Tinnitus Alleviation Therapy: A Self-Help Program for Gentle and Lasting Recovery

Ringing in your ears isn't fun. But as people age and begin to lose hearing, the chances of tinnitus increase. The Mayo Clinic estimates that one in five people have the condition. But there's no definitive cure for it. Part of the problem is that it results from a range of very different physical, environmental, and emotional causes, everything from bad circulation, high blood pressure, and wax build up to persistent loud noise and stress. Some people have found relief from acupuncture and hypnosis, antibiotics and antidepressants, and transcranial magnetic stimulation, but certain antibiotics and antidepressants have also been know to cause tinnitus. For readers who've tried all sorts of current remedies and still haven't found relief, it's time to read Tinnitus Alleviation Therapy (TAT).

Maria Holl, a psychotherapist and alternative medicine practitioner in Aachen, Germany, was asked in 1996 by ear, nose, and throat specialist Dr. Herbert Philipps to help the growing number of his patients seeking relief from tinnitus. Holl observed that the vast majority were "very caring people who would do everything for their family, job, and home. But they themselves always got the short end of the stick." So she devised TAT to help activate the patient's self-healing powers through a unique synthesis of psychotherapy, self-massage, and her knowledge of ancient Chinese medicine, which activates the body's energy system, or chi.

The series of twelve simple TAT lessons help direct chi through the body's energy channels and align the body with the earth. Each lesson includes three components: physical exercises to mobilize chi, self-massage to activate blood circulation and the immune system, and special breathing techniques and visualization exercises. "Opening up the body toward the earth relaxes both body and mind, reduces fear, strengthens self-confidence, and enables a new sense of self," writes Holl. "In our courses we have seen that daily practice of these exercises removes the aggravating effect of tinnitus in eight out of ten participants."