We have talked about tinnitus in previous newsletters and we remain a corporate member and supporter of Tinnitus UK.
As well as offering free 15-minute telephone consultations for anyone suffering with tinnitus, Fiona Idriss, our senior audiologist and clinical tutor, leads our tinnitus and sound sensitivity clinic at The Chaucer Hospital in Canterbury.
During consultations we identify the effects of tinnitus and offer guidance on the tools that lessen the stress and anxiety caused by the awareness of the condition. These methods include hearing aid fitting, sound therapy, relaxation, sleep hygiene and mindfulness practices.
What is mindfulness?
Relaxation techniques such as breathing exercises, yoga, tai-chi and meditation, are frequently reported as successful methods of reducing the common feelings of anxiety when tinnitus is perceived.
Mindfulness, defined as “paying attention in a particular way; on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally,” (Kabat-Zinn, 1994) helps to teach you how to stop fighting against the tinnitus and come to accept it.
Mindfulness encourages you to pay attention to your thoughts, feelings, and the environment around you, which in turn helps the brain to reduce time fixating on the tinnitus and decreases our fight, flight and freeze response.
Popular mindfulness-based programmes are mindfulness-based stress reduction and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. These are eight-week courses, with weekly classes of instruction, mindfulness practice and “homework” including daily practice. But this often feels too daunting to commit to when in the cycle of distress.
Tinnitus workshop
Fiona promotes accessible integrated strategies to help her patients to achieve a healthier, more resilient relationship with the symptoms of tinnitus. Being keenly aware of the gap in short mindfulness-based courses for tinnitus in Kent, she approached Simone Stolton, a highly experienced mindfulness and yoga teacher, who leads Kent Mindfulness Centre (see more here).
Simone is trained and qualified to teach the Mindfulness-Based Living Course and the Compassion-based Living Course as developed by The Mindfulness Association.
We are pleased to announce that this collaboration has culminated in the new “Compassion-Based Mindfulness and Wellbeing for Tinnitus” workshop which will run on Sunday, September 17 in Harbledown, near Canterbury.
Free tinnitus consultation
Full details for booking a place, including fees, will be publicised on Simone’s website here as well as social media platforms. You can. book a place here.
Please contact us and we will book a free 15-minute consultation with Fiona where she will be able to provide further information on tinnitus management and the suitability of this new resource for you.
Simone and Fiona look forward to seeing you in September and hope this is the beginning of regular workshops for tinnitus sufferers in Kent.
Ring us on 0800 028 6179 to arrange an appointment or email info@hearbase.com
