Care and Concern
It might be tough to accept, but research shows that people with tinnitus exhibit similar behavioral characteristics. A logical thing to ask then, is whether the characteristics actually cause the tinnitus, instead of the trigger or event that tinnitus patients often associate with tinnitus (the concert, the loud noise, the stress, etc.).
The following translation is not available anywhere else in the world. I personally translated the German text of the scientific study for you.
Here is my translation of Dr. Greuel’s “Die Biomentale Therapie.” (p. 39)
“…
Tinnitus Patient Personality Characteristics
In the course of treating several thousand patients, including the group for this study, a fairly uniform personality of tinnitus patients became apparent.
* Conscientious, duteous, strong sense of duty
* High-effort and diligence
* High demands of self
* High ambition
* Perfectionism to the point of being pedantic
* Compuslive and depressive
* Tendency to overextend, overwork, overburden, and exhaust oneself
* Lack of ability to relax, reduce the load of burdens, and regenerate
Most patients say that they can’t “turn off,” that they think constantly, they complain, and are mentally very active. (Note, the German “geistig ständig aktiv” also implies high emotional and spiritual activity along with mental activity).
Rest, relaxation, recuperation, vacations, being lazy, etc. are completely foreign to most tinnitus patients.
Also, the boundaries of one’s own capacity to cope with pressure tend to be either ignored or not honored. As such, the symptoms of tiredness and exhaustion that register themselves to our bodies in the form of temporary tinnitus, dizziness, pressure in the ears, headaches and migraines get ignored. The symptoms are not understood as warning signals anymore, they are dismissed or suppressed with medications.
…”
Footnotes
Dr. med Hans Greuel Die Biomentale Therapie: Ergebnisse eines wissenschaftlichen Forschungsprojektes am Beispiel einer Psychoneruroimmunologischen (PNI- Therapie) des Hörstüres, Morbus Meniere, und Tinnitus, ISBN; 3-9801449-4-1 ,p. 39.
JULIAN COWAN HILL R.C.S.T., TINNITUS, FROM TYRANT TO FRIEND: How to Let Go of Ringing in Your Ears, p. 10.
Edition: 03
If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!
Follow Us!
yes, you really can skype me, follow us on FaceBook or Google+, get in touch via email or call our 24/7 voicemail at +1 (317) 713 1177. we care deeply about your well being and know that tinnitus can cause great suffering. we are here to help.
Comments
LAUD you for your compassion and initiative...
"I really appreciate what you’ve put together. Truly comforting.…LAUD you for you compassion & initiative on this!"
--Bob M.
Appreciate it beyond words
"Delighted, appreciate it beyond words…"
Julian Cowan Hill R.C.S.T.
"If you really look after yourself and learn to get in touch with how you are feeling inside and learn to process that, that is the way out of tinnitus. Most people spend their whole lives running away from themselves, filling their lives with furious frantic activity, proving this, doing that. The best thing you can do is sit with yourself and notice how you are, how you are treating yourself. And if you can treat yourself with loving kindness and really accept how you are with a really wonderful, open-hearted, deep, caring approach, just like you would mother a baby, for example. If you can really look after yourself, your nervous system will change. Nothing is fixed. Everything is constantly changing and flowing, and it is entirely dependent on the way you approach yourself. Look after yourself, and your tinnitus will back off."
Wow, good stuff...“I REALLY appreciate your asking Julian about my questions this morning! You posed them in such a clear and dear way and protective of my ‘identity”. It is amazing that I was home and able to listen. I had over slept, (I am on vacation) had missed an early appointment for my car and so I called, cancelled it and looked on my computer and it was 8 minutes to the broadcast! Was I surprised, delighted and grateful to hear you both discuss the issues that are pressing me. I thank you. I also am taking your website and Julian’s advice and working on awareness of RED-ALERT and difficulty surrendering or relaxing into support. Wow, good stuff. Julian reminds me a bit of Ekhart Tolle. Doesn’t he you? And funny to say, you remind me of myself when you are questioning him! With gratitude”
-- L.G. Connecticut
I really feel you're going to make some peoples' lives millions of times better. I really do.
I would just like to say thank you for what you are doing. This world is really lacking people like you that aren't all about themselves. It really makes me pleased to see that you're getting your and Julian's ideas out there, and I really feel you're going to make some peoples' lives millions of times better. I really do.
