Ears Ringing Dizziness
Recent research reveals that the results of well-constructed sell-hypnosis programs nearly equal the reported results of Tinnitus Retraining Therapy and Xanax for volume and distress reduction. In fact, almost everyone should benefit from reduced distress after utilizing self-hypnosis CDs designed for tinnitus sufferers for 90 days or more. A well-trained, experienced psychotherapist/hypnotherapist is likely to be help you more than an CD program.
It has always been an embarrassment to me that it took me quite some time to discover that tinnitus could really be reduced through hypnosis. In fact, when my tinnitus was firing off at 75+ dB, I never dreamed hypnotherapy could be effective for volume reduction. Much to the surprise of this clinical hypnotherapist, what I found through personal experience, and then research, then working with hundreds of clients, was that even when hypnotherapy does not eventually eliminate tinnitus, it normally reduces the volume, the stress, and negative emotions surrounding tinnitus. In fact, one recent study showed that 73 percent of individuals taking part in a study on the efficacy of hypnosis in tinnitus reduction, succeeded in doing just that. Other studies using hypnosis for tinnitus reduction report between 50 and 76 percent of subjects reducing volume and distress in their tinnitus. Astonishing numbers!
Why don't more people pursue such a successful therapy? It would seem that there is a perception of hypnosis that is negative in the minds of many. Generally, I believe this is attributable to the media's common portrayal of hypnotists. People seem to relate hypnosis to the surrender of will to another person; that is, until they actually participate in hypnotherapy and learn self-hypnosis!
Hypnosis is an old word that once meant sleep, another common misperception. When a person is in a state of hypnosis he or she is often actually in a state that is the exact opposite state of sleep! The generic term hypnosis more accurately describes a state of heightened awareness and focused concentration. This specific state is scientifically measurable by instruments, and is known as "the alpha state." (Measured by an EEG, this is 8-12 Hz.) Recent studies have shown this state of mind to be superior for learning, recall of memory, and training the mind to overcome the bad "programming" of the past, including tinnitus. Other states of mind may be included under the broad term hypnosis that are not "alpha states."
Countless studies have shown that people who suffer from tinnitus tend to have more somatics than are experienced by the population as a whole. In general, people who suffer from tinnitus suffered from either depression or stress related anxiety before the onset of the noise. This fact, in part, explains the efficacy of hypnosis in the relief of tinnitus. For many decades it has been known that hypnosis reduces stress, anxiety, and phobias. We are learning that hypnotherapy is effective in the treatment of depression, and now, in the treatment of tinnitus.
When a person has tinnitus or any illness, there are emotional clusters of feelings attached to the illness within the neurology of the individual. In psychology, these are known as state dependent memories. These memories are powerful because of the emotional attachment to them. With tinnitus, the emotions can run the gamut from anger to anxiety, from distress to depression.
The hypnotherapist's job is two-fold. She or he must defuse the emotional charge from the associations so that the person has a better opportunity for healing. Once the emotional clusters have been removed, the therapist then helps the client's unconscious mind focus on stimuli other than the noise.
Some hypnotherapists will recommend the use of a CD after the initial session with the therapist. Generally this CD or tape will allow the individual to use self-hypnosis on a daily basis at no additional cost. This form of hypnotherapy has been studied on several occasions with results of improvement ranging from about two-thirds to three-quarters. Hypnotherapy, therefore, has a demonstrated success rate comparable to auditory habituation and benzodiazepines.
Unfortunately there are less than a dozen hypnotherapists in the United States with expertise in working with tinnitus sufferers. It's important to note that hypnosis is 100 percent safe for the client, with one caveat. Hypnosis should not be used until pathology has been determined by a medical doctor. It would be foolish to silence the noise of tinnitus that was caused by a tumor.
You'll be able to do teleconsultations with competently trained therapists and in some cases therapy by phone as well. My best recommendation is be ready to take a weekend away from home for intensive therapy that can have a remarkably profound effect on the rest of your life.
What Can You Expect in a Hypnotherapy Session?
Of all the therapies for tinnitus, hypnotherapy is the most mysterious, if you will. Each hypnotherapist has a slightly different style, much like a psychologist would. However there are a few hypnotherapeutic models that are common in reducing tinnitus volume and other somatics.
Most hypnotherapists are really skilled only in helping their clients relax. Relaxation is an important element in the healing process of any disorder or disease. Relaxation is not to be sold short, but, in the case of tinnitus and hyperacusis, we need to relax and also address the specific feedback loops that are persisting within the mind/brain of the tinnitus sufferer. This is why it is so difficult to find a hypnotherapist skilled in tinnitus therapy. Even medical practitioners who perform hypnosis generally have little knowledge of advanced hypnotic techniques.
Next post, there are some of the techniques with which you want your practitioner to have years of skill and experience. You can make specific inquiries of practitioners you will interview to be on your healing team. To learn more, you can check out Ears Ringing Dizziness.
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