CAN IT (HYPNOTHERAPY) REALLY STOP TINNITUS?
Quite often in a conversation when someone discovers my field of expertise I've been asked "I've heard that hypnosis can help relive the symptoms of tinnitus, is that true?"
For a qualified hypnotherapist/hypnoanalist (of which there is VERY few--do your homework) that has been fully trained in the field of tinnitus, this is often the case and when hypnotherapy doesn't eliminate tinnitus it normally reduces the volume, the stress and negative emotions surrounding tinnitus.
In fact, one recent study showed that 73% of individuals taking part in a study on the efficacy of hypnosis in tinnitus reduction, succeeded in doing just that.
Why don't more pursue such a successful therapy? The common preconception of hypnosis that is negative in the minds of many of the general population. This can normally be attributed to the media's portrayal of hypnosis in general. People seem to relate hypnosis to the surrender of will to another person, the loss of control...that is until they actually participate in hypnotherapy and learn self hypnosis!
Hypnosis is an ancient Greek word that once meant sleep, another misnomer. When a person is in a state of hypnosis they are actually in the exact opposite state of sleep! Hypnosis is a state of heightened awareness and focused concentration. It is scientifically measurable by instruments and is known as "the alpha state." (Measured by an EEG, this is 8-12 Hz.) Recent science 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.
It has been shown in countless studies that those people who suffer from tinnitus tend to have more somatics; that is symptomatic issues than the population as a whole. People who suffer from tinnitus largely either experienced a massive onset of stress, suffered from 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. Now we are learning that hypnotherapy is effective in the treatment of depression, and, now 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." The memories are so powerful because of the emotional attachment to them. With tinnitus, the emotions can run the gamut from anger to anxiety and distress to depression.
The hypnotherapists job is two-fold. The therapist 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 will help the client's unconscious mind focus on other stimulii than the noise.
Hypnosis is not a "cure" for tinnitus. Hypnosis is an extremely affordable and very helpful therapy for reducing or eliminating the noise and/or the emotional impact of tinnitus. Depending on the cause of the tinnitus and the psychological status of the individual, hypnosis will generally surprise the client with it's seemingly amazing results.
For more information or to book your session; please call our offices @ 360.387.1197 or email us @ islandproductions@camano.net