Mindfulness and Tinnitus: Using Attention to Retrain the Brain

By Dr. Jennifer Gans 

Tinnitus can feel intrusive because the brain’s attention system becomes focused on the sound. The more attention the brain gives to the signal, the more noticeable it can seem.

One helpful way to shift this pattern is through mindfulness practice.

Mindfulness teaches the brain a different way of relating to sensations. Instead of reacting with fear, frustration, or resistance, mindfulness invites us to simply notice what is present.

In mindfulness practice we learn to:

• notice sensations
• without judging them
• without trying to fight or eliminate them

This approach helps calm the nervous system and reduce the brain’s automatic monitoring of tinnitus.

Over time, the brain begins to learn an important lesson:

This signal is safe. It does not require constant attention.

When the brain no longer treats tinnitus as important, attention naturally loosens. As attention loosens, tinnitus often becomes less intrusive and non-bothersome.

Many people discover that the sound gradually moves into the background of awareness—much like the feeling of the breath or the hum of a distant appliance.

This process is sometimes called habituation, and mindfulness can play a powerful role in helping the brain reach this state.

 
Learning These Skills

The 8-week Mindfulness-Based Tinnitus Stress Reduction (MBTSR) program teaches practical tools for working with tinnitus using mindfulness and neuroscience-informed strategies.

Participants learn how to:

• calm the nervous system
• reduce monitoring of the sound
• change their relationship to tinnitus
• retrain the brain’s attention system

More information about the program can be found at: MindfulTinnitusRelief.com