Surveys estimate that between 10% and 25% of adults[1] experience tinnitus—the internal ringing or buzzing in the ears. We consider any tinnitus lasting longer than three months to be chronic. If you’re experiencing chronic tinnitus, there are a few options available to help you manage it. One option many turn to is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).
What is CBT?
CBT is a type of talk therapy. During the therapy, you’ll work with a mental health professional to identify negative thinking patterns and constructively redirect them.
While CBT is often used to address mental health conditions like depression and anxiety, it can also help you redirect your negative emotions towards tinnitus. While it doesn’t stop the sound of tinnitus, CBT can significantly reduce its effect on your life.
A few side effects common with chronic tinnitus include:
- Anxiety or depression
- Insomnia
- Irritability
- Trouble concentrating
- Difficulty communicating
By addressing the negative reactions that lead to those effects, CBT prevents tinnitus from completely taking over your life.
How CBT Therapy for Tinnitus Works
CBT works differently for each patient, but sessions will typically involve exploring specific topics to identify where changes in perspective may be most helpful. You might talk about when you notice your tinnitus most, how you react to it and how you feel those reactions impact your life.
Over the course of your CBT sessions, your mental health specialist will teach you to develop healthier emotional responses to persistent sounds. In some cases, you will also learn to use relaxation and stress-management techniques like meditation or yoga at Collective Studios to control your reaction.
CBT doesn’t turn the ringing down, but, ideally, the coping techniques it offers will turn down tinnitus’s effect on your life.
Combining CBT With Other Management Strategies
Tinnitus management necessitates a multifaceted approach. You can combine it with tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT), which helps you get used to the ringing, or sound masking with hearing aids, which distract the brain from the internal ringing with a soothing external sound.
Don’t face tinnitus alone. Our experts at Massachusetts Hearing Group will walk you through a few effective management strategies to help you regain control of your life. Call us today to schedule your appointment.
[1] National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. (n.d.). Tinnitus. https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/tinnitus