Tinnitus is often thought of as a ringing or similar sensation of sound in the ears. So what is this sound? Is it some random noise produced by the ear or the brain?
My understanding is that tinnitus is one or a collection of high speed internal voices that is/are perceived as ringing or buzzing. And using this model, there are two specific approaches that can be applied in treating tinnitus.
The first approach focuses on adjusting the volume of the sound. Begin by anchoring the sound at the volume the client is presently hearing it at to a spot on the middle of their arm. To get a clearer idea of this, imagine a dimmer switch used to adjust light in a dining room. The scale ranges from “off” to “really bright”. And the middle point can be considered “normal”. Now the only difference here is the scale in this approach ranges from “off” to “really loud”. Anchor the current volume as the middle point of the range on a spot on the middle of the client’s arm with one of your fingers. Then slide your finger up the arm suggesting an increase in volume. Find out how the client responds to the change. And then slide your finger back down to the middle point and find out how “normal” sounds now.
Next slide your finger from the middle point down the arm suggesting a decrease in the volume. Ask the client how they feel when the sound is barely audible. This process is assisting the client in creating reference points. They may have been aware of the feeling associated with the “normal” volume, but through this process they are building a database of finer distinctions. It is possible that moving the slider (your finger along the range) even one inch in either direction can have a profound effect on their experience of this sound.
Once this sliding anchor is established, give the controls over to the client and have them go up and down the scale increasing and decreasing the volume of this sound that has bothered them. Assisting a client to regain conscious control over something that was automatic can be very empowering. And with these new resources in hand, the client can choose to set the volume to whichever decibel they like. In some cases they may choose to gradually decrease the volume over a few weeks rather than go immediately to no sound all at once. In either case, the client has new choices and is back in the driver’s seat. So this is approach number one.
However there is more to it than just the technique. Often times, intellectually this process is way too simple. This is where some reframing finesse comes in. They may have been experiencing tinnitus for many years. And in that time, they might have developed some secondary gains (benefits for keeping the status quo). These issues need to be addressed as well and can be cleaned up with a variety of NLP tools for the change to be thoroughly effective.
Now approach two begins in a similar manner but adds one additional piece. Instead of altering the auditory submodality of volume, you anchor the rate of speech in the same manner as mentioned in the previous approach. The speed can be sped up or slowed down using the slider. Now here you might find some resistance. In most cases the dialogue isn’t so flattering, and it is possible that the subconscious has kept the rate of speech fast just so the conscious mind would not understand the dialogue. A simple move from the auditory channel to the visual channel will assist the client in hearing the dialogue with greater ease.
Do this by asking the client to imagine hearing the sound coming out of a stereo speaker from across the room. This process creates disassociation and better enables the client to objectively hear the voice(s) and its content. Once the dialogue has been slowed down to a point where it can be understood with the slider, use the six-step reframe or any variation of parts therapy to commence dialogue with the part. Find out its motives; its responsibilities within the system. Discover the judgments and other critiques it has about the client or even the world in general. Find out how it feels. Has it been ignored? Does it know of a special way of doing something within the system? The key here is to be curious and fascinated. This voice/part served some function within the system for a period of time.
Build and maintain rapport with this part to gather as much information as you can about its world. And this is where gathering content is very useful in NLP. The content from the subconscious can be very different from the content of the intellectual understanding of a problem. And the content and mechanics of the subconscious is what is driving the behavior. Bring all this information from out of conscious awareness into consciousness so the client can make a well informed decision about what he/she would like to do with this voice/part. Perhaps this part can learn a new skill or perhaps it is best to release it completely from the system. The more information the client has, the more suitable decision they can make for themselves. So there you have the second approach. This will take longer but will be more thorough. There will be less need for the intellectual reframing if the secondary gains have been addressed during the parts therapy work.
Oz Merchant is presently the Founder and Director of the CORE Changes Institute in North Carolina. For almost a decade Oz has devoted his life to providing the private attention, resources, and technology to help people massively improve the quality of their lives. Visit www.CoreChanges.com for more information on private sessions, seminars, and trainings.
