Hi everyone – some of you will already know me through recent posts on the RNID Tinnitus Forum. The reason I am posting is to let you know that the Tinnitus E-Programme is now in a position to accept anyone who would like to join. We currently have 29 Members signed up to the E-Programme from all over the world: from India, Singapore, Canada, USA, New Zealand, Australia and the UK. I launched the E-Programme on 19th June after having set it up in only 4 days – you can read the “Story” behind the Tinnitus E-Programme at http://clitheroetherapies.co.uk/TinnitusEProgramme.html (external link, opens new browser window)

Needless to say, it has taken me another week to do all the “behind the scenes work” to set up effective administration and I know there's still so much to do! I now have a database set up that tracks members through the E-Programme – because people join everyday thus making their start dates and end dates individual to them.

The Tinnitus E-Programme is essentially the TMGC (Tinnitus Management Group Course) that I have been running with consistent success (successful Outcomes for those who have undertaken the course via my NHS practice) for many years now, most recently since 2001 when I brought the course with me to East Lancashire. Prior to that, I initially developed it in Essex whilst working there.

The TMGC is evidence-based, however, turning it into an on-line programme necessitates that it becomes evidence-based as the Tinnitus E-Programme. I have made the Tinnitus E-Programme as close to the TMGC as I can – what’s missing at the moment are the 6 “live sessions” each week that my patients attend during their 6 week TMGC programme. This will soon be rectified to a certain extent, because I am planning to record 6 sessions that cover the same info that I cover in the TMGC group sessions, that will all be downloadable from the E-Programme on-line website.

The Tinnitus E-Programme is NOT a “quick fix” for tinnitus. It takes commitment but nothing that doesn’t pay you back in such copious quantities! It’s really important to me that the E-Programme becomes “evidence-based”, so the more people that use the programme, the better the evidence-base for it will be.

If you have questions about the Tinnitus E-Programme that you would like to ask before signing up, drop me an email at tinnitus_e_programme@clitheroetherapies.co.uk

The Tinnitus E-Programme is completely free of any charges or fees and will remain so. I have put it on-line for the reasons outlined in the link I gave earlier http://clitheroetherapies.co.uk/TinnitusEProgramme.html (external link, opens new browser window)

The address of the Home page on my website is www.clitheroetherapies.co.uk and I always answer any emails (via either the website or tinnitus_e_programme@cltheroetherapies.co.uk ) albeit recently sometimes it may take me a day or so to get back to you

Take care of yourselves… and I look forward to hearing from you

Debbie Featherstone

Debbie

Thank you very much for setting up this online course. I've been on this board for over 12 months and have seen many people (including myself) who have said they are going to grasp the nettle and make a difference - but you have actually done it.

I won't myself be taking part in the course since I am already on an MBCT (mindfulness based cognitive therapy) programme at the Royal ENT Hospital, London. Having read the essence of your course it appears there are many similarities to the programme I am one. The approach you take of adopting a neutral and enquiring mind to T rather than fearing it has had a dramatic impact for me and I can honestly say that my T now no longer negatively affects my life. It is still as loud as it ever was, but my emotional response has changed so much that my brain now mostly ignores it. I know that you encourage relaxtion exercises but may I recommend meditation as a relaxtion technique as something for you to investigate. My current MBCT programme requires 40 minutes per day of meditation where I neutrally observe my T and interrupt the standard catrastophe thinking. It's an awful lot of work but the effect has been remarkable.

I hope you don't mind but I have also posted your link on www.dailystrength.org so you may get a few Americans wishing to join. I don't know whether your programme is private, NHS or something else so I hope that is not a problem.

Thank again. To other members of this board, I highly recommend any form of structured tinnitus therapy. Remember there are 3 of us (at least) undertaking a structured tinnitus therapy course (me, Bob T and Jim M) and all three of us are experiencing very real improvements. However when it comes to tinnitus therapy I think it's clear to say that in order to reap the benefits you have to be prepared to put in effort every day. But the results are more than worth it.

Good luck and thank again, Debbie. Please do say if you want to find out more about the success I am having with meditation and T. Take care.

PS. Debbie, what success are you having getting your course (along with others) being recommended by ENTs and GPs. The biggest problem most of us face is that our GPs and ENTs say there is nothing that can be done, when in fact there is so much positive stuff out there for T.

Hi Jason – many thanks indeed for your encouraging words. It was lovely to wake this morning and read them and I am so happy to see how much progress you are making yourself using MBCT. As you know, I have based the E-Programme on the TMGC (Tinnitus Management Group Course) that I have been delivering for years now in the NHS, and its structure and process plus I believe the “group dynamics” element are all reasons for its success – I equate “success” to measured Outcomes, and these reflect the changes that people experience by following the programme. If I had to choose only a few words that describe what the programme does, I would say that it enables people to master their “autonomic response”. This is precisely what happens with MBCT of course as you have talked about in your post.

The E-Programme is available for people who do not have access to local services. Where there are local services available I would always encourage people to use them.

I am really glad you included in your post the fact that in order to reap the benefits of tinnitus therapy – in fact any therapy – you have to put in effort every day. As you also say, the results are more than worth it. I would only add that the TMGC – and the E-Programme – takes 6 weeks with final Outcomes measured 4 weeks following completion of the course. Taking “days off” during those few weeks is not helpful – tinnitus doesn’t take “days off” when it is at a distressing level. Something that commonly happens in the first couple of weeks of the TMGC is that people attend the sessions and so often report that they haven’t used the daily relaxation exercises. My answer is always the same – they are pretty much wasting their time coming along to the group sessions! It is exactly the same for the E-Programme. Maybe the “E” should stand for EFFORT!  However, once they have completed the programme, the necessary changes have taken place and they have all the tools they need to live their lives free from the distress that tinnitus was causing them before they undertook the course. Tinnitus can still “spike” afterwards in reaction to stress, noise etc but their “response” to it is different – they know they can bring the tinnitus back down and so they do.

To answer your other Qs, yes that’s fine posting the link to dailystrength.org - the more people willing to undertake the E-Programme, the more robust the evidence-base for it is likely to be. I’m hoping that if it works as an on-line programme, it will become well known and even those ENT doctors and GPs that do "misinform" might stop telling people that “nothing can be done about it”. Week 3 of the programme is called The Significance of Sound – it’s based on Jonathan Hazell’s paper of the same name – in which he talks about this very thing. Any health professional telling someone who has distressing tinnitus that nothing can be done serves to INCREASE the distress hence exacerbates the tinnitus further. That paper was published – if I remember correctly – in 1993! Sixteen years ago and STILL people are being told the same thing all too often.

And yes, I would love to hear more about the success you’re having with your meditation and tinnitus. I’ll leave it up to you to decide whether you want to post on the Forum here or email me direct at debbiefeatherstone@clitheroetherapies.co.uk

Information about the E-Programme and how to access it is in my first post in this thread but I’ll include it again here: http://www.clitheroetherapies.co.uk/TinnitusEProgramme.html (external link, opens new browser window)

Just a note to anyone who emails me direct, I am running the E-Programme in my “spare” time. I’m still working full time running Hearing Therapy clinics in the NHS, so if I don’t email straight back, please be patient. I will get back to you as soon as I possibly can.

Enjoy your day Jason and everyone else reading this

Debbie