Living with tinnitus can be a nightmare for many people because it feels like there is always something ringing or buzzing loudly in your ears. These auditory disturbances interfere with your hearing, and they can also make it extremely difficult to find and enjoy some moments of peace.
The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) estimates that 10% of all Americans (more than 25 million people) experience some type of tinnitus, and around 5 million of these experience burdensome chronic symptoms. But tinnitus does not have to dictate your life. Below, our behavioral health specialists in Hobart, Indiana are going to explain how behavioral therapies can help you manage tinnitus-related stress and regain control over your life.
Why is tinnitus such a pain to deal with?
The actual sound is not what makes tinnitus unbearable. It is how your brain responds to it that makes tinnitus so hard to live with. This neurological response can trigger negative emotions like anger, anxiety, and hopelessness that can overwhelm your thoughts and make the ringing sound even louder and more frustrating.
Behavioral therapies address this very issue by targeting your emotional response to tinnitus instead of trying to get rid of the sound itself. So, if you are feeling stuck in a cycle of frustration because of the constant ringing or buzzing in your ears, maybe it is time to try a different coping strategy. Our behavioral health specialists in Hobart, Indiana can help you explore different behavioral therapies that can retrain your brain and help you live more peacefully with tinnitus.
Can behavioral therapies help you manage tinnitus symptoms?
Behavioral therapies teach you how to better understand and manage your emotions, redirect your focus, and build effective coping strategies. One good example is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). This is an extremely popular method that teaches you to change your perspective on tinnitus. Instead of seeing it as a scary problem that cannot be fixed, CBT helps you reinterpret your experience of the sound in a way that is not so frightening.
There is also Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), which is a program designed to help people become more aware of their present experiences. MBSR teaches you to embrace what you are going through instead of trying to ignore or push away your feelings.
The method can sound counterintuitive, but there is enough evidence that shows how effective MBSR can be. With mindfulness practice, you can get better at accepting your feelings without harsh self-judgment. This change in perspective can lighten the emotional weight of conditions like tinnitus and open your mental space for other happy things in life.
Other methods, like Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT), can also help you reframe your perspective on your condition and feel better about what you are going through. Whether you prefer the more organized CBT sessions or a holistic mindfulness practice, a behavioral health specialist in Hobart, Indiana can create a treatment plan suitable for what you want to achieve.
Behavioral therapies change how you experience tinnitus.
Behavioral therapies will not “cure” tinnitus since there is currently no cure for it, but they can definitely change how you experience the condition. When you stop thinking about the sound all the time, it loses its hold on your life. Over time, tinnitus goes from being a constant annoyance to nothing more than a quiet sound in the background.
The effectiveness of behavioral therapies is not only anecdotal. There are many tests and studies that show these therapies bring lasting improvements. For example, studies like this have found that people who completed therapy programs often see reduced depressive symptoms and an overall better quality of life. These improvements don’t just disappear, either, as many patients report continued relief years after completing their therapy.
Looking for an Affordable Behavioral Health Specialist in Hobart, Indiana?
Are you feeling overwhelmed by tinnitus? If so, and if you’re looking for an affordable behavioral health specialist in Hobart, Indiana who can help you regain control of your life, 219 Health Network is here for you. Contact us today at 833-219-0001 to schedule an appointment.