Tinnitus is a symptom of impaired hearing that occurs more and more frequently in Western industrialised nations. Eight per cent of the Germans and the Swiss have experienced tinnitus; 4 per cent suffer from it chronically. In 40 per cent of cases, chronic tinnitus is accompanied by hyperacusis. 90 per cent of all cases of tinnitus are caused by hearing loss, mostly sensorineural hearing loss, whereas hyperacusis always has psychological causes.
For the first time in Switzerland, the foundation of the Tinnitusklinik Chur in 2006 provided a range of residential therapies for patients suffering from severe tinnitus and hyperacusis, which includes not only approaches from behavioural therapy, but also music and listening therapy as a key element.
The aim of this book is to present the pathogenesis, the current research, diagnostics and therapy of tinnitus and hyperacusis, and specifically to give an overview of the elements of music and listening therapy at the interface of music medicine and psychotherapy.
This book is as interesting for patients suffering from tinnitus and hyperacusis as it is for therapists – music and hearing therapists, doctors and psychologists alike.