There are numerous ways to calm your nervous system, many of which involve breathing techniques, going into nature, soothing scents, and practicing yoga and meditation. However, there are also strategic sensory tools that can be incorporated. Occupational therapists use what is called a “Sensory Diet” to help with sensory regulation. The degree that these coping skills work for misophonia depends on the person utilizing them. The problem with calming the misophonic nervous system is that if you are still in the room with your trigger, each time you hear the sound you will be re-engaging the fight-flight process.
A note about “Exposure Therapy”
People with misophonia are exposed to their triggers daily—whether that is chewing, whistling, tapping, sneezing, or pen clicking. The sounds that cause a misophonic reaction are everywhere, and they are unavoidable. This is not a phobia where a specific stimulus can be avoided at length. The more a person is triggered, the worse it will get since sensory information is cumulative. For people with misophonia, the next trigger is always creeping around a corner. If exposure cured misophonia, we would all be misophonia-free!
Table of contents:
- Misophonia coping skills homepage
- What is misophonia?
- What is misokinesia, or visual triggers?
- Calming the nervous system
- Exercise: 4-7-8 breathing
- CBT for misophonia
- Exercise: negotiating boundaries
- Exercise: reframing misophonia
- What is a sensory diet?
- Exercise: planning your sensory space
- Misophonia Matters