Originally posted 04/16/2009:

Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT) is a widely known, formalized treatment process for tinnitus.  This tinnitus treatment process was developed out of Dr. Jastreboff's and Dr. Hazell's research on tinnitus conducted in the 1980s.  The basic principle of TRT is to re-train the brain to not react to the tinnitus.  I personally have no experience with TRT, but it is an important treatment option that many tinnitus patients have used and many success stories have been reported with TRT.  Based on this, I am providing a basic overview of TRT and hope that tinnitus patients will post comments on TRT.

There are two key elements to TRT:

1.  Sound therapy
2.  Counseling by trained specialists

Both of these elements are to help the brain retrain itself to weaken the emotional and other brain responses to the tinnitus.  Detailed information on TRT can be found at the following site:

http://www.tinnitus.org/home/frame/THC1.htm

This site includes a demo on the counseling and sound processes.

I don't know the exact costs of TRT, but like Neuromonics, it is not cheap.  Also, you need to find a trained TRT specialist near you to get treatment.  Please post comments on your knowledge and experience with TRT.

4/25/2009 renoalaska wrote:

Did it for 4 years. No help at all. Cost if you get the hearing aid/WNG's with visits total about $7,000. They say the counseling is the IMPORTANT part. Well my counseling consisting of 2 hours telling me this can't kill you!
I started at the OHSU clinic in Portland, OR where they suggested I just needed the WNG's (White Noise Generators). Office visit $750, first pair of GHI WNG's $1,500, second pair due to reliability issues $900. They never even called me during the next 2 years. It was not helping so then went to Jastreboff in Atlanta. Basically the same exact steps only it cost $1,500 & they wanted me to buy the $5,500 combination units. Again the counseling, 2 hours of 'it can't kill you'.
I went back to the Oregon clinic to try the $5,500 units I found it impossible to get them adjusted to the point where I could wear them.
I offered to stay in Portland for a month so I could come in once & a while to try to get them adjusted & they said fine but after I bought them they just could not seem to find any more appointments available in the next 30 days & you only have 30 days in which you can get a refund so I sent them back.
Sometimes now I think the original tinnitus is gone & what I hear now is the white noise these WNG's implanted in my brain using them for 4 years. I would say that if you try TRT if it has not helped after 2 years quit as after that I think it did me more harm then helping me.
I still believe though that tinnitus is totally in the brain & not the ears as we don't 'hear' with our ears but with our brain.
Also I probably spent $5,000 in travel & hotel expenses with these 2 clinics.

6/17/2009 Andrew wrote:

I tried TRT with Jacqui Sheldrake in London. Found it to be no help at all. Was just an hour or so of them telling me tinnitus is normal and fitting me with annoying sound generator things that are uncomfortable and play noises into your ears that are more annoying than the tinnitus in the first place.