A stiffening member for facilitating an insertion of an electrode lead (110, 302, 502, 908) having a plurality of electrodes (112, 312, 512) into a cochlea (200, 802) of a patient, the stiffening member (320, 520, 900) comprising: an elongate body (322, 522, 602, 902) having a first side and a second side opposite the first side and configured to integrate with a portion of the electrode lead along a length of the electrode lead so as to maintain the portion of the electrode lead in a substantially linear configuration in an absence of a flexure force on the body, the first side configured to be closer to the electrodes than the second side while the body is integrated with the electrode lead; a plurality of compression slots (324, 524, 604) distributed along the first side of the body, the plurality of compression slots configured to compress, in a presence of the flexure force, so as to bias the body to flex in an inward direction; and a plurality of strain relief slots (326, 526, 606) distributed along the second side of the body, the plurality of strain relief slots configured to expand, in the presence of the flexure force, so as to complement the plurality of compression slots in biasing the body to flex in the inward direction; wherein at least some of the compression slots in the plurality of compression slots are different in at least one of a slot size and a slot type from complementary strain relief slots in the plurality of strain relief slots such that the body is biased to flex only in the inward direction, wherein the stiffening member is implemented as a stylet configured to be temporarily encapsulated in a lumen of the electrode lead so as to be removable from the lumen after a surgical insertion of the electrode lead into the cochlea of the patient, or wherein the stiffening member is implemented as a stylet configured to be permanently encapsulated in a lumen of the electrode lead so as to remain encapsulated in the lumen after a surgical insertion of the electrode lead into the cochlea of the patient, or wherein the stiffening member is implemented as a stiffening sleeve permanently overmolded along the portion of the electrode lead so as to remain integrated with the electrode lead after a surgical insertion of the electrode lead into the cochlea of the patient. an elongate body (322, 522, 602, 902) having a first side and a second side opposite the first side and configured to integrate with a portion of the electrode lead along a length of the electrode lead so as to maintain the portion of the electrode lead in a substantially linear configuration in an absence of a flexure force on the body, the first side configured to be closer to the electrodes than the second side while the body is integrated with the electrode lead; a plurality of compression slots (324, 524, 604) distributed along the first side of the body, the plurality of compression slots configured to compress, in a presence of the flexure force, so as to bias the body to flex in an inward direction; and a plurality of strain relief slots (326, 526, 606) distributed along the second side of the body, the plurality of strain relief slots configured to expand, in the presence of the flexure force, so as to complement the plurality of compression slots in biasing the body to flex in the inward direction; wherein at least some of the compression slots in the plurality of compression slots are different in at least one of a slot size and a slot type from complementary strain relief slots in the plurality of strain relief slots such that the body is biased to flex only in the inward direction, wherein the stiffening member is implemented as a stylet configured to be temporarily encapsulated in a lumen of the electrode lead so as to be removable from the lumen after a surgical insertion of the electrode lead into the cochlea of the patient, or wherein the stiffening member is implemented as a stylet configured to be permanently encapsulated in a lumen of the electrode lead so as to remain encapsulated in the lumen after a surgical insertion of the electrode lead into the cochlea of the patient, or wherein the stiffening member is implemented as a stiffening sleeve permanently overmolded along the portion of the electrode lead so as to remain integrated with the electrode lead after a surgical insertion of the electrode lead into the cochlea of the patient.