Phantom Sounds Experienced by Hard-of-Hearing Individuals

 (please excuse errors in spelling and grammar - author is visually challenged.)   


Many Hard-of-Hearing (HOH) Individuals secretly experience phantom sounds most frequently in the form of voices, ethereal music, and others.  The most common of phantom sounds is what we have come to know as tinnitus (to most,  it translates to ringing in the ears).

      Hearing experts often describe this phenomena as non-psychiatric auditory hallucinations however and in keeping with the rather intimidating terminology, many HOH individuals live a life of "secrecy" for fear of disclosing the presence of this condition only to be  being labeled as "crazy". 

     This "secrecy" has been well-described in an article by Neil Bauman, PhD (article Tinnitus and Other Phantom Sounds") who shares the statement of a client saying "I was afraid I was going nuts.  I never said one word to anyone about the strange music I was hearing because I did not want them to think I was crazy."  Indeed, it is not uncommon for HOH individuals to be so intimidated by this condition they are fail to find the courage to admit they are hearing non-psychiatric auditory hallucinations.  This is a reflection my own personal history.

     Personally, after reading Dr. Neil Bauman's article "Tinnitus and other Phantom Sounds", I breathed a great sigh of relief that my phantom sound experiences did not reflect an onset of some type of dementia.  Actually the symptoms I sense as inward sounds to be kind and actually comforting.  I hear groups of people in conversation and this always has a soft, comfort energy energy and with a quite pleasant tone.....unfortunately,  no matter how hard I try, I cannot decipher the words that are spoken.  Additionally, sounds of classical music are not strange to these "phantom sounds" of my preference.

     Initially, convincing myself that these sounds were not a reality was a hard sell.

     To dampen the harshness of the term of these "non-psychiatric auditory hallucinations" HOH persons are more comfortable with describing their sound issues in various terms that eliminate the word hallucination.  The fact that the vast majority of people who experience auditory hallucinations hear some sort of phantom music or singing have caught the attention of  Dr. Neil Bauman who has dubbed the condition as "Musical Ear Syndrome, (MES)".   Others frequently refer to it as "musical tinnitus".

  Phantom Sounds are Not New

     Phantom sounds been around for a long time.  Only the name is currently challenged. As a sampling of the age of awareness is demonstrated by composer Robert Schumann experiencing phantom sounds towards the end of his life.  At night, he heard musical notes and believed that he heard an angelic choir singing to him.  He also heard the music of Beethoven and Schubert.  He jotted down the music in 1854 and called it the Theme.  He said he was taking dictations from Schubert's ghost.

Tinnitus vs. Phantom Sounds

     Once we throw out the idea psychiatric auditory hallucinations, we are still left with two basic kinds of phantoms sounds - tinnitus and MES sounds.

     Tinnitus sounds are single, simple (un-modulated) sounds such as ringing, buzzing, hissing, roaring, clicking, humming, rushing and kindred sounds.  In contrast the MES sounds include multiple and complex (modulated) sounds such as singing, music and voices.

Some Characteristics of People with Musical Ear Syndrome

     Not everyone hears phantom sounds however some of the characteristics common to those that do are as follows:

1.  Often the Person is Older.  I recall an incident when my aged Grandmother was admitted to hospital, she would share her phantom sounds with the nursing staff.  They reported this to my Mother that my Grandmother was showing signs of early dementia when in fact the manner in which she described these sounds were without doubt phantom, non-psychiatric hallucinations.

2.  This condition is more commonly reported in women than in men

3. Commonly the HOH individual is anxious, worried, stressed and/or depressed

4.  Most often the HOH person has a history of tinnitus

5.  Phantom sounds seem to come from a certain direction.
6.  Phantom sounds in combination with later life may cause individuals to act irrationally due to
     a self-need to hide or deny their condition.  O|n occasion one's minds make up totally
    illogical explanations and/or actions to try to fit what is heard into one's reality

Six Common Triggers of Phantom Sounds
1.  Anxiety/Stress and/or Worry
2.  Depression
3.  Constant Background Noise
4.  Brain Abnormalities such as seizures (as in temporal epilepsy), un-ruptured intracranial
     aneurysms, encephalitis etc.
5.  Medications - adverse effects
6.  Sensory deprivation, i.e. when one no longer hears music the brain creates this sound
    element

Eight Steps to Consider when Experiencing this Phenomena
1.  Seek Competent medical attention to rule out a brain disorder
2.  Learn about Phantom Sounds - knowledge is the path to peace and understanding and
      foresight
3.  Maintain an awareness of triggers
4.  Reduce anxiety levels
5.  Rule out medication side effects
6.  Enrich your Environment with Real Sounds
7.  Discover what works for you:  Become aware of anything you do that makes our phantom music and sounds fade away, or at least not be be so noticeable and intrusive.  Personally meditation is the key to my reduction of anxiety in the presence of phantom sounds.

Comment:  Thank you Dr. Neil Bauman for your writings on this subject....indeed, they have enhanced my personal comforts.

Nightingale

(please excuse spelling and grammar errors - author is visually compromised)


 

    

More Windows to Faulkenham History

Images have been painted with watercolour pigments (all with the exception of number 2).  Artist - Melanie Elliott
Author - Melanie Elliott
(please excuse spelling and grammar errors - artist is visually compromised)

1.

Right margin:   This image is that of the home of Albert Faulkenham and his wife Frances Jane Hannam (circa 1882).  Albert was the son of William James and Nora (nee McGraw/McGrathe/McGrath of Limerick, Ireland) Faulkenham of Chelsea, Queen's County, Nova Scotia.

The location of this home is on the West Dalhousie Road, Annapolis County, Nova Scotia

2.

Following, left margin:  Photograph of Debra Elizabeth Elliott and her Mother,

Francis Evelyn (nee Bent, Faulkenham) Elliott.  They stand at the  very occasion in which Frances's Grandparents, Albert and Frances Jane (nee Hannam), chose to build their new home...this was thelocation where Frances's Father, Forrester Hector Faulkenham would spend his childhood years.

3.

Right margin (above):  The home of Forrester Hector Faulkenham, son of Albert and Frances Jane Faulkenham.  This home was built in Bellisle, Annapolis County approximately 1915.  This was the home in which Frances Evelyn spent her childhood with her older sister, Dorothy,  younger brother, Charles and Mother Evelyn (nee nightingale) Faulkenham.

4.

Left margin (below):  47 Churchill Street, Bridgewater, Lunenburg County,  Nova Scotia, (circa 1945).  This image has been painted by memory, namely not a visual, on site art piece.

Norman Arthur Elliott, husband of Frances Evelyn Elliott built this home for their family of four children: Gerald Forrester Elliott, Melanie Patricia Elliott, Melodie Lynn Elliott and Debra Eliabeth Elliott.  The home remains a quaint 1940's design and its outstanding feature was that of a backyard of exception, a sun room and its out-of-doors landscape design focusing on the activities of the family and neighbourhood children. 

     This was the first home for Norman and Frances and an offer for the purchase of the home motivated Fran and Norm to build another home in a near-bye neighbourhood

 

   

5.

Right margin (below): 

circa mid 1950's.  The location of this home which was also built by Norman Arthur Elliott and wife Frances Evelyn (nee Faulkenham, Bent) Elliott was that of 121 Hillcrest Street, Bridgewater (approximately five blocks from their first home).  This home was sold after the passing of Frances in 2012.