Tinnitus Analogy & Habituation

[Jay M]

I've come to a realization that T is an annoying party guest you can't help but pay attention to or through out. You know when you've been some where in a group or crowd of people in conversation and for some reason your attention is distracted by something else that's outside of your group? You focus your hearing in on that person or something, all the while ignoring the sounds of conversations around you that are more important. By redirecting our senses, I think we turn up our own T volume to some degree when we focus on it.

I know there's been many moments when I'm focused in on doing something, I don't hear it. Then I think for a naive second it's gone and ...NOPE, still there. Haha.

 

[alifalijohn]

I've come to a realization that T is an annoying party guest you can't help but pay attention to or through out. You know when you've been some where in a group or crowd of people in conversation and for some reason your attention is distracted by something else that's outside of your group? You focus your hearing in on that person or something, all the while ignoring the sounds of conversations around you that are more important. By redirecting our senses, I think we turn up our own T volume to some degree when we focus on it.

I know there's been many moments when I'm focused in on doing something, I don't hear it. Then I think for a naive second it's gone and ...NOPE, still there. Haha.

Hello Know what you mean, have done that several time during the day, the best thing is to keep busy.Thanks take care!

 

[Mpt]

we can't always keep busy--- i think one of the hardest things for me is that tinniuts destroys the possibility of true relaxation-- if I just want to lay on the couch and quiet my mind for a few minutes-- tinnitus takes up all the attention-- if my tinnitus were a lower volume or better yet didn't exist that wouldn't be a problem.... I love how people say the best thing is to stay busy and stay away from quiet places... my house is quiet in every room, and even on my busiest days there are a couple hours of downtime in the evening-- that is natural, we are dealing with an unatural phenomenon that lowers quality of life in moderate cases and can destroy lives in severe cases... that's the bottom line

 

[Leah]

Thanks for the topic,well said.
Have received the same advice but everyone needs some down time.

 

[Mpt]

TRT, CBT-- all these paths to habituation are good on the individual level, but I think that they hinder the search for a medical treatment of a physiological condition because people get better, learn to live with it-- and thus there isn't the sort of attention given to finding a cure as there should be. Even people with chronic pain or serious diseases can escape from it for moments, but when a noise is constantly in your head every second of everyday for the rest of your life-- it truly destroys quality of life in a way that is impossible for other people to understand

 

[Mpt]

is habituation of perception possible?... sometimes when people say they had bad t and it vanished after sometime, i don't really believe them, not that I think they're deliberately lying or anything-- what is really successful habituation like--- is it like life before t?---- i'd like to know, because that's what I want but I don't think its possible

 

[attheedgeofscience]

is habituation of perception possible?... sometimes when people say they had bad t and it vanished after sometime, i don't really believe them, not that I think they're deliberately lying or anything-- what is really successful habituation like--- is it like life before t?---- i'd like to know, because that's what I want but I don't think its possible

I believe successful habituation is possible, but in a limited number of specific cases. Having had tinnitus since birth/childhood, I never really knew something was wrong until much later on because... it had always been that way. For that reason, successful habituation - to me - is only possible when the person doesn't know something is wrong with them. Once the genie is out of the bottle, then all the problems begin...

I also believe habituation is strongly influenced by the volume of the tinnitus; experts say that tinnitus volume should not be a factor in habituation when applying therapies such as TRT. But then again we have experts on the one hand and... reality on the other.

 

[Jeff M.]

is habituation of perception possible?... sometimes when people say they had bad t and it vanished after sometime, i don't really believe them, not that I think they're deliberately lying or anything-- what is really successful habituation like--- is it like life before t?---- i'd like to know, because that's what I want but I don't think its possible

Mpt - I can only share out of my own experience so far with habitation.I have severe subjective idiopathic tinnitus. Have had constantly since onset Oct. 1 2012. I've been thru hell with T!! During my darkest days, I was at the precipice of suicide. But in my case, the passage of time, the support of friends and family (and of course my family here on TT!!), and a concerted effort to "learn to live with" T, I am habituating. The ringing is still there (even at this moment as I type), but it is a nuisance not a threat. I can do my job, I can be a husband and Dad. I can enjoy life despite my T. And I can only take partial credit for that. For whatever reason, (I wish I knew exactly and could capture it and share it!!) my brain slowly stopped allowing T to scare it. Subconsciously, my brain realized T isn't going to kill me. Bugs the crap out of me, but that's it.

So for me, habituation has nothing to do with the T going away or diminishing (although I certainly wouldn't mind!!). It's more of acceptance of this is the way things are going to be, probably for the rest of my life, and taking steps towards re-capturing my life. And those steps, I believe, are different for everyone! I had to make some major changes, like a career change, yet also some minor changes like small lifestyle adjustments to nurture my habitation.

Not sure any of this is at all helpful, and to answer your question "Is life like it was before T"?, NO it is not. BUT, it is SO much better than when I was in the pit of despair. And it's doable. I pray there is a cure soon! I support research in finding that cure or cures! But in the meantime I want to live despite my T, and to spite my T!

I wish you relief and peace soon!!