My Tinnitus Doesn't Affect Me Anymore. Habituation DOES Work.

[Oreille]

Dear All.

I have been away from the forum for a while. I wanted to go back real quick to write a short but strong message of hope to all new and ongoing sufferers: habituation DOES work. My T, if I listen to it, is still here 24/7 after 2 years, but I don't care about it at all. I would never have believed that habitation could be a real thing when my T started, as I went through the anguish that so many of us go through. But after a bit of a roller-coaster time of feelings and hope/despair during the first few weeks, habituation did indeed take place. It does happen guys, hang in there.

It happens through different paths, for me it was, essentially: force yourself to live with it at first, if you say to yourself: "I wish I would do this or that but I can't because my T brings me down" then stand up and DO IT nonetheless. Start to live a "normal" life again, it is difficult at first but then your "normal" behavior will become natural again, and voila: you are habituated. A bit of do-it-yourself behavioral therapy in a way.

Do I have T? Yes I do, I think it will never go away. I am a T "sufferer"? Not in the slightest.

The Force be with you All,
Oreille.

 

[Raggs]

Thank you soooo much for sharing this! This is what I needed to hear! I had a bit of a turning point when
I started to understand that even if this does not go away, there is habituation, which is as good as..
So I'm just waiting..trying to be normal, but with a few coping mechanisms that I don't mind adopting
for the rest of my life..ie: always having background noise on, and listening to quiet soft music with an
under pillow speaker at night. Actually, I quite enjoy this, and even look forward to my nights now..
Thanks again! and so happy for you!

 

[DebInAustralia]

I ditto the sentiments of this thread..

@Raggs have you seen the back to silence video?

 

[Oreille]

Glad to read that, Raggs. I did that as well and it worked great: a white noise machine at night or sound pillow. It was important because then I didn't fear going to bed anymore and could fell asleep well. And once you are not afraid of T, the battle is essentially won.

Essentially, the pb with T was a self-fulfilling curse: I was afraid that T was going to control my life, this anxiety scared me and exhausted me, which indeed gave more power to T over my life, etc..

Resuming a normal life no matter what was what make realize that no, T did not really have this power. The problem was not T, but my reaction to it. I realized that there is no reason to be afraid of T, and this change of perception was a pivotal moment. After that, things better and better. No need for snake oil remedies: we all have in ourselves what it takes to tame T's fake power over us.

 

[Raggs]

@DebInAustralia ~yes, I saw it briefly..should watch more fully..thanks for the reminder.

@Oreille ~ I was so relieved when I started to not be so afraid of bedtime..and not only not afraid, but
looking forward to it as I discovered something new. I've always been interested in lucid dreaming, so
listening to sleep hypnosis apps, or music, or the radio, or documentaries and sorta falling into half asleep
and half awake has been quite fascinating. That's the key isn't it? To find something that distracts you
completely and fully that you can anticipate a break from the noise! And since my distraction "activity"
needs to happen at bedtime is perfect timing!

I like how you said, once you are not afraid of the noise, you have won. That is a very interesting concept.
I have also been trying to learn to meditate, and could not stay focused on my breath, so since my mind
always wanted to focus on the noise, I gave in, and decided to give my mind what it wanted, and I thought
"now I'm going to know what it feels like to meditate and I will enjoy the benefits of only thinking
of one thing, but when my mind wandered away from the noise, I was flabbergasted!
I couldn't believe it, but I now had proof that I could actually think of something else than just the noise.
So sometimes, when I don't want to listen to the noise, I try to ONLY listen to it, and of course my mind
wanders to the other problems I am trying to work on or pleasant memories of the past or hopeful wishes and anticipation for the future or what I need to do at work, or what I want for dinner...lol
Kinda like reverse psychology, which my mom said always worked on me as a kid!

 

[John C.]

Oreille,
Thanks for sharing your experience, hope and perspective with a little bit of "suck it up and go on with life". Good stuff. I needed to hear it.

Thanks again-
John C from East Tennessee