Mindfulness for Tinnitus
Linked here is a randomised controlled trial of mindfulness meditation versus relaxation therapy in the management of tinnitus.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28357966
If you have ever experienced tinnitus you will know how life-impacting it can be.
Tinnitus is the term for the sensation of hearing a sound in the absence of any external sound. You might hear different types of sound, for example ringing, buzzing, whooshing or humming. These can be continuous or they can come and go. The tinnitus might seem like it’s in one ear or both, in the middle of the head or even be difficult to pinpoint. Some people may think the noise is coming from outside and hunt for it until they discover it’s actually inside of them.
Linked here is a randomised controlled trial of mindfulness meditation versus relaxation therapy in the management of tinnitus. 86 People were recruited for five sessions of mindfulness meditation or five sessions of relaxation therapy. 34 patients completed mindfulness meditation and 27 patients completed relaxation therapy. Statistically significant improvement was seen in all outcome measures except the health status indicator in both treatment groups. The change in treatment scores was greater in the mindfulness meditation group than in the relaxation therapy group.
Researchers concluded that, although both mindfulness meditation and relaxation therapy are effective in the management of tinnitus, mindfulness meditation is superior to relaxation therapy.