--Samuel Diego-Cunha Wetzel, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Already Recommended 2 Friends..."What a great site….Thanks so much! I already referred the Yahoo forums tinnitus group to your site and also 2 friends with tinnitus."
--Meta_4
Solid and needed work"Thank you and keep up your solid and needed work."
Eric G.
Saved my life...--B.
Kevin Hogan
"It's not unethical to say that it's incurable, it's just totally incorrect. In fact, if I go back and I look at the cases that I've worked on, and I've worked with thousands of people over a decade, and the vast majority, are either dramatically better, or their tinnitus is gone. One of the two."
...my tinnitus was gone
""It is not coincidence that I saw your e-mail this am, right at the time I realized my tinnitus was gone."--E. B. California
Dr. Hans Greuel
"I can say in good conscience that tinnitus is curable. That's the bottom line: that tinnitus is curable, and I dare say, for just about everyone who comes down with it."
Please don't tell the ATA"As I may have mentioned earlier, ATA.org is incredibly mediocre (if that much!), compared to your organization. I even found the British T. site far superior to ATA.org and now, I have found you guys!!!"
--R. S. Illinois
(Honestly, we want to stay friends with the ATA and we cherish the work they do...so let's keep this one between us...)
Great Conference Calls“…The conference calls are great as we can help each other”
--R
Paul Tobey
"It's such an incredibly low volume if I recognize it once a week it's just because I'm out in the backyard looking at the stars thanking the universe for what it has given to me, and I go 'how did I get to this point?" Oh yeah tinnitus helped me get here. Let's listen to it for a second, let's pay hommage to the tinnitus for a second and go thanks you did some good work. Thank you.
T is becoming less and less noticable"…with the help of this site, I am learning to deal with [edited] and my -T- is becoming less and less noticeable."
--B
You Are Truly An Insipration"I just want to add that you are truly an inspiration and I hope that more people find your website. I find your videos (and especially this one) to be enlightening, and it really gives me hope, and I’m sure others too. God bless."
--J
Literally clearing the fog from 20 years of T
"the information, research, support, and shows with dainis and julian are literally clearing the fog of the T i have endured for 20 years. it’s not about the ears it’s about the body and soul. i’m sure ancient wisdom had more answers to T than the entire medical community has at this time. this site is really quite groundbreaking."
--S
Mental Clarity And Calm
"A very simple thing - progress for me today was after work,instead of "rushing" home because of fatigue, I walked down another street and sat in the sun with a warm beverage. This resulted in some mental clarity and calm, as well a experiencing a choice of a positive new behavior. It felt expansive...'cause T can lead one to be hemmed in."
--Member s.
RE: Gone?
"After a short period of T-free happyness, my T (scale 4/10) came back for a few weeks (stressfull times, bought a house etc..). Did lots of relaxation exercises, stretching and yoga and now it's gone again (scale 1/10). I would like to ask Julian about the following [...edited...] Keep up the good work!!!"
--Member R.
Much Calmer About Tinnitus Now...
"When I started the programme shortly after developing T, I was terrified of tinnitus and felt that I had no control over it. I lay awake at night panicking that it would get worse. I am now much calmer about it, thanks largely to this site and Julian Cowan Hill's e-book which I strongly recommend. I am beginning to realise that my pace of life consistently exceeds my energy levels and that my T is probably connected to this. For me, T fluctuates a lot, but when I have a bad patch I comfort myself that it will probably lessen after a few days if I take better care of myself. I have only had a few minutes of total relief in the past five months, sometimes before going to sleep or early in the morning, but I'm aware that I have a long way to go in the personal wellbeing stakes, so it would be surprising if I were already better. The school holidays are a very busy time for me and the fact that I have got through them without a major tinnitus meltdown is itself encouraging. I shall be tuning in for the next show! Best wishes, D.H."
--Member D.H.
T subsided...
"After suffering from a catastrophic tinnitus for almost two years,it subsided in the last month to level 5 in a scale of 1-10 and sometimes even to level 2...My question is what will happen when I..."
--Member a.
Taking Better Care Of Myself
"information on T is settling in to my psyche, some underlying depression issues are being addressed, I'm getting on with life, taking care of myself better, and doing things I enjoy more. I have even recently shed a negative friend or 2...thank you"
--Member s.
