HOPE THROUGH HABITUATION

Tinnitus habituation is a natural, neurological process through which the brain gradually stops reacting to the sound which is interpreted as unimportant. We've all experienced habituation to unimportant sounds like fans, motors, background music and TV. Through habituation, people even come to screen out sounds as loud and unpredictable as passing trains and air traffic.

And people can and routinely do habituate to the sounds of tinnitus. Through tinnitus habituation, your emotional reaction to and awareness of tinnitus gradually diminish, liberating you from the emotional turmoil and attentional burden of tinnitus. In the absence of a cure, habituation is a highly desirable solution for tinnitus.

But how can anyone habituate to tinnitus as intrusive as mine?

It may feel like your tinnitus is too loud, high-pitched or unpredictable to ever fade into the background. Yet studies show that people habituate to all types of tinnitus, despite the volume, pattern, pitch, or presence of hyperacusis, distortions or sensations. There’s no reason to believe that your brain is any different from the brains of millions of others who have already habituated to their tinnitus. Habituation is for everyone!

Why haven’t I already habituated?

Research shows it’s not the tinnitus but how you respond to tinnitus that determines your emotional course. A resistant response consisting of negative thinking, anxious monitoring, and avoidance, reinforces the brain’s alarm reaction to tinnitus. This promotes distress and blocks habituation.

How Can CBT Help?

CBT teaches you how to change your response to tinnitus to cope better now and promote tinnitus habituation over time. CBT consists of a set of skills to help you calm down, improve functioning, like sleep and concentration, and fully rejoin your life.