Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for Tinnitus

What is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)?

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or CBT, is a form of talk therapy that focuses on changing the connection between your negative thoughts, feelings, and behaviours caused by your tinnitus.
By identifying these thoughts and changing the way we respond to them, we can reduce the distress caused by your tinnitus.

How Does CBT Help with Tinnitus?

CBT for tinnitus doesn’t aim to eliminate the sound itself but focuses on changing your reaction to it. Instead of letting tinnitus dominate your thoughts and emotions, CBT helps you build healthier ways of thinking and coping.

Here are the keyways CBT helps manage tinnitus:

1. Changing Negative Thoughts:
   Often, tinnitus can lead to negative thought patterns such as "I’ll never get better" or "This sound will drive me crazy." CBT helps identify these negative thoughts and replace them with more realistic, balanced ones. For example, you might learn to think, "Tinnitus is annoying, but it doesn’t control my life," which can help you feel more in control.

2. Reducing Anxiety and Stress:
   People can experience anxiety or stress because of their tinnitus. This can increase your perception of the tinnitus, which can, in turn, increase anxiety and stress, creating a cycle that makes you feel even worse. With CBT, we hope to help you break this cycle, reducing the effect your tinnitus has on your mental health.

3. Improving Sleep:
   Tinnitus can interfere with sleep, leading to frustration and fatigue. CBT techniques can help you manage the thoughts and anxieties that might be keeping you awake, making it easier to fall asleep and stay rested.

4. Building Healthy Coping Strategies:
   CBT teaches you healthy coping mechanisms to deal with the anxiety caused by your tinnitus. These strategies might include mindfulness techniques, distraction techniques, and ways to manage emotional responses to tinnitus.

5. Improving Quality of Life:
   By learning to manage your thoughts and reactions, CBT can help you improve your overall quality of life. Tinnitus may still be present, but you won’t let it take over your day-to-day activities. Instead, you’ll learn to focus on things that are more meaningful to you, making tinnitus feel less central to your life.

What Happens in a CBT Session for Tinnitus?

During these sessions, we will work together to identify the thoughts and behaviours that are contributing to the distress caused by your tinnitus.
A typical CBT session involves:

• Assessing Your Experience: You will discuss your experience with tinnitus, including how it affects your thoughts, feelings, and daily life.

• Identifying Negative Thought Patterns: You will work to identify any unhelpful or negative thoughts you have about tinnitus and begin to challenge them.

• Learning New Coping Skills: You will be taught specific techniques to help you manage stress, anxiety, and the emotional impact of tinnitus.

• Creating a Plan: We will help you create a plan for continuing to manage tinnitus outside of therapy, incorporating the tools and strategies you’ve learned.