Tinnitus hypnosis is one of many methods believed to help manage tinnitus into comfortable levels. Through Ericksonian hypnosis methods, patients learn to subconsciously ignore the sensation of ringing ears that characterizes tinnitus.
Individuals with tinnitus experience the sensation of ringing in their ears, despite the absence of the sound itself. In some cases, tinnitus might manifest as a shrill, bell-like sound; in others, it can seem like the sounds of waves crashing upon the seashore. Tinnitus itself is not a medical condition; rather, it is a symptom of many other conditions.
As such, the cause of tinnitus depends largely on the underlying problem. An ear infection, for example, might cause some individuals to experience tinnitus. Others might develop tinnitus from ear inflammation due to an allergic reaction. Although certain tests allow doctors to trace the root of tinnitus, some experts prefer to address the symptom itself.
It is in this regard that tinnitus hypnosis is considered. Since the therapy can address the issue regardless of the cause, many tinnitus patients turn to psychiatrists for help. Tinnitus hypnosis is especially recommended if stress or depression is suspected to be the main cause of the problem.
There are generally two methods when it comes to tinnitus hypnosis. The first method entails conditioning the patient to simply ignore the experience of tinnitus. This form of therapy works on the idea that human beings tend to shun certain unimportant experiences from their conscious thoughts. By placing a post-hypnotic suggestion, psychiatrists aim to lead their patients to believe that their tinnitus is insignificant enough to ignore.
The second method builds more upon the idea that tinnitus is stress-induced. In this form of tinnitus hypnosis, the patients are asked to regress back to a point in their lives before their first memories of tinnitus. The psychiatrists will then help the patients isolate what made them feel relaxed and comfortable in that moment in hopes of enabling such feelings to resurface in present time. Patients should ideally feel less stressed after tinnitus hypnosis, thus diminishing the sensation of ringing ears.
Tinnitus hypnosis has been met with criticism, mostly on claims that the therapy does virtually nothing to cure the causes of medical tinnitus. Rather than fix the problem, tinnitus hypnosis is said to simply teach patients to ignore what could be a serious medical condition. In cases where the discomfort is caused by psychological issues, however, tinnitus hypnosis has produced generally favorable results.