What is TRT and When should it be started?

What is TRT and when should it be started?

There are two parts to this treatment. Counselling and sound therapy. Sound therapy is supplied by wearing two white noise generators and then using a “sound machine “ at night by the bedside for sound enrichment. If hyperacusis is present the sound therapy will also treat it.

TRT or Tinnitus Retraining Therapy, is what it implies: Through regular counselling sessions there is a gradual retraining of the way a person thinks about tinnitus and to treat it as non life threatening.

At first the therapist discusses with the patient how the tinnitus makes them feel and how it has impacted on their life. Often people say they have lost interest in the things they once liked doing, which is perfectly understandable. The main goal here is to gradually help them look at life differently and with a more positive outlook. Over time the negative thinking that is often associated with tinnitus and hyperacusis is gradually dispelled and demystified.

The Hearing Therapist does this in a controlled and precise manner so that the patient feels relaxed and not pressured.

In many instances the tinnitus is gradually pushed further into the background making it less prominent. Therefore, it must be stressed and understood, this treatment takes time. To complete a course of TRT takes approximately twelve to twenty four months and in some cases longer. The duration of each counselling session is left to the discretion of the Hearing Therapist. Typically, these can last up to one hour or more. The amount of appointments required will be different for each patient, but it is quality rather than the quantity of the counselling that really matters.

There are a few misconceptions about this treatment and the way it is administered that some people misunderstand which I want to address.

If a patient is given one white noise generator to wear this is not TRT. When two wngs are issued and no tinnitus counselling is offered on a regular basis, it is not TRT. I am not saying that a patient will not gain any benefit from the above treatments; I only want to state they do not follow the proper Tinnitus retraining therapy protocol.

When should TRT be implemented or started?

The following is based on my own opinion and experience with this treatment and therefore, is not professional medical advice. The onset of tinnitus can be quite an emotional roller coaster for a lot of people, and I believe a person needs time for this to settle. Many people habituate within the first 6 months to one year of the onset of tinnitus without any treatment. If a person just has tinnitus without any additional symptoms, such as dizziness, deafness or balance problems. I think a period of six months should elapse before starting a long-term treatment such as TRT.

Michael

PS: TRT is not enough on it's own. A person has to adopt a positive outlook to life, by reinforcing positive thinking and doing everything possible to get their life back on track. It takes time and effort. Some people want to habituate to tinnitus without doing anything at all. Therefore, I don't think they will see much progress. I believe if a person starts this treatment or any other for tinnitus, with a negative mindset or wanting a complete cure, they are unlikely to see any improvement.

[BIGSIRRZ]

Wise words - thanks!

[Hidden in reply to BIGSIRRZ]

HI BiGSIRRZ

Thank you for your kind comments.

All the best

Michael

[Angela-H]

To all the Newbies on here

I would recommend reading all of michealee’s posts, which helped me in understanding and accepting my tinnitus.

Angela xx

[Hidden in reply to Angela-H]

HI Angela,

Thank you for your kind comments they are much appreciated.

All the best

Michael

[hazyfan]

Hi Micheal, I seen a hearing therapist at the royal ent at grey inn road but all I got was white noise generators and told to come back in December ? Does any hospital actually run this any more? I know it can take 18 months to achieve results I doubt any hospital will run a ful TRT course will they?

[Hidden in reply to hazyfan]

HI Hazyfan,

TRT is an expensive treatment. Not many NHS hospitals practice it. Where it is available some adapt the treatment to their requirements as in your case. White noise generators are very expensive around £2000 and above. Good results are still possible wearing the white noise generators alone. Unfortunately I do not know of any hospitals that that run the full treatment which includes counselling.

Michael

[hazyfan in reply to Hidden]

Hi Micheal how did you cope in those two and fours years it took yiu to habituate? 4 years of mental pain must have rally pushed you To the limit??

[Hidden in reply to hazyfan]

HI Hazyfan,

The onset of my tinnitus happened in April of 1996 and it took me 2 years to habituate. The tinnitus was severe and so was the hyperacusis. I had TRT the full treatment with counselling. It felt as if I had went to the ends of the earth and back. After 2 years my tinnitus reduced to a low level and my hyperacusis was completely cure.

I wrote a post at another forum titled: My Experience with tinnitus. It covered my second noise trauma that took 4 years to recover from. I will post it as a separate thread as it may be of help to someone. I will amend it slightly for this forum.

All the best

Michael

[Shellipops in reply to hazyfan]

Hazyfan,

I looked into this and trying to find a practitioner of the true, original TRT is very near impossible. I think owing to cost and time involved the NHS dont undertake it in that form anymore. The Tinnitus and Hyperacusis centre in London do it privately.....its where Jaqueline Sheldrake practices. She was trained directly under Pawel J. Jastreboff who came up with the model in the first place. Think cost is in region of about 4,000.

Regards,

Shell

[hazyfan in reply to Shellipops]

Thanks shellipops xx