Tinnitus Retraining Therapy
- Thread starter Jim
- Start date
Precisely hyperacusis caused by loud noise means cochlear damage and that cannot be fixed nowadays...
You have to get updated on your readings about hyperacusis.
Best
Member
If you have to rely on others that write about hyperacusis to learn, that makes you the pupil and not the teacher.
No. If we could regenerate hearing with white noise generators then we wouldn't have biotechs pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into finding a cure. All Michael Leigh does is make vague statements; what is the evidence to back up "tinnitus being slowly pushed to the back of your brain"? What is that even supposed to mean? Tinnitus stems from a damaged cochlea, not the limbic system. Fortunately regenerative medicine should be on the market relatively soon, although it certainly has been slowed down over the decades by TRTers.
"Exactly, TRT didn't work for you because [moves arbitrary goal post]."
You really need to get updated on hyperacusis and stop peddling and selling TRT, because it simply does not work.
T Toledo OH
Member
- Mar 12, 2020
- 173
- Tinnitus Since
- 2/26/20
- Cause of Tinnitus
- Likely loud noise and earbuds
So Contrast, basically your take on tinnitus is that there is nothing that can be done to get better and I should plan on it destroying my life because there is no true cure. Ok, got it. Thanks.
You can always devout your life to hunting tinnitus/hearing scams like I do. It's like playing wack a mole!
You are putting words in my mouth. Why can't it just be CBT and sound therapy? Why TRT? We have all heard the rumors that Jastreboff has basically said all sorts of controversial things like hyperacusis being caused by depression and that noise damage doesn't accumulate. We know he's wrong about this! He's way more expensive than CBT as well.
Someone actually debate me on this, go ahead and defend the TRT doctrines!
Boggles my mind how people can continue to support this pseudoscience from the 90s.
Michael01
Member
Exactly. I feel the exact same way, that unless I have some means of coping with this insidious noise that IS DESTROYING MY LIFE that I'll go insane soon.
I've already tried to commit suicide twice, I need some way to cope in the meantime until true methods of fixing tinnitus are out.
T Toledo OH
Member
- Mar 12, 2020
- 173
- Tinnitus Since
- 2/26/20
- Cause of Tinnitus
- Likely loud noise and earbuds
T Toledo OH
Member
- Mar 12, 2020
- 173
- Tinnitus Since
- 2/26/20
- Cause of Tinnitus
- Likely loud noise and earbuds
I'd be pretty cautious about CBT for tinnitus and hyperacusis as well. It very much depends on the CBT counselling you get but often a large part of much of the CBT "treatment" for hyperacusis and for tinnitus involves trying to persuade the patient that their fear of loud noise exposure is simply a psychological phobia which needs treating. Highly dangerous for many sufferers who simply worsen their condition by continued exposure to loud noise which their body rightly tells them they should be protecting against.
The view of CBT as always/usually a beneficial treatment - with no negative impacts - is one that is being increasingly challenged for a range of conditions including ME and also recently Long Covid - patients again know that rest is the best treatment yet the CBT industry is profiting by getting government health programmes to tell patients this is an irrational belief:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/nov/03/long-covid-time-recover
What is TRT and when should it be started?
There are two parts to TRT treatment. Counselling and sound therapy. Sound therapy is supplied by wearing two white noise generators and then using a "sound machine " at night by the bedside for sound enrichment. If hyperacusis is present the sound therapy will also treat it. TRT is not a cure for tinnitus. It is what the name implies. Through regular counselling sessions there is a gradual retraining of the way a person thinks about tinnitus and to treat it as non life threatening.
At first the therapist discusses with the patient how the tinnitus makes them feel and how it has impacted on their life. Often people say they have lost interest in the things they once liked doing, which is perfectly understandable. The main goal here is to gradually help them look at life differently and with a more positive outlook. Over time the negative thinking that is often associated with tinnitus and hyperacusis is gradually dispelled and demystified.
