Does Tinnitus Retraining Therapy Actually Work?

For several years we at https://www.tinnitusretrain.com have successfully helped many people overcome their troubles with tinnitus. But we receive one frequently reoccurring question and that’s regarding tinnitus retraining therapy and the question is “does tinnitus retraining therapy actually work?”

Well, in order to answer this question sufficiently I have kindly asked one of our members “Mary” if she can describe her experiences with tinnitus retraining therapy. Mary had been suffering from tinnitus for eleven years and kindly agreed to share her experience with TRT.

Mary’s story

When nothing seemed to relieve my tinnitus and the persistent ringing was beginning to take it’s toll on my life my physician suggested tinnitus retraining therapy. I was curious as to what exactly this entailed.

After a brief description of what it was by my doctor I decided to give it a go. And sought out a specialist and facility in my city.

My understanding was that tinnitus retraining therapy was a form of habituation therapy designed to help people who suffer from persistent and troubling tinnitus. According to the website, tinnitus retraining therapy comprised of two components. One was a counseling session aimed at reframing my relationship with the tinnitus commonly called cognitive behavioral therapy and the other was a sound therapy, of which I shall go into detail later. I was never under the impression that TRT was going to eliminate my tinnitus. Also I was told that because I’d suffered for quite some time the chances of TRT working would be slimmer than if my tinnitus was new.

So with that, I wasn’t expecting miracles, which was good thing as I’d been down that disappointing road before (if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is) But I was hopeful that this therapy would help me cope with the negative side effects of my tinnitus.

My sound therapy experience

Sound Therapy is Part of Tinnitus Retraining Therapy

There are many approaches to sound therapy for tinnitus sufferers and many of them depend on the individual. A therapist will customize a directive based on many variables. As for me personally I tried acoustic neuromodulation. This comprises of a sequence of tones, which are presented at a low volume for longer periods in the hope that they will trigger activity in the part of my brain, which counters neural hyperactivity. This is quite different from masking by the way, which I had been doing for many years. Sleeping with white noise, keeping my ears occupied during the day with TV, radio etc. But this was quite different and far more scientific.

The original plan was to give TRT a go for 12 months, but to see where we were with progress after 3 months. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t concerned the prospect of 12 months and no positive results because TRT isn’t cheap. But I was prepared to give it a go for a solid 3 months and see how I was feeling. Meanwhile my counseling sessions were underway and I must say I was learning lots and enjoying those immensely. Discovering why I was suffering as opposed to the physical mechanics of how I was suffering was certainly eye opening. And over time with this added knowledge as to why some people suffer and others don’t I slowly made steps to reframe how I dealt with my tinnitus.

However, after three months of sound therapy I found no change in my level of discomfort so I decided to call it a day and save my bank balance at the same time.

Although sound therapy didn’t work for me, please don’t let that influence your decision to pursue TRT. As there are many customized approaches that might happen to work on your tinnitus.

Counselling 

Tinnitus Retraining therapy Counselling Really Helped

I think the premise of tinnitus retraining therapy is good, but for me personally, the counseling really helped me to realize exactly what I had been dealing with. I walked away with a powerful new perspective on what tinnitus suffering actually was and why some suffer and others don’t.

However the counselling only took things so far, I walked away knowing exactly what was happening emotionally and mentally. But I was unclear as to what to practically do about it.

That’s when I found the tinnitus retrain system. It basically took off where Tinnitus retraining therapy left me. It backed up all the theory with practical daily exercises, which soon saw me put into action a solid and enjoyable plan to bypass my current condition.

Not only did I know why my tinnitus bothered me so much I could now do what those who didn’t seem to be bothered by tinnitus could do naturally. Override, rewire and move on with living a relatively tinnitus free life.

I do not regret embarking on tinnitus retraining therapy because without it the doors, which led to truly understanding my relationship with my own tinnitus, would not have been opened.

Read about my own experience with tinnitus https://www.tinnitusretrain.com/my-story/