Misophonia The Beast. Misophonia Treatment.   Misophonia is a beast! Misophonia is a selective sound sensitivity that that can cause anger, anxiety, disgust, panic, and other tough emotions. Anyone with Misophonia who is reading this definitely knows the monster that is Misophonia. Finding treatment for Misophonia can be a struggle. I personally (and unfortunately) have first-hand experience with the monster. We met after a  traumatic event I had in college, many years ago.  Importantly, I know my sound sensitivity began at an earlier age but it wasn’t a major problem then. Subsequently, I saw my fair share of therapists as a young adult, trying to get help. One therapist told me to “tolerate” the noise. I did my very best to not curse that therapist out! Another therapist told me that I need to live in quiet apartments (but how does that happen when you live in New York City). Another therapist attempted to trigger me by knocking on the wall in her office- it did not work. After moving to Los Angeles and studying to become a therapist, I thought to myself- what’s the deal with current Misophonia treatment? While treatment and therapy options were scarce, I did meet some fascinating people researching, treating, and diving into the Misophonia monster.   Full Disclosure   Full disclosure, I have been treating Misophonia for a little over a year but I’ve been exploring Misophonia treatments and working with therapy clients for many years. And in this time, wow, have I learned a lot! I guess I fit well into the Misophonia personality type that some professionals talk about- Type A, perfectionistic, rigid, etc. When I have an interest in something, I will learn all I can. Basically, I strive to help my clients one hundred percent. Interestingly, that Miso personality type is similar to the chronic pain personality type. I will discuss my thoughts on chronic pain and Misophonia a few paragraphs down! Overall, I have a passion about learning all things Misophonia.   Highly Sensitive People   Something that I am realizing is that many people with Misophonia are sensitive people. We are sensitive people with sensitive nervous systems. Could we be Highly Sensitive People? The term “Highly Sensitive People” became popular because of the work of Dr. Elaine Aron. You can take the Highly Sensitive Person quiz HERE.  Dr. Aron found out that HSPs have greater depth of processing, become over stimulated, have emotional reactivity, are empathetic, and sense the subtle in the environment. Sound familiar? Being a Highly Sensitive Person is not a sensory disorder. It is a sensory sensitivity.   Highly Sensitive People, Misophonia & The Brain   What really piqued my interest on how HSP relates to Misophonia was the research on the brain. Research has shown that Highly Sensitive People have more activation in the Insula (knowledge of inner states and emotions- love, trust, fear, sexual arousal and the awareness of bodily position in space and the awareness of outer events). Also, HSPs have more active mirror neurons. If you are a Misophonia nerd like me, you would have seen the latest research around the Insula and over active mirror neurons. If I had more time, I would get into the scientific info but I trust your ability in using google! Misophonia can arrive in a person’s life for a multitude of reasons. Sometimes trauma plays a role and sometimes it does not. But I feel when you are born a sensitive person, have the genetic susceptibility to Misophonia, and then throw in some trauma or parental attachment ruptures, the Misophonia monster rears it’s ugly head.   Chronic Pain & Neural Pathways   Before I dove into learning about Misophonia, I dove into Mind-Body Syndromes (also known as Tension Myositis Syndrome & Psychophysiologic Disorders) over ten years ago. Mind-Body Syndromes are classified as chronic pain, chronic fatigue, pelvic pain, irritable bowl and more. Mind-Body Syndromes became popular from the work of Dr. John Sarno. He wrote the book famous book Healing Back Back Pain-The Mind-Body Connection. Sarno’s work has been expanded on by doctors such as Howard Schubiner. Similarly to Misophonia, many people with Mind-Body Syndromes also have sensitive brains/ nervous systems. Interestingly, some people with Mind-Body Syndromes fit into the category of Central Sensitization Syndrome. From my multiple professional trainings on Mind-Body Syndromes over the years (trainings with Dr. Howard Scubiner & Alan Gordon LCSW), I have learned that a large part of these syndromes are ruled by neural pathways. Basically, neural pathways are learned networks in our brain.  