Your site has helped IMMENSELY...
"I'm just 26 and enjoy loud music so was terrified when I thought my tinnitus was getting so bad that I'd hear it all the time. I went into a state where I kept monitoring it and thought that it had suddenly gotten really bad. This was about a week ago and coincided with a very stressful day so I suspected that had something to do with it. Your site has helped IMMENSELY in alleviating my concerns about it and now I'm pretty much totally over the fear that I'll have ringing in my ears my whole life. In fact, since a few hours after reading the information on your site, I've stopped noticing it at all, and I'm not worried about it when trying to sleep (I don't hear it during the day now because I'm not listening for it and I'm more relaxed so its quieter). Now that I'm proactively relaxing myself and trying to be happier in my life, the ringing has mostly subsided and I can only hear it when I put my fingers in my ears to create complete silence. From suicidal thoughts to complete peace in under 2 hours. Thank you again!!" PS: I even went to a Metallica concert last night and forgot to bring my earplugs -- and the tinnitus has not flared back
-Tegan Nejad: Perth, Australia
PPS From Dainis: Yes, we do have stories like these, though for some members, the process takes longer. In any case, it's enjoyable to come "out" from tinnitus and experience well being. Thanks Tegan for sharing :-)
It wasn’t until my connection here with this site, that I realized the onset of my T started 2 years ago.
it started with vision disturbance’s, then migraines and vertigo.
Wish I would have known then what I know now.
The vision disturbances would hit a few times a week, and I was told by my Chiropractor that I could end up with migraines, which of course I did.
All have subsided at this point, but the T is still with me, but I am happy to report that I do get relief from it, even if it is only for a short while.
Please, tell me how u got relief from tinnitus. My tinnitus is with me 24/7, very annoying. sometimes I think it will drive me crazy. If u know how to help, would really appreciate it. Merci.
Hi Landish, this website is a safe haven and information for people who decide to choose a path of healing from tinnitus. I called it “from tinnitus to liberation.” I’ve interviewed several people who’ve healed themselves of tinnitus, and I’ve interviewed the therapists and doctors who have helped them. It’s a process, it’s not a “secret,” it’s a “path” and not a “cure.” The shortest description I have is “Well being is the opposite of tinnitus” and those are the 7 words that heal/cure tinnitus. If you start with that, it can already help. Our program is step by step, it really does “peel the layers of tinnitus” or “clear the fog of tinnitus,” but sometimes, you don’t just go from “fog” to “all clear” without a process.
I do recognize myself in so many ways. I just cut down 2 days a week of work 3 weeks ago and I have yet to take a day off.
I don’t tend to blame other people for my problems; I tend to blame MYSELF for other people’s problems. Today for example one of my students didn’t show up and my first thought was that *I* had it wrong. But I didn’t.
Just BEING makes me nervous. I can sure procrastinate, I do anything to keep busy. When I am just sitting watching television, I am knitting. I can’t just sit there otherwise.
And my body wanted to go to bed an hour ago but it was only 7:15 so I made myself wait. Now, I’m not sleepy.
I know what you mean by blaming yourself for other peoples’ problems. I’m a bit stuck in wondering whether I am “100% responsible for everything in my life” including other peoples’ behavior.
im13 i dont stress about anything…my ears ring almost every moment its quiet…my ears pop when i swallow,yawn,and if i do this weird thing with my jaw/tongue/throat i get dizzy and i get little head eaches i hate my ears when they ring….this has been going on for about 1 or 2 years (:
oh jenna sweetie, here, i find tinnitus:
followed by
is hatred stressful? i mean…it certainly is for me…i mean i could certainly imagine that i would not feel too comfortable about that. can you see how we found a direct contradiction in your post? you write that you don’t stress about anything, but then you say you hate your ears. hatred is quite stressful. now i’m not at all implying that “all” you need to do is address that, not at all, our program includes guidelines for physical and emotional/mental therapy…along with personal investigation and relief and establishing a joyful network of supportive people.
…it’s not 100% ready, but we will soon have a complimentary program for teens. if you remind me, i can set up a log in for you even before the program is really “released.”
best,
Dainis
I am so happy to find this site!!!
I will be having a hernia removed tomorrow. 4-20-09
After reading and taking in all the Great information on this site. It is very clear that i am way to uptight and need to chill out. I use to drink a gallon of sweet tea every 2 days and coffee on top of that. I am starting to eat fruit and drink OJ and plenty of water. I already feel i am on the road to living tinnitus free.
