CBT promotes habituation, which is the goal of treating tinnitus. Habituating to tinnitus involves calming the brain’s response to the sound.

Scientific studies have shown that CBT changes brain structure and function through neuroplasticity. CBT is a way to treat tinnitus through neuromodulation (neuro means brain, modulation means change).

Also see Why CBT for Tinnitus

Habituation is a process where your brain decides that a repeated sound, smell, or other sensation isn't important anymore, so it stops paying attention to it. Typically you don't actively choose to ignore it; your brain filters it out automatically so you can focus on new or more interesting things. Basically, it's your brain's way of saying, "I've seen this before, it's not dangerous or new, so I'll stop wasting energy reacting to it."

Why hasn't your brain habituated to your tinnitus? Maybe it's like an overly helpful friend, enthusiastically alerting you to hearing loss. Such an alert brain could be helpful for survival but isn't helpful for bothersome tinnitus.

Sometimes CBT is presented as simply changing your thinking or changing your behavior. Sometimes that works for some people. Your tinnitus might respond best to different CBT tools, tailored to your particular situation. Over 40 clinical trial studies that included over 3,500 people have shown that a variety of CBT tools work for a lot of different people with tinnitus. There is hope that it will get better.

Also see Why CBT for Tinnitus

• ACT is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, a form of CBT. It emphasizes living your life according to your values rather than avoiding negative experiences and emotions. “Acceptance” in ACT involves acknowledging the full range of your experiences rather than trying to avoid, deny, or alter them. The “commitment” is learning and using a variety of strategies to live a life you truly value.

• Mindfulness can have a lot of definitions and some misconceptions. In ACT, mindfulness isn’t a distraction or relaxation technique or a way to control emotions or get rid of unwanted thoughts and feelings. It involves paying attention to what is happening here and now, including thoughts and feelings, with a specific mindset.

Yes. I am only licensed in Ohio, so I can only provide CBT for people who are physically located in Ohio.

At this time I don't accept insurance. However, your insurance company might have out of network benefits you can use. I can give you a superbill that you can submit to them for reimbursement.

• 50 minute individual session: $225 per session

• Client phone call longer than 10 minutes: $50 per 15 minute increment

• Care coordination virtual meeting or phone call: $50 per 15 minute increment

It's hard to know how many sessions you'll need. For a rough idea, we can look at the scientific studies on CBT programs for tinnitus. After an initial meeting, the average number of sessions was 8.4 in these studies.

To schedule an appointment, you can contact me via this website (click the contact button below).

If you're an established client, you can use my secure therapy portal Carepatron.

Please keep in mind that contacting me through this website is not confidential.

If you are a medical professional, there's more information about referrals on this page.

• I'll get to know you and understand your tinnitus

• We'll discuss your tinnitus history and treatment goals

• I'll answer your questions and concerns

• We'll begin a custom treatment plan to start your path to recovery