Misophonia and CPTSD

Good morning everyone . Have you ever felt EXTREMELY irritated , more then normal, at sounds ? I do.

Do certain daily sounds trigger an over-the-top emotional reaction, but yet don’t seem to bother anyone else?

This is the case with misophonia -- a strong dislike or hatred of specific sounds

I never realized how much if an effect CPTSD has on every single aspect of our lives until recently, and this causes me to look into things that bother me in a psychological way (I also had wanted to be a psychologist growing up, so it's something that grabs my attention alot , I like to try to help myself work through things alone as much as possible , as I learn so much about myself these ways .

My CPTSD has been at its peak stages now for a few years (massive volcano eruption in my neighborhood I was born and raised in , in 2018, that was my breaking point , looking back . It was the last straw i had , gone in the lava .... You can Google search "Kilauea eruption leilani estates 2018 " to see all about it .. took over 730 homes and livelihoods ... )

For a couple years after this , I didn't know who I was anymore ... it took me so long to snap out of this feeling if wanting to go home but all I ever knew was under 100 feet of solid black rock . It took a long time to look at it in a different way, and to be grateful that we are still here .

During the really hard couple years of this , the eruption aftermath , I turned into a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PERSON AT NIGHT . ALL MY LIFE, I LIVED FOR SLEEPING LOL. SLEEPING WAS MY FAVORITE THING. but then all of a sudden, it became my worst nightmare. I felt like I had major insomnia , and any little NOISE WOULD FLIP ME OUT . I BECAME EVIL if I was laying in bed, I could hear someone BREATHING in the next room and loose it . I couldn't handle ANY NOISE . During the daytime it's fine , the roosters could be crowing, crickets going off and people making as much noise as they want, I don't care.

But once it's nighttime and my body wants to sleep, my mind doesn't accept ANY noise, not even BREATH. I don't know how the mind does this , but I know it's to do with trauma and our body's responses . I feel so bad for my family when I would get this way , I would pray that I can handle the sounds and just go to sleep .... finally I started playing the YouTube rain videos at night, I put it on my phone and leave it by my pillow so I am drowned out by heavy rain and fall asleep after a couple hours .

I sometimes feel as if I gave my family their own forms of cptsd due to my snapping and episodes , and its something I want to reverse. (It's something I wish my parents would want to do as well, actually fact their child and the issues she has due to her childhood that she is trying to work through, but that includes any form of looking in the mirror, which NEITHER of my parents will do. All they do is blame and enable and turn heads with very very bad shit and serious matters that have very bad consequences.)

Anyway, here I go blabbing your ears off again, let's get to it shall we ! Here's today's entry regarding Misophonia -

Misophonia is a disorder in which certain sounds trigger emotional or physiological responses that some might perceive as unreasonable given the circumstance. Those who have misophonia might describe it as when a sound "drives you crazy." Their reactions can range from anger and annoyance to panic and the need to flee. The disorder is sometimes called selective sound sensitivity syndrome.

Individuals with misophonia often report they are triggered by oral sounds - the noise someone makes when they eat, breathe, or even chew. Other adverse sounds include. keyboard or finger tapping or the sound of windshield wipers. Sometimes a small repetitive motion is the cause - someone fidgets, jostles you, or wiggles their foot.

Similarly, people with misophonia also say they often react to the visual stimuli that accompany sounds, and may also respond intensely to repetitive motions. Researchers believe that those with misophonia may already have issues with how their brains filter sounds and that one of the features of "misophonic sounds" maybe their repetitive noise. That repetition then exacerbates the other auditory processing problems.

☆☆☆(Written by WebMD Editorial Contributors

Medically Reviewed by Nayana Ambardekar, MD on December 18, 2022)

The disorder appears to range from mild to severe. Individuals report a range of physiologic and emotional responses, with accompanying cognitions. If you have a mild reaction, you might feel:

☆Anxious

☆Uncomfortable

☆The urge to flee

☆Disgust

If your response is more severe, the sound in question might cause:

☆Rage

☆Anger

☆Hatred

☆Panic

☆Fear

☆Emotional distress

Over time, you may also respond to visual triggers, too. Seeing something that you know may create the offending sound may elicit a response.

How Do You Get It?

The age of the onset of this lifelong condition is not known but some people report symptoms between the ages of 9 and 13. Misophonia is more common with girls and comes on quickly, although it doesn’t appear to be related to any one event.

Doctors aren’t sure what causes misophonia, but it’s not a problem with your ears. They think it’s part mental, part physical. It could be related to how sound affects your brain and triggers automatic responses in your body.

Because your ears are normal and your hearing is OK, the doctor may have trouble with a diagnosis. Misophonia is sometimes mistaken for anxiety or bipolar or obsessive-compulsive disorder. Some doctors think it should be classified as a new disorder.

Often doctors are unaware of the condition, and there is no consensus in regard to classification. Misophonia appears to occur on its own and also along with other health, developmental and psychiatric problems.

A breakthrough study recently found that misophonia is a brain-based disorder. (For me this makes sense as it started after i had major seizures that almost took my life ) Researchers point to a disruption in the connectivity in parts of the brain that process both sound stimulation and the fight/flight response. It also involves parts of the brain that code the importance of sounds.

How Do You Treat It?

The condition does affect daily life, but you can learn to manage it.

Treatment often involves a multidisciplinary approach combining sound therapy by audiologists and supportive counseling in which coping strategies are emphasized.

You might try a device like a hearing aid that creates a sound in your ear similar to a waterfall. The noise distracts you from triggers and reduces reactions.

Other treatments include talk therapy.

Your lifestyle also plays a role. Get regular exercise, plenty of sleep, and manage your stress. You can also wear ear plugs and headsets to tune out sounds. Set up quiet areas or safe spots in your home where no one will make the noises that bother you.

And find support. The Misophonia Association is based in Oregon and California, and holds a yearly convention for suffers. The International Misophonia Research Network Misophonia-Research.com is a resource for doctors and researchers interested in learning more about misophonia. Misophonia International.com offers free resources, such as handouts for parents, and webinars in association with Duke University for those in the U.S., Canada and U.K.

Finally for those in the U.K. who are looking for support and research reports, try www.allergictosound.com

You can also find online and social media groups where people share coping strategies.

Article original from -- https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/what-is-misophonia#1