Meditation With Tinnitus

[ThaiPauly]

I know this is a long shot but does anybody on the forum suffer from tinnitus?

I got it last year after an operation on a serious ear infection.

I find it next to impossible to escape from the noise and find myself unable to meditate anymore,as soon as I try the noise in my head overwhelms me.

So If anybody else has this horrible problem have you found a successful way to mediate?


Thanks in advance

TP

[rockyysdt]

Hi TP.

Is it worth pursuing further operations or seeking alternative medical opinion on disabling the noise?

Sounds severe, but I'd even consider shutting down the hearing from the affected ear if that is possible.
You'll lose directionality of sound, but living with continuous noise sounds very debilitating.

[camerata]

I use a CD of ocean waves to mask the ear sounds when I meditate. There used to be a software application that allowed you to create your own anti-tinnitus CD. Something like this: http://www.vectormediasoftware.com/tinmaskerhome.htm

[puuchai299]

I have it real bad too,seen multiple doctors about it,No cure,just live with it is all i get,i fully sympathise with you.

[xen]

I have had tinnitus for as long as i can remember - i always thought it was the sound of silence when i was a kid so i am now use to it. It is just background now.

Some things like coffee and asprin will make it worse so refrain as much as possible from them.

[jaapfries]

[quote name='xen' timestamp='1343160930' post='5515648']
I have had tinnitus for as long as i can remember - i always thought it was the sound of silence when i was a kid so i am now use to it. It is just background now.

Some things like coffee and asprin will make it worse so refrain as much as possible from them.
[/quote]

Tinnitus: what a horrible affliction ! !
For what it's worth, I just read somewhere that it could be helpful to abstain from 'putting anything into yourself' that is made with artificial sweetener ('aspartame'); hence Coke-O; Coke-Light; Pepsi-Light and anything else with this horrible substance in it - may quickly show an improvement in this condition.
I truly hope & pray that you an get rid of this horrific and extremely debilitating condition, my friend !
[img]http://www.thaivisa.com/forum//public/style_emoticons/default/402.gif[/img]

[ThaiPauly]

[quote name='camerata' timestamp='1343139478' post='5515107']
I use a CD of ocean waves to mask the ear sounds when I meditate. There used to be a software application that allowed you to create your own anti-tinnitus CD. Something like this: [url="http://www.vectormediasoftware.com/tinmaskerhome.htm"]http://www.vectormed...nmaskerhome.htm[/url]
[/quote]

Thanks Camerata,

I have tried the full-on masker at the hospital, the difference did not justify the huge expense, only about a 5% improvement and the things look so ugly unless you are prepared tp spend a fortune and then risk losing it as its so small.

I am playing the masking noise from the link you kindly provided, but it only seems to make me more aware of my own problem, maybe its something that over time I would get used to, so I will give it a try for the couple of hours they give you for free and will try a bit of meditating this afternoon while listening to it.

Thanks a lot and thanks to everybody else that has added something to this thread , your comments and commiserations are appreciated.

I find it gets worse for me if I drink alcohol, I HAVE to take asprin on Doctor's orders, but soft drinks don't seem to affect me, I guess we are all wired differently.

[camerata]

It sounds like you have a severe case. I got my tinnitus listening to the likes of Black Sabbath and Uriah Heep live in dingy clubs, i.e. the natural way. [img]http://www.thaivisa.com/forum//public/style_emoticons/default/smile.png[/img] The normal sound is of the "jet engine whine" variety, which is continuous and not too difficult to mask. After I get a cold, for a few months I have what I call "the aliens," which is a kind of low frequency intermittent "bzzz bzzz bzz bzzzzz" sound. It's difficult to mask intermittent sounds. But total silence tends to make everything worse. If there is no other sound at home I switch on an old fan.

Tinnitus can improve over the years, especially if you eat well, take your vitamins and avoid loud noises. Perhaps you need to experiment with different [i]types[/i] of masking noise rather than just white noise or ocean waves. If all else fails, try [i]Buddho[/i] meditation. It's easier to focus on a mantra than the breath when there are distractions.

