u/PretendRaccoon6928

OK. I said in my last post that I was going to try out the Alleviate Integrative Tinnitus Therapy program started by Dr. Brian Worden. I initially learned about him from his YouTube channel and then his tinnitus workshop (alleviatetinnitus.com).
Anyway, I’ve tried a lot of tactics over the years to help my loud tinnitus and nothing has really given me much relief. So, I approach each tinnitus “remedy” with a large amount of skepticism. This ENT doctor, though, seemed to me to be very knowledgeable so I wanted to learn more about what he had to say.
It’s now been a little over a month since I signed up for his program and here are my honest opinions. The program can be accessed through a website or a smart phone app (not in App Store or Google play). There’s actually a lot of content in the program so I haven’t gone through everything yet. The main program is divided into six sessions and Dr Worden recommended trying to do one session each week. I’ve done four sessions now. Each session has an instructional video and then there are short exercises you’re supposed to do each day that are mostly based in mindfulness. I’ve never done any kind of meditation before so I felt a little uncomfortable about this but I actually have found the exercises really interesting and helpful. I felt pretty clumsy at first but now I have the hang of it. He also has a sound therapy strategy which I’ve been using more at night than during the day. It’s clear from the videos that this doctor has a lot of knowledge and experience in this field- very different from my prior experience with an ENT doctor.
So is my tinnitus gone now? No. But, I have really noticed a difference in how much the tinnitus is dominating my life. I feel less tense and angry. I’m sleeping better. I actually have caught myself at times not focused on the tinnitus. It’s not a magic bullet cure, but I’m actually feeling optimistic about the trend I’m seeing. I’ll make another post in a few weeks to give another update.