peter@therapistwithtinnitus.com
TUCSON, AZ USA

THERAPIST WITH TINNITUS

Peter Vernezze, PhD

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Peter Vernezze PhD, LCSW  is a licensed behavioral health therapist. He is on the national provider list for Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT is endorsed by the VA & the International Society of Traumatic Stress Studies, as a best practice for the treatment of PTSD.) He is also a qualified teacher of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and a meditation teacher trained in the Shambhala tradition. His article, A Therapist’s Personal Journey Managing Tinnitus, appears in the December 2021 issue of Tinnitus Today.

“The problem with tinnitus is not the sound of the tinnitus. The problem is how the body and the mind are reacting to the sound of the tinnitus. While we can't change the sound of the tinnitus, we can, through mindfulness training, alter the way our body and mind respond to the sound of tinnitus."

VIDEO: Comments from previous class participants

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My name is Peter Vernezze and I am a mental health therapist living with tinnitus. If you are like most of my tinnitus clients, you are laboring under a misconception. You think the problem is the sound of your tinnitus. The problem with tinnitus is not the sound of the tinnitus. It's how your body and mind are reacting to the sound of tinnitus. As a result of the sound of tinnitus, your body is going into a state of what is known as fight-or-flight. And your brain is following suit, generating catastrophic thoughts and distressing emotions that only compound the physical distress.

While we can't control the sound of our tinnitus, through mindfulness training we can alter how our mind and body respond to the sound of tinnitus, ultimately viewing our tinnitus (and all of our experience) in a non-judgmental manner, neither pushing away nor being overwhelmed by it. This non-reactive attitude towards tinnitus is the key to habituation.

I teach an online mindfulness class for tinnitus clients (see below).  This class provides the groundwork for rewiring the nervous system to respond to our tinnitus in a different way (neuroplasticity).This is a live, online course where you will learn with other tinnitus challenged individuals, a situation which I have found to be as important to the healing process as the methodologies themselves. In addition, I do one on one coaching (see 'Services' page).       


The American Tinnitus Association website lists cognitive therapy and mindfulness as among the evidence-based interventions to assist in reducing tinnitus distress. Please note: I do not provide therapy, since the tinnitus distress it addresses is not a recognized disorder in the DSM 5. If you are suffering from the depression and anxiety that can go along with tinnitus, please see a mental health professional in your area or call 911.


Here is a list of resources for CBT and Mindfulness compiled by Keith Field, moderator of the Seattle Tinnitus Support group.
 

Beyond CBT: A Mental Health and Tinnitus Newsletter offers evidence-based mental health strategies you can use in managing your tinnitus. When you subscribe, you will receive the special issue that outlines five areas of mental health that can support your tinnitus journey and provides you with essential resources in all of these areas.

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Train the brain: classes starting regularly   
credit: Mark Paton from Unsplash

Questions? Email peter@therapistwithtinnitus.com

Mindfulness for Tinnitus

Mindfulness can be defined as paying attention in the present moment on purpose and without judgment. Mindfulness training can increase our ability to focus our awareness where we wish to focus it (not on the tinnitus). In addition, mindfulness training has been shown to reduce our emotional reactivity to external stimuli, which is off the charts in the case of tinnitus.

Click to hear a recent story on NPR on tinnitus and mindfulness

Click here to read the latest mindfulness and tinnitus research article.

VIDEO: MINDFULNESS FOR TINNITUS

Cognitive Therapy for Tinnitus

Cognitive therapy asserts that our thoughts influence our emotions. When in comes to tinnitus, the idea is that our beliefs about tinnitus, that it is a threat and a danger, influence our emotional reactions to the tinnitus. If we want to change the way we respond to tinnitus, we need to change our thoughts about it..