Somatic Tracking For Tinnitus

So starting this meditation in any comfortable position sitting or lying or standing,

Eyes can be open or closed.

Starting by reminding yourself that what you're about to do is very safe,

Very healing for your system.

It's staying attuned to bodily sensations including the sensation of hearing in an open and accepting way can change our relationship to things like pain and tinnitus,

Can allow our body heart and mind to be soothed and in time the tinnitus is likely to reduce but remember Murphy's law if you go into this with the intention to get rid of the tinnitus it's not likely to happen.

That's a different exercise.

Starting by bringing your awareness to your body from top to toe,

Spending a little time noticing what's happening in the body,

Noticing sensations and feelings both pleasant,

Unpleasant or neutral.

Perhaps tightness,

Looseness,

Movement or stillness,

Heaviness or lightness,

Different temperatures.

Now noticing the sense of hearing without going out searching for sounds,

Just allowing your awareness to be filled with a sense of hearing,

Allowing the pleasant,

The unpleasant and neutral sounds that you hear in your environment.

Rather than focusing on one particular sound,

If it's possible to notice the soundscape if you will.

All the different pitches,

Volumes,

Textures,

Durations of sounds.

Can the tinnitus be part of this soundscape?

Maybe a gentle curious exploration of the musical tone of it or is it a rushing sound like escaping steam or air or does it have more of a buzzing quality?

Watch for very emotive descriptions.

See if you can be more like a kind curious scientist who's not actually scared of it or threatened by it,

Just really interested.

Does it get louder or softer as you focus on it?

Does it have a pulsatile nature to it or is it continuous?

Is it more pronounced on the right or the left?

Where in the head and ears does it seem to be arising from?

Rather than staying completely immersed in exploring the tinnitus,

Perhaps experimenting with keeping a part of you that's observing it at a little distance,

Along with observing any other sounds you can hear.

Maybe as though you're sitting or lying in a really relaxed state somewhere very comfortable in nature and hearing all the sounds in a friendly curious way.

The birds and the wind and the cicadas and the sounds of cars in the distance.

Having almost a lightness to your attitude.

Maybe even bringing a little smile to the lips.

Keeping a sort of broad awareness,

Not needing to delve in deep for too long to any one sensation or sound.

Allowing whatever is happening right now to happen.

No need to interfere.

No need to change.

Freely allowing whatever you notice.

Of course you will notice thoughts about this process,

About the tinnitus.

As soon as you notice your thinking,

There's no need to block thoughts or struggle with them.

Can you just let those thoughts be in the background and bring your attention back to sounds and sensations?

Whatever is happening,

Can you let it happen?

In a gentle friendly way,

Can you experiment with not trying to control or change what is happening?

Can you be with and allow whatever sounds or other feelings you notice,

Even intense ones?

Letting your body speak.

Letting your body express itself.

Reminding yourself if the tinnitus is particularly intense,

That in some ways it's just an alarm from your brain.

You're actually safe.

Your ears and brain are safe.

Being a witness,

Being a kind observer,

Maybe like a curious,

Kind scientist.

Just stepping back and allowing your body to do its thing.

Maybe it might be helpful to breathe around or through any intense sound.

Holding it gently in the breath.

Of course,

It's human nature to drift off into thoughts.

Just noticing and gently bringing the attention back to sounds.

Strengthening the mindfulness part of the brain.

Doing some beautiful rewiring and healing.

It's very healing work.

Can you stay curious?

Can you notice is there any change,

Any subtle shift in the experience?

Perhaps a change in the intensity,

The volume,

The pitch,

The sight,

The quality,

The texture.

Can you allow this to shift and change?

Like you might notice the shifting sounds when lying back relaxed in nature.

What is happening?

Can you step back and allow whatever is unfolding to unfold?

Maybe through the process there's emotions coming up.

Is it possible to allow anger,

Annoyance,

Distraction,

Irritation,

Disappointment,

Confusion,

Fear if they arise?

As best you can allowing these emotions to flow.

They won't last.

Giving your body total permission to express itself any way it wants.

What are you noticing?

What are you feeling?

There's no right or wrong answer.

Remember it's counterproductive to try and get rid of it.

Can you have a sense of relaxing and softening around all the sounds including the internal ones?

And if today there is a lot of resistance to your inner experience including the sound,

Can you bring some curious allowing to this?

Just letting it be.

It'll play out in its own time.

Gently reminding the struggle or the resistance that you're perfectly safe.

You're not under threat.

This process is actually healing,

Therapeutic.

Doing this amazing neuroplastic work.

True mind body practice.

Teaching your system that you are safe.

Teaching your brain to interpret the inner sound as an okay signal,

Not a dangerous signal.

As benign,

As no big deal.

Are you noticing an unfolding,

A shifting or is it staying the same today?

And if it is changing and moving,

Here's more evidence that this tinnitus is not coming from damaged tissues but it's being produced from the brain and nervous system.

Just trying to protect you.

Just going a bit overboard.

By keeping soft and relaxed and open to the sensations including sounds.

You can remind your brain these are just auditory sensations.

Thanks brain for all your hard protective work.

I don't need to hear it as unpleasant anymore.

I'm okay.

I'm safe.

Again noticing body sensations and sounds.

Can you be okay with what's happening?

Can you trust your system to know how to process this stuff?

As we finish the meditation comparing how you felt at the start to the finish.

Noticing even the tiniest subtle change in your system.

Thank you for watching.