Misophonia- Does it Annoy You to the Point of Anger to Hear Someone You Love Breathe?


“Misophonia – literally the hatred of sound -can be defined as a hypersensitivity to background sounds or visual stimuli that are generally ignored by other people. More importantly than the individuals inability to block out the offending stimuli or “trigger” is the acute negative emotional response experienced as a direct result of being in contact with a trigger.

The response has been described as a reflexive emotional flood of rage and panic with a storm of fight-or-flight reactions becoming paramount. Adrenaline flooding, face flushing, heart-pounding and/or shaking and the need to physically flee or attack are often experienced. The mindful thoughts that the emotional reflex/response is unreasonable given the facts of the stimulus is often actually harmless come only after the fight-or-flight response is in full force and the affected person may find themselves in a constant mode of “talking themselves down” into a normal state of calm.

The majority of trigger stimuli are counted as harmless or just part of every day to day life by the “normal” person, but to a person inflicted with Misophonia, they are a tremendous burden, often the analogy of nails down a chalk board or exposed nerves have been used to describe the disturbing response.

Often a sufferer is forced into a life of isolation, shrinking away from the general population and the offending triggers, not by choice but out of necessity for their sanity. Many withdraw from social occasions due to the fear and anxiety caused that a trigger may be present. Often relationships are destroyed due to misunderstandings and misdirected negativity. Work opportunities are reduced or obliterated altogether.

When asked how they feel, a sufferer will often detail the tremendous levels of guilt and turmoil they feel due to their reaction, their fear of an ever collapsing tolerance and the ever increasing restrictions imposed on them by the condition.

Although the initial list of Triggers was thought to be focused around soft sounds or eating and bodily noises it has since been identified that an ever increasing list of audio and visual stimuli may trigger the above reaction. Not everyone who has this condition is affected equally, with some being unaffected by trigger noises that torments others, while others still seem to have no negative response visual stimuli but are completely overcome by sounds.”

(Join their forum for others who suffer with Misophonia)

Some Common Triggers~

* pen-clicking
* chewing
* whistling
* ahhs after drinking
* burping
* chewing
* crunching (ice, other hard food)
* gulping
* gum chewing & popping
* kissing sounds
* nail biting
* silverware scraping teeth
* slurping
* sipping
* licking
* smacking
* spitting
* sucking (ice,…)
* swallowing
* talking with food in mouth
* tooth brushing
* flossing
* tooth sucking
* wet mouth sounds
* jaw clicking

Interesting components

* Mostly enraged by the sounds of someone close that they love making these sounds; a sibling, parent, spouse, or best friend
* Misophonia usually becomes a problem in Pre-teen ages
* They can produce these same sounds themselves and usually are not bothered by them
* They are usually very remorseful afterwards feeling bad and guilty for hurting others

Misophonia is increasing in attention in the press and the medical field. I am seeing more people in my office with this condition and I find I am having wonderful results relieving people of this chronic state of fight or flight response.

If you or anyone you know has an unusual response to somewhat simple sounds in our environment to the extent it is making life difficult to live, please contact us for more information!

A Thought from Dr. Lise’


8 thoughts on “Misophonia- Does it Annoy You to the Point of Anger to Hear Someone You Love Breathe?

  1. I was picking up a sound wave. I couldn’t tell what it was. The sound was just annoying me. I couldn’t see or make out where it was coming from. There is a big two way street with two lane each way, that’s how big this street is. Right across this street there is a church. I was picking up the sound wave from their organ. It was driving me nuts.


  2. Kate Barber says:

    If this might be of interest to you I provide a Link, below, to my particular triggers. Do feel free to use these in any publications, printed or online.


    I’ll have to admit that my particular sound-sensitivities don’t appear to be entirely like those suffered by the majority of Misophonics, in that mine are mostly impact-type sounds caused by people’s movements and gestures. However I certainly share the same anger-reactions. The only anxiety I get is the anticipation of these impact sounds happening. After the sound or movement has happened I feel completely debilitated and powerless, which can lead on to depression.

    (I hope this Link will take you straight to my posting. If, instead, it takes you to the beginning of the Forum in which it is posted just scroll down until you find my posting).


    • Dr.Lise' says:

      Hi Kate,

      It is very interesting the degrees and symptoms of hypersensitivity people display. Many people with Misophonia also tend to have a Neurological condition call Synesthesia in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway. (Wiki definition). Generally this means some people will ‘see music’ or ‘letters will have colors’.

      Thank you for sharing your condition with us I can only imagine how difficult it is for you! But the knowledge of this condition is so important to share with the world! Loads of Energy to you!!!!

      Liked by 1 person

  3. Adah says:

    Please tell me what type of Neurofeedback you use for Misophonia in your practice.


  4. I have both Misophonia and ASMR, some sounds will put me in a rage and I have been able to leave the situations thankfully. Going to the movies anymore? Heck no… Impossible, I would lose it. the popcorn and plastic wrap crinkling.. However, I have had ASMR as well ever since I can remember and some sounds are positively euphoric…if I happen to be watching a ASMR video on You Tube I haven’t seen before and it suddenly has some crinkling plastic, tapping or mouth sounds…my mood is like a lightswitch…Have you had any experience with ASMR at all and if so, have you found anyone who possesses both ASMR and Misophonia? I am at a loss for what to do as the Misophonia seems to be getting more pronounced… and I am getting more sensitive to those trigger sounds. I don’t know if it seems to have increased because I do purposefully trigger the good ASMR sounds with You Tube videos. Before I knew there were others like me and they created videos I would only experience ASMR several times a week if lucky and the triggers were not orchestrated by anyone, I would just come upon them in public… I am really worried about the misophonia…if it continues to get more severe..not sure what i am gonna do…it already affects my life at times, Thanks for any answers or suggestions in advance. 🙂 Tracy


    • Dr.Lise' says:

      Hi Tracy,
      Thank you for your response to the Misophonia blog. The way our brain processes information is interesting at best! Our brain has a typical response as it recognizes sensory input. Those responses when hypervigilant are exacerbated and can become a concern.

      In my experience all reactions and responses turn ‘abnormal’ when the individual is under chronic stress or experience ‘feeling anxious’.
      Hence, we use the Neurofeedback as a the stress reduction system. It will not take away these symptoms entirely, so the ASMR will still be a pleasant sensation although perhaps not as euphoric of a response as it is now. This will help so as the condition is not disrupting to your life, (meaning you will not feel as if you need to sit and watch the ASMR video’s to feel that euphoric feeling).
      Otherwise, the NeurOptimal system will train the brain to reduce the hypervigilance, which creates a natural balance. As this happens the Misophonia is not as reactive nor is the ASMR.

      If you would like to ask personal questions or spend more time talking about this please feel free to text or call at 317-258-7444.




WordPress.com Logo


Google+ photo


Twitter picture


Facebook photo



Connecting to %s