[wichianburi1]

I live with Tinnitus for the past 20 years and sort of got used to it. When the level of stress increased, the ringing usually did too. After reading books on how to get rid of Tinitus and searching the internet on the same subject, I gave up given that the success rate was just not there.
When back in Europe/Austria, I learnt that the etherial oil of the "Strohblume" (I don't know the botanical name of this flower only the german name) WILL help to lose or at least reduce the nasty ringing in the ear. My sister bought a 5 ml bottle (not cheap for 125 Euro) and I was advised to use it 2-3 times a day as follows: 1. Rub one drop behind the ear - if one suffers from tinnitus in both ears apply one drop behind both ears. 2. Rub one drop inside the outer/external ear (don't use it as one would use eardrops/the oil should not be applied to the inner ear). 3. Apply one drop at the back of the mouth (where the old Romans tasked their slaves to tickle them in order to continue eating after vomitting).
I tried this religiously for about two weeks and, indeed, I experienced times, lasting a few hours, without any buzzing in my troubled ear at all. After a while I became lax/forgot to apply it regularly and the ringing returned, though in a less aggressive way. I do not know if this etherial oil is available in Thailand, however, the label reads as follows:

Helichrysum
(Immortelle)
Aetherisches Oel (the "A" and "O" is spelled with Umlaut/two dots on both letters)
5 ml
The colour of the label is red.

Check it out, give it a try and let me know how you are getting along.

Best wishes.

[Xangsamhua]

[left][size=4][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Pauly, you probably know all this stuff, but I found this article interesting:[/font][/size][/left]

[i][color=#000000][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][left]Mindful meditation is one of these techniques. It's similar to traditional forms of meditation, in that the technique involves relaxation, deep breathing and focusing on the rise and fall of the chest and stomach.[/left][/font][/color][/i]

[left][i][color=#000000][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=2][size=4][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]But instead of 'emptying' the mind, patients are taught to actually 'observe' their thoughts, including their worries about tinnitus.[/font][/size][/size][/font][/color][/i][/left]

[left][i][color=#000000][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=2][size=4][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Our brains are constantly evaluating noise in order to work out which sounds are significant, or threatening, and which ones can be ignored.[/font][/size][/size][/font][/color][/i][/left]

[left][i][color=#000000][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=2][size=4][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]When the brain is under stress, it is more likely to evaluate unimportant sounds as threatening. But by learning to accept that it's natural to have troublesome thoughts about the condition, the theory is that the brain learns, in turn, that there's no need to perceive these sounds as threatening. [/font][/size][/size][/font][/color][/i][/left]

[left][i][color=#000000][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=2][size=4][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]In short, it is being 'reconditioned' to accept tinnitus as normal.[/font][/size][/size][/font][/color][/i][/left]

[left][i][color=#000000][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=2][size=4][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]'Our aim is to help people acknowledge that they have the condition, that it won't cause them to lose their hearing and that what they can hear is actually harmless neuronal activity in the pathway from the ear to the brain,' says Jo Blaquiere, hearing therapist at the Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital in London, which has pioneered use of the therapy over the past two years.[/font][/size][/size][/font][/color][/i][/left]

[left][i][color=#000000][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=2][size=4][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]'It's not for everyone,' she adds. 'But some people find it a powerful technique for coping.[/font][/size][/size][/font][/color][/i][/left]

[left][i][color=#000000][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=2][size=4][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]'It's different to relaxation therapy because the goal is not to relax. With mindful meditation you learn to accept how things are as best you can.'[/font][/size][/size][/font][/color][/i][/left]

[left][i][color=#000000][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=2][size=4][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Professor Laurence McKenna, consultant in clinical psychology at the hospital, says the technique appears to help sufferers combat fears that tinnitus will ruin their lives.[/font][/size][/size][/font][/color][/i][/left]

[left][i][color=#000000][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=2][size=4][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]'Some people worry that they'll never experience peace and quiet again and, as a result, will slowly go mad. These are the kind of thoughts that keep people focused on the tinnitus.[/font][/size][/size][/font][/color][/i][/left]

[left][i][color=#000000][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=2][size=4][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]'We can't be sure how mindful meditation alters the brain, but there is evidence of changes in the way the brain functions.'[/font][/size][/size][/font][/color][/i][/left]

[left][i][color=#000000][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=2][size=4][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]For instance, some studies suggest it leads to an increase in activity in the pre-frontal cortex, the part of the brain associated with positive emotion.[/font][/size][/size][/font][/color][/i][/left]

[left][i][color=#000000][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=2][size=4][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]John was initially sceptical that consciously thinking about the tinnitus could actually make it go away. But having failed to respond to other therapies, including relaxation techniques, he persisted, meditating for 20 minutes a day. [/font][/size][/size][/font][/color][/i][/left]

[left][i][color=#000000][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=2][size=4][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]This involved finding a quiet place, doing some deep breathing and gradually counting down from 500.[/font][/size][/size][/font][/color][/i][/left]

[left][i][color=#000000][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=2][size=4][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]'Then when I did start to think about my tinnitus, I was able to tell myself that it was just a part of me, that it was not taking over my life and that I could move forward one day at a time.'[/font][/size][/size][/font][/color][/i][/left]

