What is Misophonia?
Misophonia, literally “hatred of sound”, is strong sound sensitivity towards certain noises. These sounds are referred to as trigger noises and can cause a person to have a fight or flight reaction. It is a rare condition, and there is not much research about this rare condition. Some experts say misophonia is linked to other neurological and psychological disorders. There is no known cause, and it develops differently in every person. Some common triggers people with misophonia share are sniffing, chewing, breathing, lip smacking, repetitive noises like pencil tapping, throat clearing, gum chewing, and speaking sounds (specifically letters s, p, and k.) The severity of these reactions vary person to person and are determined by different levels (according to misophonia-uk.org):
Level 1: Person hears a trigger sound but feels minimal anxiety.
Level 2: Person hears a trigger sound and elicits minor physic discomfort or irritation. No fight/flight response yet.
Level 3: Person hears a trigger sound and feels increased psychic discomfort, but shows no physical reaction. May be more vigilant to audio-visual stimuli.
Level 4: Person hears a trigger sound and engages in minor physical response such as covering one ear, asking trigger person to stop, or moving away. No fight/flight response yet.
Level 5: Person hears a trigger sound and adopts more confrontational coping mechanisms such as covering ears, engaging in echolalias, or displaying overt irritation.
Level 6: Person hears a trigger sound and experiences psychic discomfort. Panic and fight/flight response are mildly engaged.
Level 7: Person hears a trigger sound and experience psychic discomfort and increases use of confrontational coping mechanisms. Person might feel unwanted sexual arousal and reimagine the trigger sound occurring over and over again. Reimagining the sound might last for weeks, months, and even years.
Level 8: Person hears a trigger sound and experiences strong psychic discomfort and violence ideation.
Level 9: Person hears a trigger sound and goes into full rage/panic. Consciously decides not to harm trigger person. Person leaves source of noises and expresses panic, severe irritation, or anger. Person inflicts violence on inanimate object.
Level 10: Person hears a trigger sound and uses physical violence against person or animal. Violence may be inflicted on self.
What are the symptoms?
Symptoms usually vary from person to person, but the common symptoms of misophonia are:
- Usually begins around ages 10-12
- Usually more sensitive to breathing and chewing sounds
- Reaction starts with sound, then includes actions associated w/ sound, and then anticipates actions
- Trigger people who affect misophonia sufferer the most are the ones closest to them.
- Reaction is mostly experienced as extreme rage
- Triggers enormous fight/flight response and can trigger desire to perform extreme violence to person or leave the vicinity.
- Some sufferers may sweat in response to their trigger sounds. This is due to the anxiety that comes with misophonia.
How can you treat it?
Because misophonia is such a rare condition, there’s not a lot of research about it. But here are some ways to deal with it. First, get yourself some soundproof headphones to block out the sounds. Honestly, it’s not hundred percent, but its better than nothing. It can greatly decrease the amount of panic you feel when hearing a trigger sound. Another way is to distract yourself. When you hear a trigger sound, try playing on your phone, reading, listening to music, and/or etcetera. Your mind will have something else to do and will forget about the sound. Listening to audio books and podcasts can help too. Meditation and utilizing breathing techniques, such as the 4-7-8 technique, is a good way to calm yourself down after listening to annoying trigger sounds. Maintaining a proper diet and getting enough sleep can also help you with your misophonia. White noise is good for blocking out sounds too. Mynoise.net is an excellent website that not only offers a white noise machine, it offers a variety of other background noise machines that will allow you to block out external noises.
Some people are not accepting of misophonia and will take your reactions in offense. Remember that while it is never your fault for having this condition, your behavior can affect the way people view you. Try to rationalize your misophonia: What sounds affect you? Which one affects you the most? Why does it affect you the most? Recognize the sound and acknowledge it. Remember it is a neurological condition you are unable to control. Accepting and understanding that it is a part of you is crucial to coping better. Understand the science behind the condition. The amygdala is the alarm center in your brain that releases adrenaline and cortisone in response to the sounds. The two hormones increase heart rate and trigger your fight or flight reaction. They are released because the sounds are believed to be danger signals. Understanding the logic and science can help you desensitize your trigger noises and make it easier to cope.
Having an escape plan is good. Come up with some good excuses to leave the vicinity of the sound, like going to the restroom, finishing a paper, work or getting some coffee. For those at work, ask to have a quiet desk or work at home. For those still at school, ask for accommodations. Ask your psychologist for a letter of accommodations to present to your school. Get a therapist that understands misophonia and is willing to treat it.
My favorite way of coping is wearing soundproof headphones and listening to music. Sometimes when it gets too serious, I leave the room. I hope this helps you. Here are some playlists that help me cope with trigger sounds:
Related Conditions: Misokinesia
Misokinesia is a neurological condition that is similar to misophonia, only the sufferer is sensitive to certain movement. Misokinesia directly translates to “hatred of movement”, and tactile movements usually affect sufferer the most. Repetitive movements are also triggering as well. Triggers include hand movements, touching hair, repetitive face touching, fabric rubbing, and fidgeting. Sufferers experience a similar fight or flight response toward those movements and find themselves looking away. It is not uncommon for a misophonia sufferer to have misokinesia. It is not uncommon for a misophonia sufferer to find, for example, not only the sound of chewing triggering but the movement of chewing triggering as well.
The Trigger Soundboard (of Doom)!
Here it is, my friends! The incredible soundboard from hell. Build up your tolerance for trigger noises using this handy dandy soundboard. Just press a key, and a trigger sound will be played. Feel free to mute if it becomes too much for you. Sounds are from soundbible.com or recorded by me.
1
SHATTER
2
PLATE
3
BELL
4
RAZOR
5
BARK
6
TRUCK
7
"K"
8
CLICK
9
"T"
0
PHLEGM
-
THROAT 1
=
THROAT 2
Q
GULP
W
"KLOK"
E
WHISPER
R
MOUSE
T
SNAP
Y
NAILS 1
U
NAILS 2
I
GUM 1
O
"S"NAKE
P
SIGH
[
LIPS
]
"P"
A
COUGH
S
SNEEZE
D
BREATH
F
SLURP
G
CHEW
H
PENCIL
J
WHISTLE
K
TYPING
L
SNIFF
;
LIQUID
'
KEYS
Z
PLASTIC
X
GUM 2
C
POKER
V
UTENSILS
B
SNORING
N
CLOTH
M
ICE CUBE
,
CROWD
.
CRYBABY
/
SCRATCH
Other Useful Videos about Misophonia
Another Trigger Soundboard, known as the Trigger Tamer by Tom Dozier
Misophonia Explained by BrainCraft
Misophonia (song) by Pete Lunn
Signs and Symptoms by Misophonia International
Science of Horrible Sounds by Newcastle University
Why is your Misophonia Triggered More by the People You Love by Misophonia International (Warning: feedback of microphone may be triggering)
Quiet Please: Misophonia Movie Trailer
Links to helpful websites:
Misophonia Reddit
Misokinesia Reddit
Misophonia.com Symptoms and Triggers
Audiology Reddit
Misophonia Institute
Misophonia Reddit: Coping Mechanisms listed by people who actually have Misophonia
Misophonia Association
Sense Haven
Allergic to Sound
Healthline's List of Top Meditation Apps of 2018
Contact the owner of the website!
