What is Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT)?
Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT) is a structured treatment approach that aims to help people manage their tinnitus by retraining the brain to perceive tinnitus sounds as neutral rather than bothersome. TRT combines sound therapy with educational counseling. The sound therapy part uses low-level background noise or customized sound generators to reduce the perceived loudness and annoyance of tinnitus. The counseling component helps patients understand the mechanisms of tinnitus and learn coping strategies. Over time, TRT can help the brain habituate to tinnitus sounds, making them less noticeable and distressing in daily life. While it doesn't eliminate tinnitus, many patients report significant improvements in their quality of life and ability to manage tinnitus symptoms through TRT.