Tinnitus

QUESTION

This Wednesday I had a first session with woman who was given an incorrect dosage of a nausea medication. Since that time she has had tinnitus--high pitched whistling noise. She cannot visualize, imagine or pretend that she is without this noise. She has traveled to the hospital to see a specialist and he said that he can do nothing. She has tried acupuncture and cranial sacral work with zero improvement. I started with the Kevin Hogan's approach, "Turn the volume down".  I also used your outline for discovering unknown causes.  She has committed to 3-4 sessions to see some results. What can you suggest?

ANSWER

      If the doctor has agreed that there is no hearing loss causing the tinnitus (one of the major causes), and you’ve used the “problem-solving” process, then you might try regressing to just before the incident and re-frame it to a more positive outcome, in which she receives exactly the correct dosage and feels wonderful from then on.  Then ask her how she feels, and whether that is the feeling she prefers to the other.  Then tell her mind to take that memory with her in such a way as to make her entire hearing mechanism operate perfectly. 

     I'm unsure of how Hogan's method works, but here is how I use a "turn volume down."  While hypnotized have her imagine she has within her head a gauge that increases or decreases any sound at all. Have her describe what that looks like. Have her imagine going to the gauge, “hearing” the type of sounds she hears with the tinnitus.  Then have her tone down that ring himself by pulling a lever or turning a dial or what-have-you, until the sound has become more comfortable to her.  Once she signals to you (ideomotor) or tells you that the sound is bearable, then lock it in by asking her how she feels now with this new sound, and whether she wants the memory of that sound, rather than the other sound.  Of course, she’ll choose the newer toned-down sound.  Then tell her that will be the background noise that she hears from now on. In this way she has charge of the situation, rather than feeling the panic of not being in charge.

     The only other thing I can suggest would be to make use of some of my general scripts on healing which get the various parts of the body to function their best.  In preparation for that, it is wise to look up a picture of the inner ear and describe each part and the various connections as each working perfectly. Some therapists use suggestions that assist the client in ignoring the sounds of the tinnitus.

      I wish I had more to offer here, but hope even this might be of assistance. Good luck.