I wanted to share some thoughts on habituation, as many people get stuck on exactly what it means.

Our brains are constantly deciding what sounds deserve attention and which ones can fade into the background. For example, hearing a fire alarm signals danger. Your brain immediately triggers the fight-or-flight response, and hormones like adrenaline and cortisol are released by the nervous system in preparation to act.

In short, your brain pays attention to what it believes is a threat.

If we send the message to our brain that tinnitus is a threat, it continues to give it attention.

Fear → Attention → Awareness

The goal of habituation is to reduce your awareness of tinnitus. Being constantly aware of it can lead to distraction, frustration, and sadness. I’m sure that you already know what that feels like.

So let’s reverse engineer it:

To reduce awareness, we reduce attention.

To reduce attention, we reduce fear.

But how?

I like to think of habituation in two phases: the active phase and the passive phase. Let me explain:

The active phase is when you’re still aware of your tinnitus, but you have tools to manage the distress. You may even notice moments when you’re not consciously aware of it, like during conversations or while working, even though you know it’s still there in the background.

This shows that habituation doesn’t necessarily mean the tinnitus disappears. It means that when you do notice it, your response is more neutral. FYI – this is what I experience!

In about 50% of people who habituate, the brain eventually filters the sound out entirely. This is the passive phase of habituation. Even when they try to notice their tinnitus, they often can’t find it.

But here’s the key: there’s nothing we can directly do to make the brain enter the passive phase. Unlike pain, where something like painkillers can reduce the nerve signals, there’s no quick fix for the tinnitus signal. We rely on the brain to filter it out on its own over time.

And one thing I know for sure: it’s much harder to reach the passive phase without first working through the active phase. We need to consistently send messages to the brain that tinnitus is an unimportant signal – not a threat, not a danger, just something that can be safely tuned out.

So we focus on the active phase. We build and use tools, like cognitive behavioural techniques, acceptance and commitment strategies, and appropriate sound therapy, to help reduce distress and shift how the brain responds.

If you think you could use some support with your active phase, contact me and we can explore how to help your brain do the work of habituation.