Implementing Psychological Methods in the Management of Trauma-Associated Tinnitus

Dr. Fagelson, (Professor Audiology, ETSU) will discuss the unusual challenges facing patients and providers when tinnitus severity is linked to traumatic exposure. Interactions between neural mechanisms associated with tinnitus, posttraumatic stress-disorder (PTSD), and traumatic memory will be reviewed with particular attention to the way and degree to which such interactions affect tinnitus and disorders of sound tolerance. Conference attendees will be provided theoretical models of emotional memory consolidation that underscore trauma‘s durable effects on a patient‘s emotional state, reaction to the tinnitus signal, and to potentially-triggering environmental sounds. The putative benefits of tinnitus counseling will be presented in the context of trauma interventions that employ well-established counseling techniques as an element of patient-centered care. Audiologists must provide trauma patients a safe environment and opportunity for dialogue that contributes to a holistic understanding of the patient‘s situation and perceptions; the ultimate goal is to employ interventions and self-assessment instruments that can be used to evaluate patient needs and progress when tinnitus is related to trauma. The potentially-exacerbating effects of comprehensive audiologic assessment will also be addressed.