Thanks, from the bottom of my heart.
And to the negative people, try and look a little deeper.
It is a good informations I have started collecting now. I have been having this T problem since three years and when there is no sound around I hear that ringing sound more and it disturbs me when Iam not busy .
I hafe it on my right ear.
Would like to hear a permanent solution.Will surgery help?I
We have worked with people recovering from surgery, and results have been good. Surgery as a viable treatment option for tinnitus would put 10% of the human population under the knife. You will find many reports of people who have had surgery for tinnitus, only to have the tinnitus remain. Also, tinnitus onset can be the result of surgery. Maybe there are some tinnitus-surgery success stories, though I haven’t found them, and they likely have their own pattern or constellation of symptoms/situations/causes. I advocate that people do what’s right for them and that they seek a variety of opinions from therapeutic and medical experts. We’ve distilled that information for members at CureTinnitus.org. In general, the principles we teach at CureTinnitus.org allow people to gain direct control over their tinnitus and actually, their lives. The proper knowledge coupled with the right actions, therapy and community can work very well, feel very good, and have a direct impact on tinnitus.
yes, i do recognize the personality traits. i call it autopilot. i used to feel like a shark, always swimming around, looking for the next thing to busy myself. and i even delluded myself into thinking this type of activity was “dynamic” it’s really quite mad. i see it in others often and am working on pacing myself. this can be a challenge some days not to be that gerbil on the treadmill.
Hi , i need some help i have been dealing with tinnitus for last a months , the sound is so painful, i was an interstate truck driver until 4 days ago . and the only way i could deal with it, even a little, was to work and have constant sound around me. i have since stopped work through , exhuastion , and pain and am getting very depressed . as it adjusts itself to sounds around me . and makes itself louder. i dont know what the meaning of relaxing is or even how not to be tense. my sleep is only 4 hrs a nite. and i feel like its sending me insane . some times it goes into stereo and its at that point i cannot handle anymore. and i have done pain management courses for back pain so i have a high pain tolerance. no one beleives that the sound is what is causing my depression . i want quality of sleep back and some type of a normal life again.
Hey Troy, that is quite a story, and I am very sorry that such pain has caused us to meet. If our methodology appeals to you (which is basically “We give people with tinnitus the power to heal themselves by learning from people who have done it successfully.”), then why not give it a try, risk free?
hi: I’m pretty much all the things that were listed as far as characteristics. I”ve had this disability for nearly 8yrs non-stop 24-7 My fear is that this will never stop…or even worse get louder…
any suggestions?
I have been a tinitus sufferer for about 20 years. Working in a heavy machinery factory for 45 years is the source of my condition. I to experienced severe migrains in the early years of my tinnitus but I never connected the two. I also recognize myself in the personality traits. I am retired now and the only relief I ever had from my tinnitus was going to work and letting the factory noise mask the sounds in my ears. As time goes by it just gets worse, it is so loud now in my left ear that I cannot hear anything else on that side. I tell everyone that I am deaf on that side so they will speak to my right side. I am out of options and just have to deal with this I guess. I have tried hearing tests and they show significant hearing loss in both ears. Why do I hear the sounds so well? Very frustrating.
Hi Jim,
I’m so sorry tinnitus is frustrating for you. Are you a member? Are you doing our program?
Hi well i got Tinnitus When i was almost 17, Had a bad headcold, blocked up etc.
Suspect that was the trigger for it
But anyway right on midnight i got this terrible ‘hiss’ going on as time went on it turned into a ‘hissing pulsing’ sound in time with my heart beat. Most times i have been able to manage it. i have tried some Homeopathic remedies in the past, unsure if they worked or not as i have good spells and bad but lately it has been even louder and background noise is often not enough to drown it out. I absolutely notice all those habitual things characteristics in myself, Dont wanna go anywhere and just do what i can do help keep myself good condition and lower the levels of tinnitus.
I’m now almost 21 and am so stoaked to find this community has come together to help each other. Really awesome and i look foward to digesting all i can from the information you guys have on here.
OK, just decided to look up this condition tonight. I was reading the characteristics and nearly fainted when I thought that German Dr. knew me that well.