For example, when you learn to ride a bike, your brain learns to ride (and not) forget through neural networks. An excellent video on neural networks and bike riding is HERE. In chronic pain and other Mind-Body Syndromes the symptoms get stuck in a feedback loop and a large reason they get stuck is from the fear over symptoms. From my training in Somatic Experiencing, I have learned that many people with Mind-Body Syndromes (and I believe Misophonia people) are living in a state of sympathetic activation. Basically, people’s nervous systems are so sensitized, which wreaks havoc on the body and mind. Please note, I am sensitive to the fact that the Mind-Body symptoms are real and not in a person’s mind. Thank goodness the medical community is studying this, but in my belief and many other professionals belief, these symptoms are perpetuated by brain neural networks and a sensitized nervous system.   Neural Pathways, The Nervous System & Misophonia   From studying the work of Tom Dozier, Dr Ezra Cowan, Marsha Johnson, and more recently Chris Pearson, I see a lot of similarities between Mind-Body Syndromes and Misophonia.   Here’s what I’ve learned and pondered: Misophonia has a somatic component. The body reacts to a sound. The brain and the body are connected. When the body tenses and recoils, this sends messages to the brain that there is danger.   Avoiding the sound, running away, reinforces the fear.   Ruminating on preceptory anxiety […]

Feeling Overwhelmed? Whether you are a Highly Sensitive Person or just someone with a lot of Anxiety, coping with feeling overwhelmed can be challenging. The phrase “Too much to do, too little time” probably rings true! Maybe, it’s a hectic family life, a job that’s demanding, or health problems you’re experiencing. Life has its way of being overwhelming! Undoubtably, some people struggle more than others with feeling overwhelmed.   9 tips to help when overwhelming feelings or stressful life events take over.   1. Keep a daily To-Do List. Trying to remember fifty different things that you need to accomplish a day will definitely overwhelm you! It can help to get the small things done first, so your list gets smaller faster. Also, a daily planner can help. Getting organized, and writing everything down will definitely take a load off. My favorite daily planner which also has a To-Do list on each page is by Day Designer. But, there’s also Google Calendar if online organization is your thing.   2. Don’t take on too much at once. Basically, do one thing at a time. Know your limits. Most definitely, learn how to say NO. If you tend to be a people pleaser, do some self-exploration on why you can’t say no. Saying NO is a form of self-respect. Also, creating some self-boundaries can be helpful. Maybe it’s committing to stopping work at 6pm every night. Also, asking for help and delegating tasks can be a huge help.   3. Keep your environment organized. Studies have shown that clutter and mess increase cognitive overload. Clutter has also been linked to high cortisol which is a stress hormone. Overall, clean up your work space, home, car, or even computer desktop (something I am guilty of keeping messy!). Remember, Messy= Stressy!   4. Take breaks when you can. Avoid getting to the place of exhaustion. If you get a lunch break, take it. Too many people feel the need to impress their bosses by working through lunch. But, you’re not impressing anyone if you become sick or burnt out from stress! Green spaces (trees, grass) have been found to lower stress levels. Absolutely, try to get out into nature as much as possible when feeling overwhelmed.   5. Take care of yourself. Get enough sleep each night. If you are lacking on sleep or not getting good sleep, up your sleep hygiene routine (quiet, dark, cool, etc.). When a person who has anxiety doesn’t get enough solid sleep, their anxiety just gets worse. Additionally, eat well. Low blood sugar can also up your anxiety.   6. Be around people who have a regulated nervous system. When you are in a state of overwhelm, it can help a lot to be around someone who is calm. If no one is around, call a calming person on the phone. Humans are social creatures. We are not meant to be alone.   7. Close your eyes! A large part of stimulation comes through the eyes. Whether it’s just taking a few deep breaths or taking 20 minutes to meditate, closing the eyes can help you to calm down.   8. Ground yourself. Often when we are full of anxiety, it feels like we may as well be floating in space. We’ve left our bodies and probably have left earth too! Sensory experiences can help to ground you. One of my favorites is smelling your favorite essential oil. Scent is the fasted way to our limbic system which regulates emotions. Besides that, just orienting to where you are can help ground. What does it feel like to be supported by your chair? Try tapping your feet on the ground a few times.   9. Talk to a therapist. Sometimes dealing with overwhelm takes some extra help. If you are interested in working with me, send me a MESSAGE. I see clients in person in Ventura, California and online all over.