The Hearing Therapist does this in a controlled and precise manner so that the patient feels relaxed and not pressured. In many instances the tinnitus is gradually pushed further into the background making it less prominent. Therefore, it must be stressed and understood, this treatment takes time. To complete a course of TRT takes approximately twelve to twenty four months and in some cases longer. The duration of each counselling session is left to the discretion of the Hearing Therapist. Typically, these can last up to one hour or more. The amount of appointments required will be different for each patient, but it is quality rather than the quantity of the counselling that really matters.
There are a few misconceptions about this treatment and the way it is administered that some people misunderstand which I want to address. If a patient is given one white noise generator to wear this is not TRT. When two wngs are issued and no tinnitus counselling is offered on a regular basis, it is not TRT. I am not saying that a patient will not gain any benefit from the above treatments; I only want to state they do not follow the proper Tinnitus retraining therapy protocol.
When should TRT be started?
The following is based on my own opinion. The onset of tinnitus can be quite an emotional roller coaster for a lot of people, and I believe a person needs time for this to settle. Many people habituate within the first 6 months to one year of the onset of tinnitus without any treatment. If a person just has tinnitus without any additional symptoms, such as dizziness, deafness or balance problems I think a period of six months should elapse before starting a long-term treatment such as TRT.
Some people believe TRT is no different from placebo and the majority of people, will naturally habituate and get used to the tinnitus within 12 to 24 months. There is some truth in this and that is the reason I say a period of six months should elapse before starting TRT. However, tinnitus comes in many forms and intensities and no two people experience it the same. Some people have a lot of difficulty habituating to tinnitus after one or two years due to the impact the condition has on their mental and emotional well-being. If hyperacusis is also present after this period, which isn't uncommon with noise induced tinnitus and left untreated, because it hasn't improved by itself, it can become a long term problem and a person may develop other conditions that I've covered in my post: The complexities of tinnitus and hyperacusis.
Michael
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/the-complexities-of-tinnitus-and-hyperacusis.25733/
There are two parts to TRT treatment. Counselling and sound therapy. Sound therapy is supplied by wearing two white noise generators and then using a "sound machine " at night by the bedside for sound enrichment. If hyperacusis is present the sound therapy will also treat it. TRT is not a cure for tinnitus. It is what the name implies. Through regular counselling sessions there is a gradual retraining of the way a person thinks about tinnitus and to treat it as non life threatening.
At first the therapist discusses with the patient how the tinnitus makes them feel and how it has impacted on their life. Often people say they have lost interest in the things they once liked doing, which is perfectly understandable. The main goal here is to gradually help them look at life differently and with a more positive outlook. Over time the negative thinking that is often associated with tinnitus and hyperacusis is gradually dispelled and demystified.
The Hearing Therapist does this in a controlled and precise manner so that the patient feels relaxed and not pressured. In many instances the tinnitus is gradually pushed further into the background making it less prominent. Therefore, it must be stressed and understood, this treatment takes time. To complete a course of TRT takes approximately twelve to twenty four months and in some cases longer. The duration of each counselling session is left to the discretion of the Hearing Therapist. Typically, these can last up to one hour or more. The amount of appointments required will be different for each patient, but it is quality rather than the quantity of the counselling that really matters.
There are a few misconceptions about this treatment and the way it is administered that some people misunderstand which I want to address. If a patient is given one white noise generator to wear this is not TRT. When two wngs are issued and no tinnitus counselling is offered on a regular basis, it is not TRT. I am not saying that a patient will not gain any benefit from the above treatments; I only want to state they do not follow the proper Tinnitus retraining therapy protocol.
When should TRT be started?
The following is based on my own opinion. The onset of tinnitus can be quite an emotional roller coaster for a lot of people, and I believe a person needs time for this to settle. Many people habituate within the first 6 months to one year of the onset of tinnitus without any treatment. If a person just has tinnitus without any additional symptoms, such as dizziness, deafness or balance problems I think a period of six months should elapse before starting a long-term treatment such as TRT.
