Tinnitus Therapy
How does Craniosacral Therapy Help tinnitus?
Craniosacral Therapy (CST) is very good for bringing you out of the adrenal-hypered state of fight-flight-freeze, which can help the overall pattern of tinnitus (and hyperacusis) to steadily calm down and no longer be a threat. Whatever the cause of your tinnitus (there are many - from sound-induced, hearing damage, to chronic stress and tensions held within the body), it’s important to teach yourself to feel your body again, and become aware of where the stress and tension is holding on that could be feeding the tinnitus, and why it's sticking around in your system. Many think tinnitus is just in the ears, but the reality is that tinnitus can be closely linked to your nervous system and often stems from past life experiences. Unfortunately, many people don’t realise they’re often in a heightened state of reactivity, remaining stuck in this pattern much longer than needed. This environment can set the stage for tinnitus to develop, leading to worry and negative thinking that can persist for a long time. Tinnitus therapy can help to break this cycle.
Most types of tinnitus can back off – It’s a physiological reaction that is still active in the mind and body. This can settle and become quieter with positive action.
CST helps you to let go and release this stress and tension. This could be held around your neck, shoulder, or jaw area, for example. CST teaches you to divert your focus from thinking to feeling, allowing your nervous system to settle down and, in turn, your auditory system. This is not necessarily about generating thoughts in your head; it’s about lying back and letting the information come from your body back to your head. You may not be able to relax properly at the moment because you only have a limited sense of what is going on below the neck. If you don't know what's going on in your body, how can you switch it off?
““Craniosacral therapy is one of the best treatments for easing you out of the hypervigilant state of red alert, which can feed tinnitus.
Additionally, tinnitus may have deeper connections to past trauma or stress that is stored in the body.”
How does CST work? - Click for more
As you let go of tinnitus, first of all, you will stop reacting negatively to it, ie it will stop getting to you so much. Then you can start forgetting about it as the brain filters it out into the background, and eventually, it can start to subside and fade into insignificance. It will become easier and easier to pay less attention to it as it is no longer a threat. The way to do this depends on what you put your nervous system under in the first place, of course!
Most tinnitus sufferers need a few sessions of CST just to start being able to feel again and understand what true stillness and deep relaxation mean. Chronic stress and tension, and overwhelming situations including trauma, are very good at shutting down the nervous system so that you cannot feel much at all. Part of treating tinnitus comes with opening up your nervous system again, so numb areas in your body are replaced with feeling. CST is one of the best treatments for easing you out of this hypervigilant state of red alert, which feeds tinnitus and helping you reconnect with your body. As you start to let go of all the years of built-up overwhelm in your system, you start to feel lighter, carry less baggage, and as a result, your level of hypersensitivity gradually reverts back to normal.
“Calm body - Calm mind!”
Further tinnitus help and guidance can be found on my website blog here, or within the videos on these pages. To understand more about what tinnitus actually is, head to the bottom of this page
THE SCIENCE BEHIND CST - CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO
Tinnitus Therapy
Tinnitus therapy helps you develop a positive mindset that allows you to let go of the ringing in your ears. Learning to shift the focus away from your hearing and negative thinking into more body experience, and learning how you can truly settle your nervous system with the support of therapy. This helps the tinnitus go quiet and removes it from the mind.
I offer my knowledge on lifestyle, suggest coping strategies, and help explain how tinnitus stays in your system. Once you understand this, tinnitus becomes much less threatening, and the way forward becomes common sense.
Letting go of your tinnitus can take some time, and some commitment on your side, and a course of treatments is recommended (Tinnitus Care Plan). This may also include you participating in some body-based practices such as tapping, yoga or tai chi, and maybe some body scan meditation and mindfulness to help connect with your body and to help your nervous system stay balanced and de-stressed, if you don’t do this already, of course. Lifestyle choices can also play a role in tinnitus staying in your system.
Tinnitus Care Plan – What to Expect
The treatment plan for tinnitus begins with an initial course of six weekly sessions. This allows the nervous system time to settle and respond gradually to the treatment, giving the best opportunity for meaningful change before we reassess progress.
Tinnitus is often linked with an overactive or highly sensitised nervous system. Craniosacral Therapy works gently with the body to help calm this state and bring the system back towards balance.
During the course of sessions, we aim to:
Help the nervous system move out of fight-or-flight / hypervigilant mode
Encourage the body to settle into a deeper state of calm and stillness
Release stress patterns held in the body and the structures of the head and neck
Support a shift from being stuck in the mind to reconnecting with the body
Build a greater sense of internal safety, comfort and grounding
Provide reassurance, education and practical coping strategies
Offer guidance around lifestyle factors that can influence tinnitus
Many people with tinnitus are constantly monitoring the sound and living “in the head”. Part of the process is learning how to reconnect with what is happening in the body below the neck, which can help the nervous system settle, and the tinnitus become less dominant.
