Preventing New Misophonia Triggers

[@samanthaarlington]

You my friend have just described the exact methods i try to employ whenever i feel a trigger. Absolutely no one in my life knows about this disorder that i have. Throughout my teens, and 20's, i resorted to drugs and alcohol to block out the triggers. Mid 30's i tried all of the ways you suggested to avoid any and all triggers, mostly by trial and error, background noise, and blindfolds (when travelling). I am now in my 40's...due to circumstance my whole life changed, and i became a gardener...complete silence, no people. And now i have learnt to avoid the triggers, so not encouraging more, also the lack of triggers, has made the triggers not so violent or knee jerk. I would love people to get in touch with me because even though i don't have the magic pill, i am pretty sure that as a fellow, severe misophonic, i may not have the exact the answer, but i definitely have developed ways to avoid doubling triggers. Thank you so much for your videos on this debilitating disorder.

[@ianIccyStewart]

i currently am working with Tom Dozier with my misophonia. I am 60 and up until recently haven't realized what i suffer from is misophonia. Tom, with the help of the trigger tamer app, has lessened my problem considerably. Not gone away, but it is better now. I will keep working with the trigger tamer and am hoping for the best

[@juicyparsons]

this is life-changing...all my life I thought I was an irrational crazy person for my tense responses to certain sounds....when you explained the reflex to seeing the gum chewing and not even hearing it.....its like you're looking into my soul I'm so glad I'm not the only one!

[@nathanlafontaine3258]

I’ve been dealing with misophonia since my mid-twenties. I’m now 57 and my triggers have dramatically multiplied. There is simply no escaping certain triggers. Leafblowers are a major trigger for me. When the landscapers fire up the daily leafblowing or hedge trimmer it’s like I’m being tortured in Guantanamo Bay. This is not an exaggeration. I started out being bothered by people playing their headphones too loud, then by the sound of TV’s or stereos seeping through the walls. Today, even stopping for gas nearly causes a panic attack what with the loud overhead speakers and the gas pumps that scream annoying advertisements. I haven’t bought new shoes in years because every store sounds loud to me. As someone who has to bring in money to survive-like most people-I can’t simply avoid triggers or don noise-canceling headphones. I feel the AMA and APA have done misophones a great disservice by not educating the public and legislators about the effects of auditory nuisances on people with this disability. I’m currently paying thousands of dollars for tinnitus retraining therapy which has not yet made a difference after two months. It doesn’t help that experts are conflicted about what works and doesn’t. It promotes confusion and a sense of futility. I once had an active and exciting life. Today, I’m afraid to go for a neighborhood walk. As soon as I get home from work, I turn on various sound generators on KZbin, put on a blindfold and climb into bed. I pray the morning never arrives to restart the bitter hell that misophonia has made my life.

[@tomdozier]

There is major disagreement with what misophonia actually is. AMA and APA do not understand misophonia. Watch Misophonia, What Is It? kzbin.info/www/bejne/eYfGeamwq6irr6M If you agree with what is presented, then you are working with "experts" that disagree with us. Misophonia research experts are ignoring or even suppressing our research. I suggest you go to Misophonia.org and see the 3 treatments offered by the directors.

[@drakefay784]

Same dude same

[@aditzulu]

I am 52, I suffer of this condition since age 10 and I have an explanation for my case. I had a deficient relation with my mother (she gave me no affection, although she loved me ....in her style). And when she was heating her meal, she was very focused on her food, in a manner that made me feel that the eats were more important to her than me, her son. And hence, inside me, all her chewing and slurping sounds became converted into an immense hate and rage. Moreover, she was an apple eater, and was giving me the horrendous apple biting sounds. My job nowadays in carried out in an office together with 4 younger persons which chew, drink, slurp, eat apples. Fortunately the toilet and a scanner outside on a hall is a good pretext to leave the office. But I would take easier a 7M earthquake than this apple eating.

[@AprilClayton]

Wow, just knowing it’s ok to escape these trigger sounds is such a comfort. My neck tightens so bad when I hear pen clicking. I was so ashamed of this.

[@tomdozier]

Misophonia is driven by muscle reflexes (like your neck tightening). Get the Misophonia Muscle Relaxation Training app and do 3 session a day for 2 weeks. Keep trying to relax around triggers (and escape as needed).

[@barbaramoran8690]

I know exactly what you’re talking about .I wish this could be told to everybody who doesn’t believe another’s misophonia . I have autism diagnosed at 40 .Grew up in mental hospital and when I was young people didn’t take me seriously .

