Note: This page is linked to a YouTube video as a contact for Tom Dozier. You can email [email protected] or call 925-322-5100. I (Tom) do not recommend TRT because it does not include relaxation training and identifying your Initial Physical Response. These 2 aspects of misophonia treatment can be very important in reducing your reflex response to the trigger stimuli. For the recommended treatment for adults/teens, see https://misophoniatreatment.com/treatment-by-tom-dozier/
Pawel and Margaret Jastreboff (pronounced YAS-tre-bof) have been professors at several universities and have published articles on the treatment of tinnitus and misophonia. In 2002, they coined the term “misophonia” which means “hate sound.” They use sound generators as one “tool” for treatment, and they also work with the patient to reduce the reaction to the trigger stimulus. They suggest the mixing of very positive sounds that evoke a positive reaction with the trigger sound. The purpose of this is to allow the brain to change the reflex reaction to the trigger sound that causes the extreme emotional response. They write, “The essential feature of the misophonia protocols involves an attempt to create an association between a variety of sounds with a positive emotional status, such as listening to one’s favorite music.
“The specific protocol used by a given patient to treat misophonia differs with respect to the extent of the patient’s control (for example, listening to music at home, watching a movie in a theater, watching a movie at home with the sound level set by a spouse), type of sound (for example, music, books on tape, TV show, movies), the sound level used, and the environment where the patient is exposed (for example, home, movie theater, school). In one protocol, the offensive sound (for example, the sound of eating produced by other people) is mixed with a sound which evokes a positive reaction (for example, music) which is initially set at a level that partially masks the offensive sound. Over time the volume level of the positive sound is gradually decreased.” (Using TRT to Treat Hyperacusis, Misophonia and Phonophobia, ENT & Audiology News, January/February, 2013)