I don't know if i am hyperaware or actually hearing things Last night was rough...only got a few hours of sleep because I was getting anxious over whether or not I am hearing things. Sometimes thoughts would pop in as i was finally drifting to sleep but then is get anxious thinking if that thought was a voice and I was hearing things. Then I thought I started to hear bird chirps, making me pretty distressed. I have tinnitus, so im thinking that and my hyperawareness to everything plus the anxiety made my mind play tricks on me....or maybe i am having like auditory hallucinations...im trying to disregard but its hard this time around.

"Pure" OCD

Carl Cornett

Date posted: 4y

So, proceed with care and if you’ve got a therapist clear this with them. But my primary theme is fears around schizophrenia or psychosis. I became fixated on things like hearing noises or voices, and my attention was often pulled around trying to “figure out” or being on guard for anything that might seem like an auditory hallucination. So, in treatment, I devised an exposure exercise for this. I’ve got various devices from laptops to iPads to Alexa in my home. I would play different songs, sounds, noises, etc out of them all around my house. Some would be quiet or louder than others. This way, I would not be sure what it was I was hearing, and I resisted the urge to check/analyze or engage in a compulsion. Over time, I was no longer concerned with what I might be hearing. You can give it a shot if you think it might be helpful. The key, however, is to not do a compulsion. Because if you do the exercise and you just fall down the compulsion rabbit hole, you’re only going to reinforce your fear.

Husky

Date posted: 4y

Thank you very much, i really appreciate the feedback! What you said about "figuring out" the noise or being in guard for what seemed like an auditory hallucination feels very much like what I am going through. I do not have a therapist, but this sounds like a good ERP exercise. I feel like I have been doing something in an inadvertent way, as I live with family and they have different devices on at different volumes all the time. I guess since at night its more quiet im more hyperaware? Would listening to music to help go to sleep be recommended or doesnit just stunt any form of progress?

Carl Cornett

Date posted: 4y

@haiirohusky The idea is you don’t do something to soothe or “cancel” out your fear. Exposure is just about creating a triggered response so you have an opportunity to practice not doing compulsions. It isn’t *necessarily* about not feeling something, or stopping a certain emotional experience. In this situation, playing music would be trying to avoid having a situation where you’re afraid or anxious about what you’re hearing. Trying to engineer your circumstances to accommodate your fear only gives it more space. You’ve got to face it head on. Hope that helps.

Husky

Date posted: 4y

@NOCD Advocate - Carl Cornett Yes this does help immensly. Thank you very much. I guess I'll have some rough nights ahead of me. Thank you again though. It helps to know others have been through it

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