Our Psychologists have availability for face-to-face and online appointments for adults, adolescents and children.
Our Psychologists have availability for face-to-face and online appointments for adults, adolescents and children.
Misophonia is when everyday sounds like chewing or sniffing trigger intense feelings of anger, anxiety, or irritation. It’s more than just being annoyed—the reaction can feel overwhelming. While it’s not officially classed as a mental health disorder, treatment for misophonia is available and can include sound therapy, using headphones, or working with a psychologist.
When everyday sounds feel like too much.
Anger, anxiety, or irritation triggered by specific sounds
Heart racing, muscle tension, or urge to escape
Hard to focus after hearing a trigger sound
Steering clear of certain people or places
Frustration, guilt, or feeling misunderstood
Conflicts caused by sound triggers from others
Misophonia often begins in childhood, but many people in Australia don’t receive a diagnosis until much later
Because it’s not officially recognised as a mental health condition, support and understanding can be limited
It often co-occurs with conditions like tinnitus and sound sensitivity, which can make diagnosis more complex
Misophonia can have a real impact on day-to-day life, including social interactions and relationships
Misophonia is a condition that causes people to experience extreme emotional reactions to certain sounds—things like chewing, breathing, or repetitive noises. While research into misophonia is still in its early stages, recent studies are providing valuable insights into how it works and, more importantly, how to treat it.
A systematic review published in Personalized Medicine in Psychiatry in 2023 looked at 33 studies exploring various treatments for misophonia, including one randomised controlled trial and a number of case studies. The results pointed to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) as the most effective treatment for reducing misophonia symptoms. In fact, CBT has shown the most consistent and significant results compared to other approaches.
When it comes to managing misophonia, CBT is the clear frontrunner. This therapy helps people change the way they respond to trigger sounds. Techniques like task concentration, positive affect labelling, stimulus manipulation, and arousal reduction have been particularly effective. For example, one study reported a 37% improvement in misophonia symptoms after a group CBT intervention. Another open-label trial showed that nearly half of participants experienced at least a 30% reduction in their symptoms after CBT.
While CBT stands out as the most supported treatment, the research also explored other therapies that could help. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), and even some pharmacological treatments (like SSRIs or beta-blockers) have been explored with varying success. However, these treatments don’t yet have the robust evidence behind them that CBT does. Most studies on these alternative treatments involved small sample sizes, so more research is needed to fully understand their effectiveness.
The good news is that we now know CBT works, and it’s a solid option for people struggling with misophonia. However, we still need more research to confirm the effectiveness of other potential treatments and to understand more about how to tailor therapy to different individuals. Misophonia can look different for everyone, and treatment options should reflect that.
While we wait for more high-quality studies, CBT remains the most reliable and evidence-backed approach for helping people manage misophonia.
*Source: A systematic review of treatments for misophonia – National Library of Medicine, PubMed Central
Use noise-cancelling headphones or earplugs, and play calming music or white noise to block out triggers
Recognise that your reactions are real and give yourself compassion as you work on coping strategies
Consistency is key. Keep practising your coping strategies to build resilience over time
Our psychologists are highly qualified, holding Master’s or Doctorate degrees in Clinical Psychology. We provide treatment for misophonia using evidence-based approaches like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Habit Reversal Therapy (HRT), and Mindfulness techniques to help manage emotional reactions to trigger sounds.
Hours: Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm
Saturday (Reception only) 7am to 3pm
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