A Gradual Process
Tinnitus therapy is usually a gradual process, so it’s important to take a longer-term view rather than expecting immediate change.
Some people notice small shifts after the first or second session, but the more consistent improvements often occur as the sessions build on each other over time.
Maintaining momentum with weekly sessions helps the body relax more deeply and allows the work to develop progressively.
After the initial six sessions, we review your progress together and decide whether further sessions would be helpful and how often they should be spaced.
Initial Consultation
If you are unsure about committing to the course straight away, you are welcome to book an initial consultation session.
This includes treatment as well as time to discuss your tinnitus, answer questions, and explore positive ways to manage it going forward.
If you feel the approach is right for you, the next step is to begin the recommended course of six weekly sessions so the treatment can build progressively.
Please read the ‘important information’ below about the treatment further down this page before booking
Points to keep in mind when recovering from tinnitus >>
Tinnitus Therapy costs here>
A further discussion with my colleague and tinnitus expert Julian Cowan Hill. We both work in this field as Craniosacral therapists and feel these chats can be useful for many to understand tinnitus and also what we are seeing commonly in our respective practices.
My own tinnitus story, with tinnitus expert Julian Cowan Hill.
What is Tinnitus?
Tinnitus commonly appears after an intense or long-term period of exertion, excitement, stress, loud noise, challenge or change. Consequently most people I see start noticing symptoms after a period of stress, losing a loved one, an operation, taking drugs, a long legal battle, listening to loud music excessively, ear infection etc. Challenges like these can not only damage your hearing but also cause your nervous system to go into an adrenal state of red alert, known as “fight flight or freeze.” This makes your nervous system hypersensitive and causes dramatic changes throughout your body. The way you hear changes radically too. Whether it is skiing, stress, anger, exhaustion, or emotional upset, adrenal situations make your ears ultra-sensitive giving rise to tinnitus.
To demonstrate this shift in auditory perception, do you remember the last time you woke up in the middle of the night, after a nightmare? There you are breaking out in a sweat with your heart thumping away. You think you can hear someone outside your door. Youʼre frightened. Suddenly there is a creak on the landing. You jump out of your skin.
In this fearful state the tiniest sound like a creak doesn't sound tiny at all, and causes a big reaction. Even though the noise is feint, you perceive it as loud, and it causes your system to jump, breathing to quicken, mind to start racing, etc. This vital survival mechanism can literally save your life. Imagine if it had been a murderer with a knife out on the landing, being able to hear him/her meant you could prepare to fight or take off at top speed in the opposite direction. Your nervous system was doing what it has evolved to do, keep you alive. If there is any danger you need to know about it. That's why in certain situations your hearing needs to become ultra-sensitive, and can be a vital lifesaver.
However, everyday things can cause a stress response to occur, such as having a depressing bank balance, or worrying about a relationship. Unlike the noise in the night, these stressors can last months and years, and can eventually lock you into an oversensitive state for much longer. In this state, ears not only pick up external noise, but now, because they are registering more than normal, they start hearing the nervous impulses along the auditory nerve inside your head. In most cases, tinnitus is nothing more than hearing the noises of your nervous system which we normally ignore. Our hearing has become too switched on and detects nervous impulses inside our head. When the nervous system settles, we stop feeling threatened by tinnitus, we come out of red-alert mode and our ears stop listening out so acutely. As our hearing turns towards calm mode we naturally stop listening to these nervous impulses, and our hearing returns to normal.
Important Information – Please Read Before Booking
Tinnitus therapy is usually a gradual process, so it’s important to approach treatment with realistic expectations and a longer-term view. The recommended treatment plan begins with an initial course of six weekly sessions (the Tinnitus Care Plan). This allows the nervous system time to settle and respond progressively to the therapy, giving the best opportunity for meaningful change before we review your progress together. Individual responses to treatment can vary.
Some people notice improvements relatively quickly, while for others the process may take longer, depending on factors such as stress levels, lifestyle, and how the nervous system responds to the work.
While many clients report feeling calmer, more relaxed and better able to manage their tinnitus after treatment, results cannot be guaranteed, and the therapy does not promise to eliminate tinnitus completely.
Some individuals may benefit from ongoing sessions after the initial course. This approach works best when clients are willing to engage with the process and support their nervous system outside of treatment sessions.
Factors such as stress management, rest, and general lifestyle habits can play an important role in recovery.
For some people, additional support such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) can be helpful alongside body-based treatment, particularly if tinnitus has created strong anxiety, fear, or negative thought patterns. This support may come from a professional practitioner or through structured resources such as books, online programmes, or therapeutic apps.
If you are unsure about committing to the full course initially, you are welcome to book an initial consultation session first. This includes treatment as well as time to discuss your tinnitus, answer questions, and explore whether this approach feels right for you.
Please feel free to get in touch if you have any questions before booking.