The Oregon Tinnitus & Hyperacusis Treatment Clinic
825 NE 20th, Suite 230
Portland, OR 97232
503 234 1221
Fax: 503 234 4227
Marsha A. Johnson, M.S., CCC-A, FAAA, Director
JOIN NEW ONLINE GROUP TO TALK ABOUT THIS CONDITION
Soft or SELECTIVE Sound Sensitivity Syndrome. --How to Find Treatment at Our Clinic!
I first named this condition in 2002, after working with many patients who described these symptoms in great detail and with great similarity over the ten years I have been in practice. At first, I felt I had seen a few very rare cases, but over the years, I have heard from hundreds of people who suffer from these symptoms and I have been convinced that this condition is actually a collection of recognizable symptoms. As such, I have named this disorder and have been providing experimental treatment for it since 1996, with good results.
It is very important to obtain a thorough medical and mental evaluation if you suffer from the symptoms of 4S. Some people have been identified as also having Obsessive Compulsive Behaviors and require the care and direction of medical professionals for this condition. A recent informal poll of over 300 people with self-reported 4S found about 17 % had been diagnosed with a mild form of OCD. However, I will add that those people did not find that medications significantly affected their 4S. At least the ones who participated in the poll. This is a complicated situation and may require the care of more than one type of medical provider!
Please also be aware that many cases of classic hyperacusis can be easily and inexpensively treated at home using pink noise tapes, nature CDs or table top maskers, to help raise up the ambient noise levels and improve tolerances. For those who find that approach does not seem to work, then you can consider the next stage of treatment, which is described below, using in-the-ear delivery of sound.
My treatment entails the use of bilateral sound therapy and educational support to counteract the physiological over-reaction to particular sounds and noises. Over time, the person tends to develop a conditioned reflex to these annoying sounds and noises, and also an anticipatory aspect develops, wherein the sensitivity is increased by the ideation that a particular situation is arriving soon, i.e., dinnertime, or the presence of an offending person. These anticipatory feelings are also targeted in the treatment and we are attempting to sever the deeply rooted reactions, both physical and psychological.
What do I do to enroll in the treatment program?
You must achieve the following:
Visit an ear specialist, ENT, AND an audiologist, to rule out any chronic ear disorder that may be contributing to your situation Forward all records of this visit (must be within 1 year) including hearing tests and chart notes to this clinic, via mail or fax You must call or email to set up a phone appointment. Following this, a packet of clinic materials will be sent to you, to be completed and returned for your file. This packet includes general health history, personal contact info, any description of your current situation including ranking the types of noises that are bothersome. You will also need to take an easy measurement of each ear using a ruler and a helper.
Next, a brief phone appointment is scheduled to answer any more questions and clear up any concerns or special situations.
What are the fees for this program?
We require a fifty percent deposit for the devices, $1200 for two. You will receive a twenty five day no-charge trial period to assess the benefits of the units. Upon the completion of this trial period, if you wish to keep the units, you must submit the remaining fifty percent, or $1200. Total is $2400. We do accept over the phone credit cards, or checks/money orders.
Support Fees
Children will not be charged counseling fees.
Free Onsite Visits
On site, in office visits, are provided to local residents or visiting patients, at no charge, as needed (about once every six months). If you can find your way here, we will also examine your hearing and test results again without charge, to assess your progress.
Tell me about the success of your program so far?
Over 176 people including children as young as five have been treated by this clinic for this syndrome in the past 10 years. Over ninety percent, to date, have reported improved circumstances when using these therapy units. Less annoyance, less concern and worry, less reactions to the troublesome noises, less apprehension, more social interactions, more happiness, higher functioning, less negative effect on family gathering, better work and concentration in school, better attitude and happiness levels across the board. Younger children stop self-abusing or striking others, young adults can socialize with friends, go to movies, eat out. Workmates appear more tolerable, machine noises are not nerve-racking, and many other positive reports have been received. To date, every single person who enrolls has been able to use the units and not one set has been returned, which speaks for itself.
How do they work?
These units resemble small behind the ear hearing aids, they have a volume control and a battery door, but they do not block the ear canal. The unit is hidden behind the flap of the ear and a miniature nearly invisible silvery tube delivers the therapy sound to the ear canal. The sound is steady state and calming.The wearer can adjust the volume to meet the needs of the environment, i.e., turn up for the dinner table, turn down when in a quieter place.
The sound occupies the entire auditory pathway and the 30,000 nerve fibers that stretch from the cochlea to the central cortex and back again. Each nerve is stimulated and busy processing the therapy sound, and therefore incoming stimuli is thought to represent less contrast and provoke a much reduced reaction. Over time, the subconscious brain forgets to monitor the contrasting, previously highly perceived annoying sounds, and the person develops much more tolerance in a fairly rapid time period.
It is hoped that we will be able to track and monitor patients over time to discover longer term effects of the therapy on SSSS. It is still unknown as yet if the use of these devices for six to twelve months will result in permanent shifts of the auditory attention to bothersome noises, or if the negative emotional responses can be permanently diminished.
However, we can say, that the vast majority of our patients report that this treatment has been of such benefit that they would not return their units or discontinue wearing them permanently. In about fifty percent of the cases followed to date, the patients can taper off wearing the units in situations that formerly could not be tolerated with comfort, and still feel ok. This is a subjective finding, and further research is needed to determine the long term effect of this therapy.
What is your background?
I am a licensed audiologist in the state of Oregon, who is a tinnitus and hyperacusis specialist. Since 1997, I have been in full time exclusive practice in Oregon, serving patients from all over the globe and acting as the only fulltime TRT clinician on the west coast of the USA. The next closest clinician is in Atlanta, Georgia. I do not sell hearing aids or offer other diagnostic services. It has been my privilege and honor to work with people who are very troubled and lonely, longing for an answer to their concerns, having been rebuffed and misunderstood by the medical community. Hundreds of people have recognized themselves in my descriptions on the internet sites, a special SSSS site has been created in December to support people with these symptoms, and I have a file drawer full of letters from teachers, parents, spouses, friends, and patients who tell me how much better they are.
I regularly publish and present on this topic and delivered a special presentation at the Oregon State Speech Hearing and Language Conference in the fall of 2005 on my clinical trials and results. Since then I have presetned 4S to various groups of medical providesr and therapists, with very receptive and eager audiences. I also have an article, called, Do Eating Noises Bother You? That can be sent via email and presented to others to help clarify your situation.
If I can answer any other questions, do not hesitate to contact me.
Marsha Johnson, AuD, FAAA
Director OTHTC