[@Hullalove]

Hello! I am a 14 year old girl from Denmark and I am very worried that I may have misophonia. I've had these trigger sounds since the age 10. I can't be near my own mother or brother, because they started all the trigger sounds. Now whenever I am home, I am in my room all the time with earphones and loud music because I can't stand just hearing footsteps from them. It makes me so angry, that I often smash my fist against the wall. Now I've read alot about misophonia, and all the stuff that you've told in your videos are just so true. I can't be around some people (not all), that make these noices: breathing, chewing, swallowing, sneezing, laughing, coughing, sniffling, throat clearing, yawning, snoring, hiccups and then one visual trigger which is when people move their feet, it makes me go nuts. I can't really concentrate in school either, because whenever we have a 'test' I just hear those sounds all the time and end up storming out of the room. That can't be normal! Now I don't know if I have it, and it's not like I can get diagnosed, because doctors don't know about misophonia here. But from what I've told you, do you think that I have it? Thanks. :)

[@AmazingAutist]

You definitely have it. No doubt about it, I'm sure. I'm not a doctor, but I do have it myself, and I went through the same thing at your age. I'm 20 now, and it's not _as_ bad with some sounds, but worse with others. Burping/faring noises and lip smacking makes me want to rip my ears out. What I've found that helps a little is mimicking the sound. Cover up the bad sounds with your own makes it slightly more bearable. Sometimes I walk away, take deep, slow breaths, and repeat to myself "everything is okay. I am okay. I am above this." Soom, I will be getting earplugs. The lip smacking is usually not as Loyd as their words, so earplugs may block out the bad sounds while still being able to hear them. I hope I was able to help in some way! Stay strong!

[@johannelundhusmolzen6056]

Hej, jeg har det faktisk på præcis samme måde, og har aldrig hørt om nogen fra Danmark der også har det :O Ville du sige dit er blevet bedre nu? Mit begyndte først for lidt over et år siden, og jeg er 17 nu. Jeg kan heller ikke holde ud at være med min familie, og det er ærgeligt, fordi man kommer virkelig til at savne dem :/ Jeg håber ikke jeg forstyrrer, men jeg syntes bare det var sjovt, at du også var fra Danmark :D

[@Venomonomonom]

Same here, I suspect I have ADD

[@stuff7442]

I've just bought your book. Typing noises/eating noises are my main triggers - an audiologist has prescribed me with white noise hearing aids which help a lot. Somewhat Ironically, your voice triggers my misophonia (Nothing personal, but it's the groany noise at the end of sentences (e.g. 'sounds' at 1:40 and 'feel' at 1:42) that a lot of Americans have started to do in the last few years) - wet 'puh' noises get me too.

[@Venomonomonom]

Yeah it's the lazy talking a lot of young women have from the west coast. Kim Kardashian for example.

[@Infinitee6068]

Today for me was terrible, I was in school in an exam and all I could hear was sniffing, coughing and pen tapping. It was the worst! All I wanted to do was throw my table across the room and leave. I managed to not react badly, just grip the table, clenching my jaw and I having more force on the pen, trying to let my anger out, I also tried relaxing and breathing. I did try to keep calm and I did a little, but I was glad to get out that room and allow some anger out.

[@starbow2244]

School created 2 more triggers for me plus I can leave the room because I'm in class for both of them atleast I don't have a extremely bad case of misaponia

[@helen6680]

I find it ironic how he talks about preventing triggers but over half of what I learned from this is that he causes a LOT of triggers

[@hgjones4596]

I think I definitely relate to the highly sensitive person you spoke of here. Do you have any videos or helpful things for the highly sensitive person in regards to noise sensitivity?

[@annabellacrewe8858]

Thank You Tom for Your excellent explanation of how to deal with Misophonia🤗I have begun with silent ocean Waves on the beach- in my earphones. I just moved to a place I was told is peaceful and quiet. Its NOT ! I am hsp and maybe Misophonia too ! I canoit just escape from my appartement morning, noon and night - its my home. But foirunately i can go on my bike out to the beach just nearby. Nature is the vest healer. Annabella in DK🤗😊

[@SuzanaX]

Completely misplaced, we need more beautiful behaviors, there would be less mizophones. Is the problem of ugly behavior or reaction to this ugly behavior?

[@SkylerAdriel]

Wearing earplugs has helped me. The issue I'm coming across is the fact that Misophonia began for me from having a sensory processing problem--difficulty hearing myself think and learning in environments that are noisy. It started out with a general disturbance to loud noise to quiet talking to pencil tapping to hearing people breathe and on to more and more particular things. It's gotten a lot worse in the last two years. I live in central California and I'm having difficulty finding a doctor that has experience in treating this.

[@aahlstrom93]

Thanks for this video. I actually think I might just be highly sensitive from my anxiety disorder and not have misophonia.

[@iladelph420]

Any insight on how to deal with OCD as a response to triggers? I've accepted that I'll always have misophonia, but I've also developed some bad habits in response to triggers that I think can be dealt with. For example, I often have to mimic the offending sound, or I do this weird thing in which I sort of flick my ear. The responses aren't optional in my brain. I feel as if I'll explode if I don't respond. Once I do respond there is some level of relief.

[@-trainee-7372]

I've had misophonia for 5 years and it's awful is there any way to block sounds without bulky headphones, cause everyone makes fun of me even if I plug my ears.

[@bugs8766]

Gibber Jabber same!!! My ears hurt because I stick my fingers in my ears a lot now

[@ksmart1235]

@@bugs8766 Same, god! Why the hell won't people understand?!