Some people believe TRT is no different from placebo and the majority of people, will naturally habituate and get used to the tinnitus within 12 to 24 months. There is some truth in this and that is the reason I say a period of six months should elapse before starting TRT. However, tinnitus comes in many forms and intensities and no two people experience it the same. Some people have a lot of difficulty habituating to tinnitus after one or two years due to the impact the condition has on their mental and emotional well-being. If hyperacusis is also present after this period, which isn't uncommon with noise induced tinnitus and left untreated, because it hasn't improved by itself, it can become a long term problem and a person may develop other conditions that I've covered in my post: The complexities of tinnitus and hyperacusis.
Michael
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/the-complexities-of-tinnitus-and-hyperacusis.25733/
At least I have something to cut and paste. Actually, that's not quite correct because the above post has been modified. Comments like yours I would normally ignore but you've been a thorn in my neck for quite some time. I never seek to make trouble with you but you're like a constant irritant that I can't seem to get rid of unless I were to place you on ignore, but as you can see I haven't yet. Therefore, please note the following. From your 583 posts to this forum most contain 1 or 2 lines of text and that's your total contribution.
Michael
Interesting how there is very little legitimate information on the benefit of Tinnitus Retraining Therapy other than from that Dr. Pawel Jastreboff who happens to have made some very interesting comments. Comments which aren't actually backed up by much supporting evidence either.
Interesting also that a definitive conclusion can be made claiming hyperacusis and tinnitus are complex with minimal proof to justify this claim either.
Interesting also that a definitive conclusion can be made claiming hyperacusis and tinnitus are complex with minimal proof to justify this claim either.
Michael01
Member
At least TRT and CBT are something to try, until new drugs come in that could provide more of a benefit. As I said I need something as due to tinnitus I'm currently doing battle with quite severe depression which isn't going so well. That is all I have, or would you rather I hang myself from the nearest tree?
T Toledo OH
Member
- Mar 12, 2020
- 173
- Tinnitus Since
- 2/26/20
- Cause of Tinnitus
- Likely loud noise and earbuds
Correct Michael. I have a young family and a lot I still want to do in my life. I can't sit around with @Contrast and pray for a miracle cure. I will continue to do whatever I can to help manage it so I can enjoy my life. I am 9 months in and losing precious time with my family. I have the money so fuck it, I will try what is out there. My mom suffered for a year and habituated. There is research and cures being worked on, and those that think because someone in Ohio just invested in TRT means they are the enemy and the reason there will never be a cure is ridiculous.
I don't think you understand that the guy who authored TRT is naive about pain hyperacusis.
T Toledo OH
Member
- Mar 12, 2020
- 173
- Tinnitus Since
- 2/26/20
- Cause of Tinnitus
- Likely loud noise and earbuds
I am certain that severe cases of tinnitus and hyperacusis are not likely to be helped by habituation therapies. I am borderline severe tinnitus but I do get days where it is mild so I am staying hopeful. I think discouraging people from trying different therapies is not really helping. We all know the various supplements and bullshit stuff like Sonus Complete will not help, but there are many people who claim to have been helped by TRT, CBT, Laser Therapy, etc. Even if placebo or natural habituation was part of the success. I am still hopeful that I can reach the point where it no longer reduces my quality of life, but I know sooooo many posters on this site have much more severe cases, and I cannot see how something like TRT will help them. I may change my views in a year or so if I am still stuck.
You cut and paste paragraph after paragraph of garbage.
So you say I have 583 posts to this forum most containing 1 or 2 lines, but they are truthful and I am not misleading people to spend thousands on a scam treatment.
Temper, temper... oh dear I've struck a sensitive chord and the baby's throwing his toys out the pram... Not nice is it...
I don't think you had hyperacusis, Michael Leigh. You need to stop self-diagnosing on WebMD.Temper, temper... oh dear I've struck a sensitive chord and the baby's throwing his toys out the pram... Not nice is it...
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