I recently posted a question on various Misophonia Facebook groups, as well as the Sound Sensitivity Yahoo group, asking what religion were family and family of origin of respondents. Before explaining why I asked, let me make two big disclaimers: I am NOT a theologian or expert on religion. Neither am I a statistician, and…
Two of the conditions I treat (using CBT — Cognitive Behavioral Therapy — and skills from DBT — Dialectical Behavior Therapy) are TINNITUS and MISOPHONIA. There are reportedly 50 million people in the US with tinnitus (ringing or other sounds in the ears, generated by the brain and not heard by others). There are probably many,…
One day, I was having a discussion with a high school misophonia client when she raised an interesting question. I decided to go to the Sound Sensitivity Yahoo group and several Facebook misophonia groups for input. Below you will find a basic explanation of the terms used, the results of my informal survey, and some…
I’m thinking of the times when our kids complain that something is not fair: who gets to sit in the front seat, whose turn to pick dessert, who has to share a room when Grandma comes for a visit, who has to deal with a medical condition that does not go away … What do…
WHY IS GOD DOING THIS TO ME? In 1987, my new client sat in my office and sobbed, “I’m a good person. This is not fair. I don’t deserve this. Why is God doing this to me?” He had recently been diagnosed as HIV-positive, close to a death penalty in those days. Not long after…
In February, 2013, the Tinnitus Practitioners Association held the 1st International Misophonia Conference in Phoenix. It was attended by audiologists (and two psychotherapists, including me) who had an interest in learning about this relatively recently defined disorder, known as Selective Sound Sensitivity Syndrome (4S), or Misophonia. The 2nd Conference was held in Feb 2014 in…
One of the hardest parts for people with misophonia is convincing a parent, co-worker, or others who don’t “get it” that you are not making this up, not just being picky or difficult. “But,” says Dad (or someone), “You seem to be fine sometimes, or ok with some people, and not at other times or…
Parenting a child with any kind of special needs is an extreme stress upon all family members, especially on moms. You love your kids and you want to do the right thing for each one of them. You do not want to cater to what seems to be a quirky attitude problem. You do not…
Many of you heard about and maybe watched the 20/20 program on kids with OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) that aired on Friday, May 23, 2014. (If you missed it, go to ABC.com, click on 20/20, and you’ll be able to watch it online. I think it requires a sign-up to watch immediately, or no restrictions…
Whenever I speak with my misophonia clients, we inevitably discuss ways to cope with this problem, at home, at school, and out in public. By far, the most difficult situations seem to be at home. I think that is for two reasons: You hold it together as well as you can and when you get…