Express news service
Aaryan Bose has often wished the world to make the right noises. The sound of slurping, or the tapping of the foot and sniffing would drive him mad, causing a fight or flight response.
Most of the time, he just ran away. It turns out that Bose, a resident of Hyderabad, suffers from misophonia, a rare disorder triggered by certain sounds since puberty. He was never diagnosed and got worse. It is believed to start around the age of 12, misophonia is a medically unexplored condition, thus limiting treatment options. No cure has been found so far in modern medicine. However, deliverance came to Bose in the form of Delhi-based hypnotherapist Manirajni Murthy.
“It’s not magic, it’s hypnosis; there is no need to be afraid, you just have to believe, ”was his encouraging conclusion. The 29-year-old Bose said in his sessions with Murthy: “In just three sessions he felt better,” Bose admits. Hypnotherapy, Murthy explains, bypasses the conscious mind. “You can try to figure out what caused the misophonia. But that’s the problem.
The rational mind will not give you an answer, ”she checks. To treat Bose’s condition, Murthy used a countdown breathing module. The patient was instructed to lean back over the lazy boy in his consulting room, close his eyes, relax his limbs, and begin to consciously breathe. He was asked to express aloud an intention, that of wanting to be healed. About thirty controlled breaths and a loud bang later, Bose found himself in a drowsy state. Bose started to speak. Turns out his misophonia was just a symptom. The root cause was OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder), ”says Murthy.
In the United States, treatment for misophonia involves hearing distractions such as white noise or headphones. British researchers concluded that the most shocking sounds were eating and breathing as with Bose. Misophonia could be genetic: its first trigger sound could usually be a noise from a parent or family member. The reveal inspired by Murthy’s sessions repositioned Bose’s consciousness, making him aware of the real world around him. He slowly learned to distinguish and deal with perceived threats. Through hypnotic guidance, he opened up to changing his faulty thought patterns.
Bose is now working on his emotional triggers. Hypnotherapy made him realize that he needed to let go. “Take for example the tapping of a pen. Every time I heard the sound, I wanted to pull it out of the person’s hands. But in some situations like an official meeting, I couldn’t. It made me feel helpless, restless and nervous, sometimes even out of breath, ”Bose explains. Medical researchers believe that misophonia is a lifelong disorder that can only be managed and cannot be cured. But Bose and Murthy could prove them wrong.
People suffering from:
1. Obsessive Compulsive Disorders (OCD) Anxiety Disorders
2. Gilles de la Tourette syndrome
3. Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
The first symptoms most often occur between the ages of 9 and 12.
Patients with misophonia are more women than men.
People with misophonia have a higher IQ
Therapies
✥ Tinnitus Rehabilitation Therapy (TRT) teaches patients to better tolerate noise
✥ Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps change negative associations with trigger sounds.
✥ Using audio devices that play the sounds of nature and the sound of rain was found to be particularly effective in 85% of users
✥Supportive tips for patients, family and friends are helpful
What else
Sound therapy: Misophony Management Protocol (MMP) developed by Dr Marsha Johnson. Filling the ear canal with sound (like the sound of a waterfall) reduces the strength of the reflex reaction to the misophonic trigger sound. Sound can be best delivered with a behind-the-ear sound generator. The device is practically invisible. Many devices can be connected via Bluetooth to an iPod. These can be purchased by an audiologist. A smartphone or iPod Touch can run an audio application such as White Noise or Simply Noise. These applications can provide a variety of different sounds that will reduce the strength of the misophonic response. It’s best to use open-ear headphones, like the Sony Sport (which appears to be out of production, but can easily be purchased online). These headphones do not block the ear like a headset does. So a person can still hear the conversation and adjust the noise level to block trigger sounds. Filling the house with sound is also an option, using white noise machines. The more background noise, the less problematic the trigger sounds are. In addition to the sound generator, MMP treatment recommends six to 12 weeks of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) focused on the area of misophonia. (A recent study on the use of CBT alone to treat misophonia showed a significant reduction in the impact of misophonia on a person’s life). MMP treatment must be compatible with NRT treatment. Pawel and Magaret Jastreboff offer a treatment that they say uses tinnitus rehabilitation therapy. This uses the sound generator as one of the components and also works to reduce the strength of the misophonic reaction through controlled exposure to the trigger stimulus. There isn’t much published on this subject, but rumor has it that there is a peer-reviewed journal article on this treatment, which will be published soon.
“It’s not magic, it’s hypnosis; there is no need to be afraid, it is enough to believe.
Manirajni Murthy, hypnotherapist, Delhi
