've read, it works the same way with most everyone. After a few days of doing this I did catch myself thinking about my T volume... I remember thinking, "Hey, I didn't hear it when I woke up today." The thought of thinking about the T instead of my feelings almost scared me. I knew the technique was working. Quickly, I said to myself, "I feel happy I didn't hear it this morning." I remember thinking, "Could this really be working?" And now I know, weeks later, that it is indeed working.
I believe you can learn to live with T. I did, and I don't even need my Zoloft and Ativan anymore, or Magnesium.

 

[Larry OT]

Please give this technique a try. Try it for 10 days. When you notice your T, tell yourself how you feel at the time. Please don't compare the T volume to yesterday's volume or anything like that. Basically you'll be accidentally noticing the T and quickly putting emphasis on how you feel about it. Talk to yourself. Say, "I'm nervous but not as nervous as on Monday." Or something like that. But do NOT measure the T. Measure yourself .. your feelings about it. From what I've read, it works the same way with most everyone. After a few day

I appreciate your time and thoughts on this. I guess the problem for me is the escalation of the T through the day on bad days. I can feel ok with the quiet morning but for whatever reason by late afternoon it's so much louder.
Is it my interpretation or does the volume actually go from 20db to 75db in a day!
I will try your approach and just measure myself. It's just so ever changing.
Thank you for the direction. I will try.

 

[Martin69]

@I who love music, @Larry OT
The technique from IWLM is a good one.
Yesterday it worked for me. No measuring of T, little reaction.
But trust me, today T is firing on 16 kHz like crazy and cuts through anything.

Measure myself with this?
Wow, I don't take any med, I don't jump from the balcony.
I sit here, trying to relax.
But really, it is so damn loud, high and oscillating.
Hell, what a crazy sound.

 

[Blair14]

@Larry OT Perhaps some encouragement for us, I am still trying to "get there", seems possible just takes time. http://acclaimhearingcenter.com/understanding-tinnitus-and-habituation/