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Compassionate Sound Sensitivity Support

Misophonia: when sounds affect more than just your ears

Have you ever found yourself feeling overwhelmed, anxious or intensely irritated by a sound that other people barely seem to notice?

Perhaps it's the sound of someone chewing, breathing, sniffing or tapping. Maybe it's repetitive noises or particular sounds that seem to take over your attention, making it almost impossible to think about anything else.

You might notice your heart racing, your muscles tightening or an overwhelming urge to get away from the sound. You may feel angry, anxious, distressed or even ashamed of the strength of your reaction.

If this sounds familiar, you may be experiencing misophonia.

Misophonia is more than simply disliking certain sounds. It involves intense emotional and physical responses to particular triggers, which can feel immediate, involuntary and incredibly difficult to manage.

And often, the impact reaches much further than the sounds themselves.

Living With Misophonia

When misophonia starts to affect how you feel about yourself

Living with misophonia can be exhausting. When your reactions feel so intense, particularly when other people don't seem to understand them, you can begin to question yourself.

You might feel embarrassed, frustrated or ashamed of your reactions. Perhaps you become angry with people you care about, only to feel guilty afterwards. Over time, you may start to see yourself as difficult, unreasonable or overly sensitive.

Misophonia can also bring a sense of confusion and chaos to everyday life. You might find yourself constantly anticipating sounds, avoiding situations or organising your world around trying to prevent a reaction.

Relationships can become complicated, but perhaps one of the biggest impacts is the relationship you develop with yourself. It can be difficult to understand your own responses, particularly when they seem so out of proportion to what others experience.

Making sense of your experience

Counselling can offer an opportunity to explore what living with misophonia means for you, looking beyond the sounds themselves to the emotional impact on your wellbeing, relationships and sense of self.

Together, we can explore the feelings, beliefs and patterns that may have developed around your experiences, helping you understand yourself with greater compassion and find ways of navigating everyday life that feel more manageable.

My approach is warm, compassionate and trauma-informed. I work integratively, drawing on Person-Centred and Psychodynamic approaches. I am also EMDR-trained and interested in the potential of EMDR to help with misophonia-related distress, where appropriate.

I also have a particular interest in neurodivergence and understand that misophonia can sometimes sit alongside other sensory experiences and differences in processing.

The aim isn't to tell you how you should feel or expect you to simply tolerate things you find difficult. It's about helping you make sense of your experiences and develop a different relationship with yourself.

How I Work

You don't have to keep struggling on your own

Living with misophonia can sometimes feel isolating, particularly when the people around you don't understand why certain sounds affect you so deeply.

You may have spent a long time trying to manage your reactions, questioning yourself or feeling that you need to adapt your life around avoiding particular sounds.

Perhaps it's time to have someone alongside you who is interested in understanding what this experience is really like for you.

You don't need to have all the answers or know exactly what you want to change. We can start by talking about what's happening and what life has been like for you.

I offer a free 15–20 minute introductory telephone call, giving you the opportunity to ask questions and get a feel for how I work before deciding whether counselling feels right for you.

If you recognise yourself in any of this, why not get in touch.

Arrange a Free Consultation Call

A Grounded Way Forward

Whether in my welcoming Tewkesbury practice rooms or online across the UK, I offer an empathetic, non-judgmental and understanding space to explore your experiences.

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contact@skylacounselling.co.uk
07356 033633

trauma informed practitioner certificate

Online and telephone counselling certificate