The integrative tinnitus – coping programme (ITB)
Tinnitus – a widespread disease?
Although tinnitus aurium (from Latin: ringing in the ears) is not a life-threatening disease, according to the Deutsche Tinnitus Liga e.V. (German tinnitus association) almost 10% of the German population suffer temporarily from it, with around 2 million patients urgently in need of treatment. Of those, in turn, 70.000 people become suicidal each year, because they can no longer endure the agonizing noises inside their ear or head. There are around 2 million cases of chronic tinnitus (i.e. if there is no therapeutic success seen three to six months after it first occurred) in Germany. Otorhinolaryngology mostly treats acute tinnitus with infusions that stimulate blood circulation. However, only 20 % of the acute cases and 5% of the chronic cases can thus be improved.
Causes of tinnitus
Studies have shown that tinnitus is accompanied by an overexcitation of the auditory cortex of the cerebrum and that it is not caused by something inside the ear or hearing organs themselves. Along with causes like exceedingly loud noises, accidents, brain surgery, dental treatment or muscular tensions around the head- or neck area, chronic stress and an insufficient manner to deal with stress are considered the main reason for tinnitus.
Integrative coping with tinnitus
Chronic tinnitus cannot be cured with medicines, operations or technical methods. That is why another, more complex treatment has to be selected. The aim of a treatment of lasting ear noises is to cope with tinnitus, i.e. to cope with the impairments caused by the noises and to learn how to increasingly block out the tinnitus from the conscious perception by using diverse techniques of mindfulness and relaxation as well as body therapy.
ITP - The coping-programme: Five tools to cope with tinnitus:
The aim of the programme is to support you in coping with tinnitus with the appropriate help. Five tools used in four different approaches to deal with your ear noises: knowledge, change of attitude, frequency and sound therapy, relaxation and body therapy, and heart coherence biofeedback. The development of ITB is based on 25 years of experience in treating tinnitus patients as well as on the latest scientific findings.
Integrative coping with tinnitus – Five tools
Tool 1: Knowledge- against helplessness
Phenomena that we cannot understand, that we fight against in vain, and that we cannot control are much worse than a phenomenon we can comprehend. In order to cope with tinnitus successfully, it is important for us to know what we actually deal with. The first part of the coping strategy consists of information about the hearing process, tinnitus, its cause and its effects. Unfortunately, a considerable amount of complaints is actually caused or increased by false information, false impressions and incorrect handling of tinnitus.
Tool 2: Change of attitude
Another, maybe even the most important tool to cope with tinnitus is a change of attitude. This means to take the right attitude to tinnitus. As long as it poses a threat to us or even seems like an enemy, it is impossible to cope with it successfully. However, not only do we need to look closely at our attitude towards tinnitus but we have to consider other feelings as well. We have to check our attitudes about stress, strain and high expectations of ourselves.
Tool 3: Frequency and sound therapy – conscious hearing
The third tool is the frequency and sound therapy: those affected by tinnitus tend to withdraw from hearing either because they have a hearing impairment or because they are desperately looking for peace and quiet. However, the problem is that the quieter it is from outside, the stronger we perceive what is inside our head – the ear noises! Of course the desire for tranquillity inside the head is understandable, but individuals can learn how to distance themselves from the noises by conscious hearing of frequencies specifically created for people suffering from tinnitus. Especially techniques of internal attentiveness in combination with the VitaSon frequency therapy are used here.
Tool 4: Relaxation and body therapy – from hearing to feeling
The fourth tool concerns the increased stress level; nearly all of the affected people suffer from an increased stress level either because the tinnitus itself has raised it or because of external burdens like stress or conflicts.
This increased stress level is ultimately responsible for the ailments of tinnitus, like you will learn in the course of this coping programme. That is why it is extremely important to decrease the inner stress level again. This is achieved by a constant use of relaxation techniques, changes in break and sleeping behaviour as well as the acquisition of inner attentiveness, which you will learn how to apply within this coping programme.
A body therapy that is specifically aimed at the treatment of tinnitus, containing elements of the craniosacral and visceral osteopathy as well as of Rolfing , deals exclusively and systematically with muscular tensions that keep the tinnitus going.
Tool 5: heart coherence biofeedback
The fifth tool is the heart coherence biofeedback. It presents to you techniques to control and increase your stress-tolerance in everyday life by mirroring the processes of your nervous system on a computer screen. Daily practice at home helps you to first relax in spite of the ear noises and then to decrease your stress level to a point where you can consciously influence the tinnitus.
