Phonophobia is a fear of being exposed to certain sounds usually because they believe it will damage the ear. Often the sounds they fear are normal environmental sounds, which cannot be damaging but can cause discomfort, like loud speech, traffic noise, kitchen noise, doors shutting, etc Very often this irrational fear becomes a very strongly held belief. This can cause a great deal of distress in those individuals. The goal of our program is to have these individuals once again to go about their daily life and respond to sound in a normal fashion. To accomplish this goal, directive counseling and sound therapy are used.
Information regarding tinnitus, hyperacusis, and hearing status is obtained.
Next, the counseling session involves an in-depth discussion of the tests, anatomy and physiology of the hearing mechanism and how it relates to tinnitus and hyperacusis. This portion of the program focuses on educating the patient and helps to relieve their fears and concerns. The final part of the appointment focuses on the use of sound therapy. This protocol attempts to restore normal sensitivity to sound. Sound therapy is used to get the brain to decrease the central auditory gain.