Dr. Jastreboff gave me my life back…read more
After years of living around neighbors with no respect for noise ordinances or quiet hours, I developed a little known affliction called misophonia, which is best described as an acute hypersensitivity to certain sounds. You can learn more about it below:
https://www.cnn.com/2017/02/06/health/misophonia-sounds-brain-study/index.html
https://www.thedailybeast.com/for-people-who-hate-loud-noises-theres-a-new-therapy
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-5355283/Hatred-sound-leave-patients-physically-ill.html
Mine was a relatively abnormal case as I developed symptoms later in life (most symptoms develop during childhood), and were triggered by low-toned sounds (e.g. heavy footfalls, loud bass, slamming of cabinets and drawers in other rooms/units), as opposed to the more common trigger noises such as such as crunching, chewing, slurping, pen clicking, or 'mouth breathing'.
My symptoms were comparable to having a (invisible) panic attack- headaches, nausea, racing heartbeat, extreme anxiety- and I felt that almost consistently while at home.
Imagine going through your day and, at random intervals, someone sneaks up behind you and pops a balloon.
Now imagine that happening 30-50 times a day.
Every day.
For years.
Imagine dreading leaving work every evening, and doing everything you can think of to be away from home (and the noise) as long and as often as possible.
Imagine not having a peaceful night's sleep for years, due to either the noise, or the anxiety and fear of encountering it. Imagine sleeping with earplugs or earphones shoved deep into your ears, blaring white noise at dangerously high volumes, just to drown out the chaos around you.
Imagine not being able to visit friends that live in apartments, for fear of hearing those same triggering sounds at their homes.
Imagine avoiding visits with loved ones who have kids (and the running, jumping, and loud noises that come with them) for fear of having an attack.
This was my life.
After months of research, I realized that this was more than chronic irritation with inconsiderate neighbors. During my research, I repeatedly encountered quotes, citations, and research studies from Dr. Pawel Jastreboff, who is the preeminent researcher on this condition. In fact, he coined the term "misophonia", appropriately naming, characterizing, and legitimizing this mysterious condition that has baffled many doctors and therapists for quite some time.
And, as luck would have it, his office was about an hour's drive from my home.
After corresponding with his office to determine cost and treatment options (misophonia is not recognized as a 'real' condition by the medical community and, as such, treatments are not covered by insurance) I scheduled an appointment. Dr. Jastreboff gave me an overview of his practice, his research, and shared the experiences of some of his patients. He told me that his treatment protocols had a success rate of about 83%, which gave me more hope than I'd had in a long time. Afterwards, he explained to me the science behind misophonia and how it was affecting me. Essentially, my brain was not processing my "trigger sounds" correctly, and because of the stress of my living environment, it had been wired to process these otherwise benign sounds as an indication of a severe threat, triggering a perpetual 'fight-or-flight' response. The goal of the audiotherapy was to layer positive sounds and retrain my brain to hear and interpret sound correctly.
After having my hearing tested by his in-house audiologist, he outlined the details of the treatment plan (which I was to perform at home using little more than a few Sound Oasis sound machines, and high quality speakers with which to play music.). He said the success of the treatment depended on my consistency in adhering to the daily protocols, as well as checking with him via email every two weeks so that he could monitor my progress and provide additional information and instructions, as needed. Admittedly, I was skeptical, as the treatment seemed too easy a remedy for something that had been so debilitating for me. However, little by little, I started to see and feel the results.
One year later, I am 90-95% symptom free. Although my new home is not nearly as noisy or disruptive as my prior residences, it definitely has its own share of those same triggering neighbor noises (slamming doors/cabinets, heavy footsteps from neighbors,). Although I'm still acutely aware of the sounds, my reaction to them has reduced dramatically. More often that not, I have no visceral reaction to them at all. I haven't had an anxiety attack in months, and on the rare occasion that I am triggered by noise, the intensity is exponentially less severe and short-lived.
My quality of life has greatly improved, and I can't thank Dr. Jastreboff and his team enough for, quite literally, giving me back my life.