[left][i][color=#000000][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=2][size=4][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]'Admittedly, for a long time nothing seemed to happen and I even thought about giving up/ But because I was desperate, I persisted. And I'm glad I did.[/font][/size][/size][/font][/color][/i][/left]


[left][i][color=#000000][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=2][size=4][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]'After a few months I realised I was not hearing the Morse code sound in my right ear as much as before,' says John, who is married to Linda, 53, also a primary school head teacher.[/font][/size][/size][/font][/color][/i][/left]

[left][i][color=#000000][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=2][size=4][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]'Now I hardly hear it at all. But whenever I get stressed I spend a few minutes doing the meditation to prevent it returning.[/font][/size][/size][/font][/color][/i][/left]

[left][i][color=#000000][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=2][size=4][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]'This treatment has given me back my life and I feel deeply indebted to Jo and her team.'[/font][/size][/size][/font][/color][/i][/left]

[left][size=4][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][color=#000000]Read more: [url="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1281129/Tinnitus-Try-meditating.html#ixzz22BbsKuN8"]http://www.dailymail...l#ixzz22BbsKuN8[/url][/color][/font][/size][/left]

[lungmi]

Tinnitus has many reasons.
The Tinnitus after a concert of Defleppard or diving without correct decrompression, an airplane goes down to quickly, a strong cracker etc ....
I treated this tinnitus successfully with aurico-acupuncture and special points around the ear(s).
For longtime tinnitus the option is different: Stress control seems to be the cardinal point. Meditation (anapanasati, mindfullness by breathing) or other ways of meditation
are surely very useful. The tinnitus still stay, but you can domesticate him like a sleeping dog.

[newarrior]

I've had this for 16 years..Try tinnitus retraining therapy------TRT

[gs4492]

Hi. sorry to bump an old thread but has anyone tried using a sensory deprivation tank for meditation? ive heard that being submerged in water can be soothing tinnitus.

i was planning to become a monk but im not sure if it is for me as it is too culturally specific. Therefore i have been seeking an alternative solution. The solution involves a DIY sensory deprivation tank. I am still in the planning stage but If anyone wants to get involved please send me a message

cheers

[cheeryble]

ThaiPauly

I suffer from ear problems, and sympathise.

Maybe this will help.

In England i was attending meditation classes....maybe giving them.....in a room in a large old house which was converted to a Buddhist Centre.

In the winter the central heating used to work according to the thermostat, and of course there was always a little range betwen off and on. So it switched on for a time, maybe it was 15 minutes. Then turned off for a time. Then on. Then off.

Point was the copper pipes weren't properly sleeved under the floorboards. So when it turned on, the metal expanded, and the pipe started creaking in it's clips. crack, crack, crack crack, slowly getting faster. And vice versa, and getting slower.

I found this very distracting.......until I realised something.

I started to make "myself" transparent to all stimulus.

The noise would come.

And pass right through "me".

After some practise at this it became second nature.

One could turn the annoyance into equanimity, because the problem is in the reacting.

I later was always sure to teach this example as a part of meditation, and of course it is the bigger mental assault we receive all the time....what Buddhism's all about.....writ small. So it is important.

Is your problem too insidious, or is it possible that although the perceived sound originates "in you" you could take this approach and become transparent to all stimuli?

good luck

Cheeryble

Edited June 28, 2013 by cheeryble

[Green]

It sounds like your case is indeed tinnitus, but if the ringing is coming from the center of the head, rather than a single side, it could also be meditation induced tinnitus, which is something I have. It is described by the Buddha as one of the charismatic fruit of the contemplative life (Dibba-sota) (clairaudience or the 'divine ear'), and was reported by St Teresa of Avila as being overwhelming like the sound birds or an ocean running through her head.

[BuddhistVirus]

Dhamma Wheel has several threads onTinnitus and Meditation.

http://www.dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=11922

http://www.dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=8456

Good luck.

[newarrior]

Had tinnitus and hearing loss since 1996--both conditions are getting worse and worse--along with soi dogs loud noise and my inability to do most night related things are the 2 main reasons I DON"T move to Thailand...too sad :-(

[spidermike007]

There are some DVD's available from Kevin Hogan, that are helpful. They can be shipped here, and I bought them myself. The self hypnosis techniques can help to bring down the volume. The doctors know little to nothing about tinnitus. The entire medical establishment seems to be in the dark about this disease. Mine is very loud, 24/7. Both ears. Never stops. Makes meditation more difficult, but it requires more concentration, which in the end is a good thing. Some say to treat the noise as a friend. I have not been able to go there yet. Some say embrace it. Also not able to go there yet. I sometimes find massaging the area where the jawbone is, helps to lower the volume a little bit. That may be a sign it is at least partially caused by TMJ. I got mine from a series of ear infections 18 months ago. Never has gone away since. Any helpful advice is encouraged.

