Hi, My name is Julian Cowan Hill
and I'm going to tell you how to let go of tinnitus. I used to have tinnitus myself for
sixteen years. I had it very badly for four years and I don't
have it anymore. And I've learned quite a lot about tinnitus in the process of
letting go of it.
I'm a therapist based in Central London
and I have worked with over 400 people now with tinnitus, and I want to share with you some
other things that I have
learnt about this condition. First of all, what is tinnitus?
Tinnitus is not really an ear-based problem. It's a whole central nervous system
problem.
It's when you system goes into what's called a state of "FIGHT OR FLIGHT."
In this state we become so switched on
and activated that our our sensitivity
the way we perceive the world through our hearing, and vision
senses, smell, taste, and so on,
become hyper-acute and hypersensitive. So if we are in a state of red-alert what happens is that
are hearing becomes so switched on
the we end up not only hearing the external noise coming in
but we also pick up what's going on inside the body.
So that might be nervous impulses from the ears and central
nervous system
along the acoustic nerve or any part in the central nervous system which is literally
buzzing
with information. The
cochlear in the ear becomes so switched on that you you hear these noises. So that
can be
a high-pitched squeak, hissing, cricket sounds, chirping,
or you can also hear fluid movements inside the head,
or some people can hear the heart pulse and you can hear it
change with the pressure every time you swallow.
The eustachian tubes open and close, and that can sound like a loud pop.
All sorts of sounds inside the head
start to be detected all the time.
That's what tinnitus is. It's being TOO SWITCHED ON, too sensitive.
So, what
helps us let go of tinnitus
is helping the whole central nervous system
come out of this state of "RED ALERT," being too switched on,
too over-amped, too reactive.
And anything that helps our nervous system settle and let go
and switch off is hugely helpful for tinnitus.
Many people get stuck in this state of red-alert after years of being
anxious, stressed out, doing too much work, getting over-tired.
Sometimes tinnitus can start after
loud noise exposure, but for a lot of people,
going to a loud concert gives them tinnitubut then then the following day it goes
away.
If your tinnitus continues after
loud noise exposure this is a sign that you nervous system
is a little bit too switched on, and a part of you has locked into this sound
and doesn't want to let go of it.
Really there are so many different causes for tinnitus.
People quite often start to develop tinnitus when they move house or
get divorced, or work overseas, or they have a very hard time
at work for a few months and they get stuck in a state of red-alert.
So what helps you let go of tinnitus
is finding
the right kind of support that helps you
process your stuff and release and LET GO on any level.
Now for some people the most appropriate thing would be having
body-based therapy work. If we are holding lots of
tension and stress in the body
at first it's very difficult to let go of this without the support of
professional who can really help your body let go.
Personally, for me, I had CRANIOSACRAL THERAPY
which was marvellous, and helped my whole central nervous system let go,
from the inside out. You lie on the table,
a practitioner takes up contact. It is incredibly gentle.
and it helps your whole system drop into a deep state of calm and relaxation, much much more
than
you're normally used to. And that's incredibly beneficial.
The more you let go, the more tinnitus backs off.
The more you can relax, focus and get on with your life,
and it just starts to fade into the background. So any form of
body-based therapy that helps your body let go is useful.
Also if you have a lot of mental anxiety I recommend psychotherapy,
to help unpack all those issues that are bugging us in the
deepest recesses of our mind. This can be incredibly helpful.
for helping us find a new
found centre of peace and well-being.
If you've got tinnitus, one of the most useful things is to
develop well-being in the body. To focus on stopping the tinnitus
I really recommend getting professional support,
and that will help you release and let go. It's all about LETTING GO.
And it's all about getting out of your head
and getting in touch with the body. The more you are in touch with your body
the more you can really find where you are holding on things and then
let go. YOU CAN'T LET GO OF WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW.
So getting in touch with all the stuff that's inside then you can start letting go,
and that's when the tinnitus will start backing off.
So what I would like to suggest is that if you go to my website here: www.cst.eu.com
you'll find a lot of information on tinnitus
and there are some free papers that you can download.
There are also a book that you can get on tinnitus. Its called: Tinnitus,
From Tyrant to Friend.
It traces and charts the journey of
how we start off with tinnitus, and we are very resistant to it, and its an absolute
demon. We hate it and we struggle against it. But as we learn to work with tinnitus,
that it actually becomes a really useful friend and HEALTHOMETRE
that can guide you back to health. You learn to work with it and accept it,
and let it show you when you're doing the right thing, and
backs of, and let it show you when you're
doing the wrong thing at it gets worse, then
you on the right track. Tinnitus is you own
in-built healthometer. So
whenever you hear somebody talking negatively about tinnitus,
I recommend that you to shake hands, say thank you and goodbye,
and you find people who are positive about tinnitus
and know how to help your whole system come out of
a state of red-alert or fight or flight. It isa temporary state,
and as soon as you start looking after yourself things will start to improve.
You'll stop being bugged by tinnitus so much, which will help you relax more
and then your perception of it really starts to back off.
So I wish you all the best, and if you come to London if you are in the area
do get in touch, and do look at the website,
you will find a lot of information there which will hopefully help you. All the best
www.cst.eu.com