What is retraining therapy for tinnitus? Tinnitus is a very common hearing condition that affects nearly 50 million older adults in the US alone. Tinnitus is more similar to a disease that is associated with various hearing-related health issues as well as other medical conditions.
It is characterized by a ringing sound in the ears that happens to have no external source. This suggests that tinnitus is an internal sound that does not exist in the outside world. While the ‘ringing’ sensation is the most common tinnitus sound, many people also hear whistling, buzzing, chirping, etc. Some patients affected by tinnitus also report hearing humming and musical sounds.
Various treatment options help patients cope and live with tinnitus, including sound therapies and cognitive retraining therapy. Let’s see how tinnitus retraining therapy by Stephen Geller Katz, LCSW-R works.
What is Retraining Therapy for Tinnitus?
Tinnitus can have numerous adverse effects on the overall life quality of the affected person. People who experience intense tinnitus sounds find it hard to focus, affecting productivity. On the other hand, it can also cause sleeping troubles.
Not to mention, tinnitus also affects your mood and ability to communicate. Therefore, it is important to seek treatment for your annoying and debilitating tinnitus.
Tinnitus retraining therapy or TRT is a treatment that seeks to ‘retrain’ your brain to help it cope with your ringing ears. The therapy is practiced at both a conscious and subconscious level as it changes the way your mind, central nervous system, and auditory system perceive, process, and interprets sounds.
TRT is a comprehensive treatment method that addresses the cause behind tinnitus sounds. Then, it recalibrates your internal system to prevent these sounds from ringing in the future. This type of treatment helps numerous people suffering from tinnitus.
If you think you might be experiencing tinnitus, you can use our treatment services at Tinnitus Cognitive Center. A session of TRT requires you to co-operate with a medical professional as only a specialist like Stephen Geller Katz, LCSW, can train your mind.
Such treatment uses counseling and sound therapy methods that spread over 1 to 2 years to tackle all three systems involved effectively. These include the auditory system, limbic system, and autonomic nervous system. Since tinnitus is a complicated symptom and condition, hearing centers offer special personalized treatments as per the specific requirements.
How Does Tinnitus Retraining Therapy Work?
Tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT) can help minimize the symptoms of different types of tinnitus. These include regular tinnitus, pulsatile tinnitus, tinnitus that causes dizziness, and even bilateral and unilateral tinnitus.
TRT is a brilliant combination of three significant steps at the Tinnitus Cognitive Center. These are:
- Data collection: It is hard to identify the causes and prepare the perfect personalized treatment plan without enough patient data. First, we collect information regarding the patient’s medical history and daily lifestyle.
- Using sound therapy devices: Sound therapy mechanisms include masking, distraction, habituation, and neuromodulation, using various sound therapy devices. These help the patient’s brain ignore the intensity of tinnitus. The devices distract the patients’ attention from tinnitus sounds using external sounds.
- Psychological therapy: Psychological therapy is the main part of tinnitus retraining therapy that retrains the brain. This combines stress management tactics with relaxation exercises that help eliminate any anxiety and stress. As a result, patients stop perceiving tinnitus as a threat.
Tinnitus Retraining Therapy for Tinnitus: Conclusion
Tinnitus retraining therapy, as the name suggests, helps retrain the mind to minimize the intensity of tinnitus sounds. Stephen Geller Katz, LCSW-R at the Tinnitus Cognitive Center™, has 20 years of experience. He provides extensive, compassionate TRT to his patients.
Give us a call at 646-213-2321 to schedule an online session & consultation.