Misophonia Norway: Trigger Sounds & Prevalence | NRK

– I was pissed off. I got angry. I thought you were doing that on purpose, right in my face, to bother me.

Michael Amavi was around 20 years old when he discovered that he was “different”. For over 30 years he lived in a sound hell.

– Subbing, smacking and slacking. A finger against the tabletop, snapping, fiddling with a pen. I reacted to all that. I’ve actually taken pens out of people’s hands.

The word misophonia may sound like a symphony, but for those who suffer from it, it’s just horrible.

– It actually means to hate sound. It’s about certain sounds that trigger strong, negative associations, says audio teacher Erik-Aleksander Larsen.

• At the bottom of the case, you can tell about the sounds you can’t stand.

Exposed to “dangers”

The disorder led Michael Amavi to isolate himself. He did not dine with others, and stayed away from social gatherings.

– I thought that you are doing this on purpose, to make my life miserable.

– How long did that feeling last?

– Until the sound stopped or I removed myself. It was a strategy I used for many years. I removed myself from settings.

By chance he found out that it was possible to get treatment. One year later, Amavi lives what he describes as a completely new life.

– I have trained a lot on sounds, and been exposed to sounds. My brain saw the sounds as danger and wanted to protect me. And then I have trained to be exposed to more sounds and more “dangers” over time.

– What specifically have you done?

– First we took it all the way down, and practiced breathing. I accepted the sounds, accepted the discomfort. I practiced stretching the elastic longer. I stood in the situation for a while, and then I pulled out if it got too difficult.

One in five is “affected”

Misophonia is a hypersensitivity to certain sounds, which are experienced as unpleasant. The reaction may, for example, be that one becomes irritated or angry. Some may also experience physical symptoms such as pressure on the chest or palpitations.

And it can be about completely everyday sounds.

Erik-Aleksander Larsen runs Drammen Hørsel, where they have patients who struggle with hearing loss, reduced sound tolerance and tinnitus.

– Studies show that 15-20 per cent could have qualified for the diagnosis of misophonia, but there are not that many who require treatment. Those who come to me are affected by it to such an extent that it goes beyond their ability to function.

– Which sounds do people react to the most?

– A number of studies have been carried out on this, and the most common are typical man-made sounds, such as eating sounds, sniffing and coughing.

Exposure therapy

When he gets patients who struggle with misophonia, he has to adapt the scheme. Everyone is different.

– It’s not like they can just “get together”. We can go through exposure training, and then we work a lot with breathing and relaxation exercises.

– What do patients say about annoying eating noises?

– Some people think it is unnecessary, for example, to eat with your mouth open. But there are also many who have no concrete thoughts about it. They just know it, as soon as they hear the sound.

– The pulse increases, and it is difficult to concentrate. And then the anger comes right away.

Dislikes fiddling

At Drammen upper secondary school, the students discuss noises, and there are many classics that repeat themselves. Like a nail against the blackboard in the classroom – or a fork scratching the plate.

Swipe and see what bothers them the most:

Like other phobias

Audio pedagogue Erik-Aleksander Larsen compares misophonia with a number of other phobias.

– It’s a bit the same as if you’re afraid of spiders. Then you cannot control that you experience stress and anxiety if someone waves a spider in front of you.

Around the dinner table, a noise can cause a person to drop out of the conversation completely.

– Then the person with misophonia will eventually just hear the sound of eating and zoom out of the conversation completely. And for that person, it will seem much higher than it actually is.

– What about children’s cries or screams, can that trigger someone?

– It’s not the most common sound I come across, but definitely something that can happen again. This is very individual. Some react to eating, others to breathing sounds, and some to children crying.

Here is the audio teacher’s best advice on how you can handle this yourself:

Soothing sounds

At the opposite end of the scale are sounds that exclusively create positive associations.

– Some may find that the sound of lapping waves is a very good sound. Perhaps especially those who have fond memories of spending a lot of time by the sea in the summer. But it is individual, just like with annoying noises.

– I see that in meetings with patients. Some may think birdsong is a wonderful sound, while others find it very annoying, says Larsen.

– Can you compare good sound with good smell?

– Yes, you can actually do that. Smells can also evoke good memories, such as freshly baked waffles. In the same way, sounds can give a feeling of security and inner calm, if the sound is good for you.

Constant guilty conscience

Michael Amavi works in the healthcare system and studies at the University of Drammen. He has people and noise around him all the time, but is no longer bothered by it.

– From time to time I can feel that it is getting a bit cramped and noisy. Then I often use humor as a tool, and then it goes well. Before, it worked fine ten times out of ten.

– If I had picked up a ballpoint pen and started clicking on it now, what would have happened then?

– Nothing. Nothing had happened.

Are there any sounds you can’t stand? Tell in the comment field.