Misophonia
Individuals with misophonia have strong emotional reactions to certain sounds. It's not the same as disliking loud noises, it's not the same as the tingly feeling when nails are on a chalk board, it's an overwhelming response to particular sounds. Misophonia triggers can look different from one person to the next, but the most common triggers are respiratory (breathing/snoring/yawning/coughing) and gustatory (chewing/smacking/slurping). Some individuals may experience misokinesia, which is a strong emotional reaction to certain movements.
Misophonia can be extremely isolating. You may be avoiding individuals or situations that are triggering and you may struggle to communicate with friends and family who don't seem to understand. Often there's judgment from others who think you're being 'particular' and don't understand the severity of misophonia.
Treatment
There is no known cure for misophonia, but there are techniques to help improve your quality of life. Treating misophonia is very different than treating anxiety and OCD.
In treating misophonia, I utilize Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). We’ll work to understand triggers, adjust expectations, modify cognitions, develop coping strategies, and figure out ways you can engage in your environment, allowing you to improve the quality of your life. The goal is not desensitization or habituation to sounds.
Some thing we may try:
- distress tolerance techniques
- cognitive reframing
- sound experiments with paired positive sounds
- sound experiments with relaxation techniques
- use of background noise or sound generators
- lowering environmental stressors
- improving family support/understanding