Progressive Ear Therapy (PET)

Reading messages on the Hyperacusis Network forum, I came across the case of Rob, who, lacking disability benefits in his country (USA) and needing to keep paying bills, was forced to cope with very severe hyperacusis, having to expose himself to numerous sounds that caused him pain and setbacks.

Hyperacusis and Qigong

 Recently, I came across a successful case of recovery from severe hyperacusis and tinnitus that, due to its characteristics, I believe is worth sharing, as it may open a new avenue of treatment and hope for those suffering from this difficult auditory disorder.

How to treat phonophobia

As we saw in the article Misophonia and Phonophobia, the treatment typically used to address these types of auditory disorders is Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT). This therapy is used to treat problems arising from certain experiences, emotions, and false beliefs, and is based on the association between thought and behavior. Although it is always best to consult a professional for your particular case, some people may manage with the advice to identify, prevent, and treat phonophobia that I will provide below. Although I focus on phonophobia, these same tips can also be useful for treating misophonia, since, as discussed in the aforementioned article, the mechanisms explaining misophonia and phonophobia are identical.

Hearing Protection

To protect ourselves from loud sounds or sounds above our tolerance level, we can use earplugs or earmuffs. In the case of earplugs, there are several types: foam, silicone, moldable silicone, custom molds, filtered plugs, musicians’ plugs… Each type offers different levels of protection (from 9 dB up to 33 dB or more), with foam and moldable silicone plugs providing the highest protection.

Hyperacusis Treatment

From the perspective of Western medicine, the best current way to treat hyperacusis (once other options have been ruled out depending on its cause) is through auditory desensitization therapies, which retrain the brain not to interpret sounds as loud, annoying, and/or painful when they are not for a healthy person. This treatment works thanks to brain plasticity, that is, the brain’s ability to form new neural networks based on the external stimuli it receives.