Tinnitus Retraining Therapy
Also written as: TRT — Tinnitus Retraining Therapy
A structured therapeutic approach combining directive counselling and sound therapy to reduce the distress and perception of tinnitus in affected individuals.
Full Definition
Tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT) is a clinician-administered intervention, developed by Pawel Jastreboff and Jonathan Hazell, that aims to retrain the auditory and limbic systems to habituate to tinnitus signals, thereby reducing both the perception of and the emotional reaction to the sound. TRT comprises two components: directive counselling, which helps patients understand and demystify their tinnitus, and sound therapy, which uses low-level broadband noise to reduce the contrast between tinnitus and background sound. TRT must be distinguished from cognitive-behavioural therapy for tinnitus and from simple sound masking. Editors should always capitalise 'Tinnitus Retraining Therapy' when referring to the specific Jastreboff model and abbreviate as TRT after first use.
Usage
Usage note: Capitalise when referring to the specific Jastreboff-Hazell model; lower case when 'tinnitus retraining therapy' is used generically. Do not confuse with simple sound masking or with CBT-based tinnitus interventions.
In Context
- "The patient was enrolled in a 12-month Tinnitus Retraining Therapy programme following unsuccessful trials of masking devices." — Clinical case report
- "The review compared the efficacy of Tinnitus Retraining Therapy with that of cognitive-behavioural therapy across five randomised trials." — Systematic review introduction