Counseling Protocol for a Transitional Intervention for Debilitating Hyperacusis.

Introduction: This clinical focus article describes a structured counseling protocol for use with protected sound management and therapeutic sound in a transitional intervention for debilitating hyperacusis. The counseling protocol and its associated visual aids are crafted as a teaching tool to educate affected individuals about hyperacusis and encourage their acceptance of a transitional intervention.

Description Of Counseling Components: The counseling protocol includes five components.

Background and Rationale for a Transitional Intervention for Debilitating Hyperacusis.

Purpose: This report provides the experimental, clinical, theoretical, and historical background that motivated a patented transitional intervention and its implementation and evaluation in a field trial for mitigation of debilitating loudness-based hyperacusis (LH).

Background And Rationale: Barriers for ameliorating LH, which is differentiated here from other forms of hyperacusis, are delineated, including counterproductive management and treatment strategies that may exacerbate the condition. Evidence for hyper-gain central auditory processes as the bases for LH and the associated LH-induced distress and stress responses are presented.

Results of a 6-Month Field Trial of a Transitional Intervention for Debilitating Hyperacusis.

Purpose: We present results from a 6-month field trial of a transitional intervention for debilitating primary hyperacusis, including a combination of structured counseling; promotion of safe, comfortable, and healthy sound exposure; and therapeutic broadband sound from sound generators. This intervention is designed to overcome barriers to successful delivery of therapeutic sound as a tool to downregulate neural hyperactivity in the central auditory pathways (i.e.

Device and Fitting Protocol for a Transitional Intervention for Debilitating Hyperacusis.

Purpose: This report describes a hearing device and corresponding fitting protocol designed for use in a transitional intervention for debilitating loudness-based hyperacusis.

Method: The intervention goal is to transition patients with hyperacusis from their typical counterproductive sound avoidance behaviors (i.e.

Acoustic deprivation modulates central gain in human auditory brainstem and cortex.

Beyond reduced audibility, there is convincing evidence that the auditory system adapts according to the principles of homeostatic plasticity in response to a hearing loss. Such compensatory changes include modulation of central auditory gain mechanisms. Earplugging is a common experimental method that has been used to introduce a temporary, reversible hearing loss that induces changes consistent with central gain modulation.