For someone who has spent much of their life surrounded by music, sound can be deeply personal.
So what happens when the sound you cannot switch off is tinnitus?
I was reminded of this during a sophrology session I ran for Stay Warm in Newton. I had originally planned to deliver a session around stress, but while I was there I noticed that one of the participants, a veteran musician, was struggling with tinnitus.
I decided to adapt the session and run a tinnitus focused sophrology session instead.
His reaction afterwards stayed with me.
When tinnitus becomes part of your world
Tinnitus can be difficult for anyone, but for musicians the experience can be particularly challenging.
Music may be your work, your passion, your way of expressing yourself and something you have listened to very closely for years. When ringing, buzzing or other sounds become part of that experience, it can affect much more than your ears.
It can affect concentration, sleep, confidence and the enjoyment of music itself.
And as many people with tinnitus will know, stress and tension can sometimes make the sound feel even more intrusive.
Where Sophrology can help
Sophrology isn't about promising that tinnitus will disappear.
My approach is to help people feel calmer and less overwhelmed by the sound, while giving them techniques they can use themselves.
Through breathing, gentle movement, relaxation and visualisation, we can shift attention away from constantly monitoring the tinnitus and towards other sensations in the body.
Sometimes that might be as simple as noticing your feet on the floor, becoming aware of your breathing or releasing tension from your shoulders, neck or jaw.
These simple practices can give you something to turn to when tinnitus feels particularly intrusive.
The brain can learn too
One of the reasons I find sophrology particularly interesting in relation to tinnitus is neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to adapt and change throughout our lives.
Our brains are constantly learning from what we experience and where we direct our attention. With tinnitus, the brain can become highly focused on the sound, particularly when we are worried about it or constantly checking whether it is still there.
This doesn't mean that tinnitus is imaginary. The sound is real, but our brain's response to it can influence how intrusive and distressing it feels.
By repeatedly practising relaxation, shifting attention and becoming more aware of the body, we can begin to develop different patterns of responding.
This isn't an overnight change, and it isn't about forcing the tinnitus to stop.
It is about giving the brain different experiences and, over time, creating the possibility of responding to the sound with less alarm and tension.
That is why I encourage people to practise between sessions. The brain learns through repetition.
Working with musicians
Over the years, I've had the privilege of working with people connected to the music industry, including veteran musicians and a music producer.
Every person has been different.
And that's something I think is important to remember with tinnitus. There isn't one approach that works for everyone, and sophrology isn't a quick fix.
Sometimes simply having the opportunity to stop, breathe and be listened to can be valuable in itself.
That's why the experience with the veteran musician at Stay Warm has stayed with me.
I had arrived intending to run a session around stress. But by paying attention to what was happening in front of me, I was able to change the session and respond to what he needed at that moment.
His relief reminded me how important it is to meet people where they are.
You don't have to fight the sound
Living with tinnitus can involve an enormous amount of attention:
Is it louder today? Is it still there? Why is it worse? Will it ever stop?
That constant monitoring can itself become exhausting.
Sophrology offers another possibility.
Rather than trying to fight the tinnitus, we can begin to develop other experiences alongside it: breathing, movement, relaxation, connection and everyday life.
The aim isn't to pretend the sound isn't there.
It is to help it become less overwhelming and give you back some space to focus on the things that matter to you.
For a musician, that might simply mean being able to enjoy sound again without tinnitus being at the centre of the experience.
Sometimes, finding a little more silence isn't about making the sound disappear.
It's about changing your relationship with it.
