A: "I would definitely recommend this course to people with severe levels of tinnitus distress. I was one such person. Don’t do what I did initially and search google and chatgpt for none existent miracle cures or join facebook forums and read doom laden stories of other peoples misery. It just made me much worse. The only positive I got was that chatgpt mentioned CBT4T. I subsequently read the reviews and exchanged a few emails with Debbie and instinctively knew that this was the way forward for me. Don’t delay because if you do, you will delay your recovery and spend more time in despair."

Q: What benefit have you experienced using the relaxation element of the course so far?

A: "I was completely new to relaxation exercises and was initially sceptical about the benefits of them. How wrong I was, they have been a revelation to me. I can honestly say that they have been the most positive benefit to my recovery. I use them throughout the day, they keep me calm. Help me get off to sleep and I found quite by accident that doing repeated autogenic exercises for a few minutes after waking up during the early hours usually gets me back off to sleep fairly quickly. I intend to use them regularly from now on even after the completion of this course."

Q: How has the neuroscience-based learning about the amygdala, autonomic ladder and brain plasticity helped you to relate to your experience of tinnitus, anxiety and stress?

A: "I had no knowledge at all about the amygdala, the autonomic ladder or brain plasticity prior to this course. Having read all about them and the crucial part they play in your distress but more importantly in your recovery, makes the effect of the regular breathing, relaxation and practical exercises and how these exercises tie in with the positive changes within these parts of your brain more understandable."

Q: What have you learned from the costs & benefits transaction work (used from stage 3)? Estimate how much you have already adjusted from having a problem-oriented perspective towards a recovery-oriented perspective (e.g. 2/10 > 7/10 indicates an improvement of 5 so far)

A: "Having completed several Meaning Adjusters has made me realise how much a problem orientated person I was. I am still somewhat of a novice in changing to looking at things in recovery orientated perspective. I thought I was getting much better at this but a little positive intervention from Debbie after a recent sitrep in which she advised of some thoughts I’d missed that could be better reframed by way of Meaning Adjusters, has made me realise that I still have a bit more to learn in this area. I have also learned that simply the process of writing out each Meaning Adjuster/Cost Benefit exercise makes it sink in more. It is easy to just think about what you might reframe, but if you don’t spend time writing each one out, you will likely not get any benefit from it. At the start I would grade myself as 1/10, now about 6/10."

Q: You are likely to have had your first 1-1 by now. Did you benefit from your 1-1 and if so, how?

A: "I found my 1-1 with Debbie really boosted my confidence and understanding of the course. She was able to understand my worries and concerns due to her own journey with tinnitus and impart positivity and understanding at just the right time with me. She solidified my understanding of the course, but most of all she spent time and patience answering all of my questions and concerns. I found it very beneficial indeed."

Q: What is your own impression of your progress to date?

A: "I still experience a high pitched tone most of the day, sometimes a hissing sound and have developed some level of hearing sensitivity (hyperacusis) but I can honestly say that my levels of stress, anxiety & depression have thankfully plummeted. In just 10 weeks, I have gone from being a virtually suicidal recluse that had withdrawn from family & friends, with no future, to being almost back to the person I was before. I still have bad days and spikes with my tinnitus, but this course has given me the tools to manage these periods so I don’t catastrophise or spiral downwards again. I soon get back on track. I do have goods days too of course.

"I have found that some modules have more reading to them and some are more practical exercise and relaxation exercise based. Irrespective of what the module contains, I think there is ample minimum time in which to complete it. The really good part is that you can’t access later modules until after a specific amount of time has elapsed. This stops you from potentially skipping through modules too quickly and not get the full benefit of them.

I have found the weekly sitrep really good to keep an accurate account of your journey through the course, highlighting the ups and downs, in the knowledge that Debbie is reading them and can offer interventions where necessary (as she has with me) to help keep you on track with your recovery. I think this is really important.

I think this course is unrivalled in its content and the expertise and knowledge of its creator Debbie Featherstone."