Tinnitus and Hyperacusis Therapy Program

Hyperacusis is a condition where a person experiences the sounds of everyday life as abnormally loud, uncomfortable, and possibly painful.  People may report their symptoms in varying degrees and like Tinnitus, this condition can have an isolating effect on a person’s ability to live their life. Occasionally, this oversensitivity of the auditory system has been known to develop following an extremely stressful life event. Hyperacusis can occur on its own or alongside Tinnitus symptoms: 25-30% of people with tinnitus also experience hyperacusis.

People who are impacted by Tinnitus or Hyperacusis are sometimes told: “There is nothing you can do about it” and to “Learn to live with it”. These words can lead to feelings of hopelessness, distress, and a negative outlook on life.  But there is hope!  There may not be a cure ( yet! ), but there are options available to develop positive strategies for managing your Tinnitus and/or Hyperacusis.

How we can help

The first step to managing your Tinnitus and/or Hyperacusis is to have a hearing assessment to evaluate your auditory system, rule out any medical involvement for which referral to a physician would be necessary, and evaluate the level of impact on the quality of your life.

After the hearing assessment we can move forward with the next steps in your treatment plan.  During the tinnitus/hyperacusis consultation appointment, we will:

• Listen to your story, your concerns, and how Tinnitus/Hyperacusis has affected your life
• Address your history and hearing health
• Evaluate your Tinnitus or Hyperacusis and measure the impact Tinnitus/Hyperacusis has on the quality of your life
• Provide a detailed analysis of your situation, an opinion possible cause(s), and how the symptoms may have been exacerbated
• Include an explanation of the neurophysiological mechanisms of Tinnitus/Hyperacusis to help demystify it
• Offer a personalized treatment plan for managing your Tinnitus/Hyperacusis
• Note: If a person has both conditions, then Hyperacusis is always treated first and often the symptoms of Tinnitus may subside at the same time.

For individuals who require further Tinnitus/Hyperacusis support beyond the initial consultation appointment, our advanced treatment program consists of educational counselling and sound therapy components drawn from techniques of Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT), Tinnitus Activities Treatment (TAT), and Progressive Tinnitus Management (PTM).

The levels of improvement that each person achieves will vary and depends on several factors including personal motivation, degree of severity, family support, and other underlying factors such as anxiety or depression.  Our role is to educate, support, encourage and evaluate your journey to feeling in control again.  Engaging other health care professionals to help you is often recommended. Our goal is to move you in a positive direction so that you have strategies under your belt to help manage the Tinnitus and/or Hyperacusis.

The following evidence-based websites also contain helpful information:

British Tinnitus Association  https://www.tinnitus.org.uk/

American Tinnitus Association   https://www.ata.org/

Ida Institute First Aid Kit  http://www.tinnituskit.com/

Hyperacusis information  https://hyperacusisresearch.org/