Misophony is a condition in which the person reacts intensely and negatively to small sounds that most people do not notice or make sense, such as the sound of chewing, coughing or simply scraping their throats, for example.
These sounds can make the person feel very uncomfortable, anxious and ready to abandon the sound teller, even if it is during normal daily activities, although the person may recognize that they have some kind of displeasure with these sounds, I usually can’t help feeling this, so the syndrome looks like a phobia.
- These symptoms usually begin to appear in childhood.
- Around 9 to 13 years of age and continue into adulthood.
- However.
- Psychological therapy may be a technique capable of helping the person better tolerate certain sounds.
Although there is still no test capable of diagnosing misophonia, some of the most common signs in people with this disease appear after a specific sound and include:
This type of behavior can also interfere with relationships with the nearest people, as certain sounds, such as coughing or sneezing, cannot be avoided and therefore the person with misophony may begin to avoid being with family or friends who do so.often.
In addition, although rare, physical symptoms such as increased heart rhythm, headaches, stomach problems or jaw pain may also occur, for example.
Some of the most common sounds that trigger negative feelings related to misophony are:
Some people only experience symptoms when they hear one of these sounds, but there are also cases where it is difficult to tolerate more than one sound and, as a result, there is an endless list of sounds that can cause misophony.
There is no specific treatment for misophony yet, and therefore the disease has no cure, however, some therapies can help a person tolerate sounds more easily, thus preventing the person from participating in normal daily activities:
It is a type of therapy that has been experienced with people suffering from misofonía and that can be performed with the help of a psychologist, this training consists of helping the person to concentrate on a pleasant sound, in order to avoid the unpleasant sound it produces.is in the environment.
Thus, in a first phase, the person can be encouraged to listen to music during meals or other situations that normally provoke the misophonic reaction, trying to focus on the music and avoid thinking about the unpleasant sound.Over time this technique adapts until the music is erased and the person stops focusing on the sound that caused the misophony.
In some cases, the unpleasant sensation caused by a specific sound may be related to that person’s past experience, in these cases psychological therapy with a psychologist can be an excellent tool to try to understand what is causing the syndrome and try to resolve the change., or at least mitigate the reaction to unpleasant sounds.
This should be the last proven technique and is therefore most used in extreme cases where the person, even after testing other forms of treatment, is still very repelled by the sound in question.It’s about using a device that reduces sounds.of the environment, so the person cannot hear the sound that causes misophony, however, this is not the best treatment option, as it can interfere with the ability to socialize with other people.
Whenever this type of treatment is used it is advisable to perform psychotherapy sessions so that, at the same time, the problems related to misophony are worked on, in order to reduce the need to use these devices.
In addition to what has already been stated, in some cases the psychologist may also indicate other techniques that help relaxation and that can lead the person to better adapt to unpleasant sounds.These techniques include hypnosis, neuro-biofeedback, meditation or mindfulness, for example, which can be used alone or in conjunction with the techniques given above.