Life has a way of unsettling us. Perhaps we have lost a loved pet, or our income isn’t now matching our expenditure. We may have ill health in our family. Or it may be the onset of tinnitus and the concern that tinnitus is here to stay. We could be experiencing stress and tinnitus.
Both our body and mind react to stress. While we might all experience this in different ways, there are symptoms which are common to many. In our mind we might think “I can’t cope with this” . And our body might get very tense, we become tearful and despairing.
Combining therapies
Tinnitus can cause stress in some people. We have found at the Tinnitus Clinic, that combining sound therapy with Cognitive behavioural Therapy is often the best approach. This combination can shift attention from the symptoms and result in a reduction of the impact of the tinnitus.
Mark Williams, Chief Consultant Audiologist at The Tinnitus Clinic said,“ For some patients the sound therapy we provide is sufficient for the relief of symptoms. For others, therapy plus the device is the most effective solution.”
How the body and mind work together
Dr Julianne Mullen who works with the Tinnitus Clinic providing therapy explained this to me.
“The body and the mind are ‘equal partners’ within the human system. They communicate and influence each other in equal measure. As Bessel van der Kolk says ‘The Body Keeps The Score.’ In my clinical experience of working with those that are emotionally triggered by this internal noise, I have noticed how Tinnitus is the interface between the body (physical and emotional) and the mind.” said Dr Mullen.
She continued, “It is the body’s way of signalling that something is out of balance and requires attention. This very often highlights ‘pre existing’ anxiety, trauma and unhealthy patterns of behaving that have been ignored/unnoticed and unprocessed. Tinnitus triggers anxiety and other difficult emotions to illuminate the unresolved issues that need to be addressed if we are open to confronting them.”
The good news is that a combination of sound therapy and therapy such as provided by Dr Mullen and The Tinnitus Clinic can really make a difference.
“My observation in therapy is that once the client identifies the issue and begins to process it and subsequently makes gradual healthy changes, not only does the tinnitus subside/become more manageable, but clients feel more content and empowered in all areas of their life.” concluded Dr Mullen.
Further reading
Dr Mullen has written a helpful book for those living with bothersome tinnitus. THE NOISE WITHIN- Tinnitus: Amazon.co.uk: MULLEN, JULIANNE: 9789914400564: Books For an appointment at The Tinnitus Clinic to have your suitability for treatment assessed please use the following link Book an Appointment | The Tinnitus & Hearing Clinic