[arjunadawn]

I use a CD of ocean waves to mask the ear sounds when I meditate. There used to be a software application that allowed you to create your own anti-tinnitus CD. Something like this: http://www.vectormediasoftware.com/tinmaskerhome.htm

I have a suggestion to try. I have a background in both western and eastern medicine and IMO acupuncture does slightly more to assist tinnitus sufferers, but hardly enough for what your aim is. I have for years played with various binaural tools for hastening and sustaining prolonged theta meditations. These products can be found as the basic sounds that they are, or buried in carrier tracks such as the above ocean waves. Here's why it may assist you, if you found the correct canceling frequency.

Binaural works off a reverse engineering of how the mind processes sound. If the mind in deep meditation is at 4.5hz, and 50hz sound was introduced into one ear, and 45.5hz in the other ear, the brain cannot process both and always synchronizes to a medium, in this example if would be 4.5hz. This realization enables people to play with sound, in stereo, to entrain the brain to synchronize- the brain that fires together wires together. The internet is full with various places one can download or youtube to mp3 various tracks. (Note: mp3 is compressed. Anything you download should always be listened to in stereo and with compression-less format; also easy and free online converters).

Tinnitus is usually a maddening high pitched sound that is nearly untreatable and significantly reduces the quality of life of the sufferer. I had previously recommend a patient in new york undergoing acupuncture treatments try this at home. The patient stated it aided him, but I don't know how much. As white or blue noise has canceling properties on ambient sound I would hope you could find the frequencies that enable you the greatest peace, and perhaps even entrain your wiring to reduce the tinnitus permanently. I don't know this will work. I do know this is a much better idea than meds and suffering. I have never seen western medicine effectively treat tinnitus. I have somewhat seen Chinese medicine treat. Not great options. Sorry.

[RandomSand]

Binaural works off a reverse engineering of how the mind processes sound. If the mind in deep meditation is at 4.5hz, and 50hz sound was introduced into one ear, and 45.5hz in the other ear, the brain cannot process both and always synchronizes to a medium, in this example if would be 4.5hz. This realization enables people to play with sound, in stereo, to entrain the brain to synchronize- the brain that fires together wires together. The internet is full with various places one can download or youtube to mp3 various tracks. (Note: mp3 is compressed. Anything you download should always be listened to in stereo and with compression-less format; also easy and free online converters).

The brain certainly does not synchronize to any one medium. Consider how frequently light photons penetrate the eyes, there's many events per second, so any notional "sampling synchronisation" frequency (of the brain) would have to be extremely fast i.e faster than light (frequency).

When you talk about "Binaural" I presume you are trying to describe Binaural beating. The notion that such a differential frequency could be inversely phase aligned to a notional Tinnitus "sound" is totally ludicrous.

[arjunadawn]

Binaural works off a reverse engineering of how the mind processes sound. If the mind in deep meditation is at 4.5hz, and 50hz sound was introduced into one ear, and 45.5hz in the other ear, the brain cannot process both and always synchronizes to a medium, in this example if would be 4.5hz. This realization enables people to play with sound, in stereo, to entrain the brain to synchronize- the brain that fires together wires together. The internet is full with various places one can download or youtube to mp3 various tracks. (Note: mp3 is compressed. Anything you download should always be listened to in stereo and with compression-less format; also easy and free online converters).

The brain certainly does not synchronize to any one medium. Consider how frequently light photons penetrate the eyes, there's many events per second, so any notional "sampling synchronisation" frequency (of the brain) would have to be extremely fast i.e faster than light (frequency).

When you talk about "Binaural" I presume you are trying to describe Binaural beating. The notion that such a differential frequency could be inversely phase aligned to a notional Tinnitus "sound" is totally ludicrous.

When I mentioned binaural, I reasonably described binaural beating. Therefore, you knew what I was talking about. Therefore, that you had to presume this is hardly an exercise in deduction. Notwithstanding a few key words scattered about to reference some literacy, your wrong, rude, and otherwise unhelpful- not unexpected.

I don't know if tinnitus sufferers have any relief. Unlike you I was offering what's been reported to have worked. I'd never suggest tinnitus sufferers had "notional" sound. Try as a might the use of "notional" had no other utility than to minimize a sufferers sound that's subjective. The world is filled with dolts who protest. Perhaps you'd presume to help this sufferer with your knowledge.