Reflections on tinnitus by an existential psychologist

Abstract

Having had many years of experience as a psychologist the author has worked with tinnitus patients and with people with other audiological symptoms for the past 15 years. For five years she was the head of a national counselling service for people with audiological disorders in Denmark. She has been involved in providing individual therapy and group therapy for tinnitus patients. She has organized a telephone counselling service for tinnitus sufferers and has extensive experience of supervising other professionals providing counselling for tinnitus patients. She now runs her own clinic offering psychotherapy for tinnitus sufferers. She offers her patients existential psychotherapy; an approach derived from the existentialist philosophy of the Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard. This paper describes that approach and offers reflections on the benefits for tinnitus patients.

• tinnitus
• psychology
• existentialism
• existentialist psychotherapy