I checked out the Mayo Clinc site first when I googled, and found that I have multiple connections to causes, and also most of the advanced complications.
I’m 48, had to give up working construction and maitenence work due to rotator cuff, tendonitus, neck and back injuries all combined that alos brought me to complete nervous breakdown five years ago. Had one ear blocked for about a year and a half before I was able to get it cleared. Have had T for three years now. I am now a university student four years toward my teaching cert. One more to go, but it is getting near impossible for me to hear low tone voices, and concentration is a real chore. well, that’s probably more than you wanted to know. So, is there any hope for me at this late stage?
Thanx…Bo
I too had blocked ears for almost a year..and then the tinnitus resulted after that…. my blocked ears were brought on by a wicked sinus infection that was induced by major stress… I have many of the traits above, too… though not all… i can relax and do nothing… but the sound that has gotten so loud is what makes me keep moving… I have also figured out that chocolate is a major trigger… trying to eat more plant based diet but that gets hard… I know this won’t be easy.
you may want to look into raw chocolate…into what the food really is and how it is affecting you…and then into how it’s prepared and how that affects you…best and thanks for commenting
thanks, never heard of raw chocolate.. will check that out.
I am a very relaxed guy. Practice meditation daily, do yoga, etc. Eat an organic, sugar free, additive free, preservative free, mostly raw vegan diet with only grass fed beef or fish once in while, I don’t do caffeine, don’t take meds, have great relationships with supportive people, etc. I am the exact opposite of the profile.
The ringing in my ears is louder than the world around me and there are like five or six different tones going at once 24/7. I can’t go anywhere remotely noisy unless I have earplugs. It just keeps getting worse and worse. I am 41 and this started in my teens and has gotten progressively louder over the years.
I haven’t been on this site that much but I have not heard one thing that is useful. Is there real help here to diminish or stop tinnitus or is this essentially a support group that helps people feel better. I just want this to quiet down so I can live a semi-normal life. Restaurants are too loud for me and it really cramps my style as a single guy. My doctor says I have one of the worst cases he has seen but I am not freaking out about it. I go on with my life but I don’t like the restrictions and would like to at least diminish the volume.
You can call it a teacher but that is how we have to look at the shitty things in our life. Like being left at the alter and then saying it was the best thing that ever happened… No it wasn’t! I was horrible! If you read the book Stumbling On Happiness, we just do that sort of thing to cope with things and go on with our day…which is useful. My Zen practice enables me to not identify or get overly upset about it, but the reality is that I can’t go to concerts, to bars, to restaurant, parties, anywhere remotely loud or crowded, etc.
If I can’t change that then I can’t and I’ll be fine but I sure would like to!
Anthony, are you a member? I don’t think you’re getting “guided support,” but let me know if you are. We addressed your question in Cure Tinnitus Show #22, and well, my impression is that there is “a lot” of tinnitus in your comment here. With your permission, even though I’m only the administrator here (and founder), I could do my best to outline it for you…
I am not getting guided support from this site. On my end of things, I am working with a psychologist who does EMDR and hypnosis, a physician who does cranial sacral work and acupunture, a chiropractor who specializes in upper cervical and head issues and I also get massages on a regular basis. I have always gotten bodywork done and checked in with a shrink a few times a year as an adjunct to my practice of Zen, Qui Kung and yoga. My mind is generally happy and my body feels great (minus a herniated disc that flares up once in a while) but the volume of the ringing is completely unaffected by any of the good things I practice for a healthy body and mind.
I would love for you to “outline it” for me. Anything that can help or teach me something new or useful would be much appreciated. I have never made it a goal to get rid of tinnitus, haven’t thought about it as an enemy or a major problem but lately it has been a real pain in the ass due to the way it has restricted my activities with my son and girlfriend this summer.
Thanks for getting back to me!
Hi Anthony,
Just wanted to pass along this interesting article talking about another way to deal with tinnitus:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/living/2003760030_tinnitus25.html
Hope this helps,
Minki
Been a T sufferer for almost a year and thought I’d hunt the web for a miracle cure as I’m getting pissed off . . . there is none of course . . but found the above profile on my travels: it fits me perfectly, word for word . . . . I’m also an Atrial Fib sufferer and wonder if these two conditions regularly present together . . . given that they both have spontaneous nerve firing in common? Ok must rush off and do some utterly pointless activity . .