[@jeantolman7660]

@Emma McAllister Emma, I don't know if this will help. I put a white noise recording on my cell phone. I use headphones to listen to that. I also have ear muff headphones that have an input so I can hook up my phone to the ear muffs, which are rather uncomfortable after a while, but they block out sound more. I read your other post about having to sit in silence in your class and you can hear all your triggers. I hope you will be able to find some help from this misophonia institute. I understand your hell.

[@katefevre6222]

I Have this too, it upsets me so much, hearing these noises. My mum is understanding, but my dad says there is no such thing, he is so closed- minded

[@JerricaHanson22]

Hi, I am a 14 year old girl living in Kentucky. I'm fairly certain I have misophonia, since I was about 12, based on some research and surveys about it. I've never gotten professionally diagnosed or treated. My mother tells me not to research misophonia because she thinks that reading about it makes me believe that I have it and subconsciously react as I have read about. Is this possible? I do not think that I have done this because when I first read about misophonia, I related to the symptoms and reactions to triggers immediately, not after I had read about it. This affects my life every day because my father is a very loud chewer (chewing, among other mouth noises, is a trigger for me), but I don't know how to deal with it. So my question is: Is it possible that I am just a highly sensitive person and I just psyched myself out to believe that I have misophonia? And how do I go about dealing with it? Thank you.

[@JerricaHanson22]

Okay, I'll look into that. Thank you. *****

[@wicked2230]

Jerrica Hanson same problem here

[@DrSamehElatfy]

I had 6 triggers and most of them is one of my friend sound and something like mouse clicking and i cannot find anything treating these at all

[@anthonyjohnson4964]

I keep having fear of loud noises because I keep hearing a man voice yelling at the up the ceiling well we live at a apartment that why I keep getting triggers by the that yelling noise that he going on since March-may

[@dawnbritton8197]

My 9 year old daughter has this.. most uk doctors have never heard of it so are unable to offer any kind of help for her.. frustrating!

[@lemonticbanana9153]

dawn britton uk doctors are a nightmare! I've tried for years to make them understand... not fair.

[@carlykamps411]

Hey everyone, it is possible to be healed of this. I received prayer to be supernaturally healed of this and delivered from a life long struggle through Jesus. I also went through a process called “Immanuel Prayer” where someone who was trained took me back to a difficult memory where I lashed out at my dad for chewing loudly, blaming him for doing it on purpose. This form of prayer is connected to psychological studies that have been used to help trauma victims start attaching positive memories to the negative ones, therefore taking the power away from the negative memories. This really helped me. This can be done with every trigger we have when we trace back to where it started, or where we can remember being most distressed. I have reduced misophonia to being highly sensitive, to being slightly sensitive, to simply noticing the triggers (like them being boldened words on a paper), to now it’s something that every day is growing more into the background. For me it was mouth sounds of all sorts. I’m getting better and you can too, I promise there is hope!

[@drakefay784]

Cap

[@dianeeasey6711]

We know this logic man

[@bestudante]

What to do when your colleague spends the whole day crazily clicking, typing, burping, farting, feet dancing, gum chewing and blasting, mouth-noising, pen-mouth-noising, keyboard-spanking, eating every hour, drinking water, drinking tea, literaly spoon-scraping the bowl of granola for 2 minutes, just to give you a few examples? I have to spend the whole day listen to music on high volume, so I can focus on what I'm doing, but I'll end up deaf!

[@anneg.2453]

Ha! You forgot spoon-scraping the yogurt cup... I used headphones but I also added ear plugs. I could not get enough blocking just from headphones and I had to turn the sound up so loud I was afraid I'd damage my hearing. I also used white noise b/c music can be distracting - hard to concentrate when I listen to music I like. Try simplynoise.com/. I know it sounds weird, but plain static helped.

[@ksmart1235]

Hell yes! I will always use the power of my headsets to not listen to all that crap!

[@multyhard2get]

Is it possible to do botox in the muscles that give fysical reflection and emotions to prevent the feelings??

[@tomdozier]

We have discussed this in the past. If it is something like a frown (only 3 muscles) it would be a great test of this idea. Let me know if you try it.

[@multyhard2get]

@@tomdozier I did not try it because I have to figure out witch muscle exactly gives the reflex and then I can try it. Nice to hear that you all are discussing about solutions. I also use the app and it really works if I work hard for it with discipline. Thank you. I hope there will be more solutions in the future...

[@dianeeasey6711]

You obviously do NOT suffer from Misophonia, avoid/get away... Don't be mad

[@knittedwarbler]

Why no subtitles :( my misophonia is going nuts just having to listen to your voice (no offence)

[@Admiralhall2000]

I am HS and have M

[@GrilledCheese_Master]

Meesophonia(how he pronounced it) Awesome new trigger

[@knittedwarbler]

Well it ain't "miss-oh-phonia" so

[@kittymeeks7179]

Hahaha EpicPerson I agree. It's miz-o-phonia

[@dianeeasey6711]

So long winded, what you're saying is totally logical, you're not helping. It's not always possible to remove oneself