Misophonia and Misokinesia : A Complete Guide

Hey there, ever find yourself completely rattled by the sound of someone chewing? Or perhaps you can’t help but feel incredibly irritated by certain repetitive movements? Welcome to the world of misophonia and misokinesia – where everyday sounds and actions become your arch nemeses. These aren’t just about minor annoyances; they’re the kind of triggers that can make your skin crawl or send you into a fury. But fear not, understanding these sensory quirks is the first step toward managing them. In this blog, we will talk about misophonia meaning, misophonia symptoms, and misophonia treatments like misophonia therapy, etc. Let’s dive into the curious realm where sounds and sights wield unexpected power over our emotions and daily lives.

Understanding Misophonia

First, we need to know about misophonia meaning. In Greek, Misophonia is translated as “hatred of sounds”, as complex as it seems. It was termed by Jestreboff in 2001. It may be sometimes referred to as a phobia of noisy eating. People suffering from misophonia are less tolerant of different sounds, such as eating, whispering, breathing, and knuckle cracking.

Imagine feeling an overwhelming rage or discomfort triggered by seemingly innocuous sounds like chewing, tapping, or breathing. That’s misophonia in action! This condition involves an intense emotional reaction to specific auditory stimuli, leading to feelings of anger, anxiety, or disgust. Symptoms can vary from person to person, but the impact on daily life can be profound, affecting relationships, work, and overall well-being.

These sounds are unbearable for them and drive them crazy. Sufferers have difficulty in making others understand their problems usually, because of being considered mean, rude, or arrogant. Most of the victims are not aware of it; they usually blame others for chewing breathing too loud or whispering too loudly. As noted, women are more affected by misophonia as compared to men and they need misophonia treatment. But fear not curing misophonia is now possible through misophonia treatment.

 Understanding Misokinesia

Now, let’s switch gears to misokinesia, a related but visually-triggered sensitivity. Here, it’s not the sounds but certain movements or gestures, such as tapping fingers, fidgeting, or repetitive actions, that set off an intense negative emotional response. Due to these symptoms, autism and misophonia are often seen as a single entity.  People with autism may have the symptoms of misophonia and misokinesia but these are two different conditions. The visual triggers can evoke feelings of irritation, discomfort, or even distress, impacting how individuals interact in social settings or go about their daily activities.

The hypersensitivity to sound could sometimes be paired up with hypersensitivity to visual stimuli, which is known as “Misokinesia”. Misokinesia, “hatred of movement”, includes hypersensitivity to stimuli, such as tapping, rubbing, itching, face touching, and lip biting.  Some people might have mild symptoms, some have moderate and others might have severely high symptoms.

Symptoms of Misophonia and Misokinesia

The following table highlights the distinct but related symptoms of misophonia and misokinesia, showcasing how both conditions can significantly affect individuals’ emotional well-being and daily functioning.

Impact on Daily Life

Both misophonia and misokinesia share common symptoms, manifesting as an immediate and strong emotional reaction to specific stimuli. Individuals may experience heightened anxiety, frustration, or an overwhelming urge to escape or avoid the triggers altogether. The impact on mental health and overall quality of life cannot be understated, often leading to increased stress levels and difficulties in social situations. But the good thing is there is a variety of options for the misophonia treatment.

Distinguishing Between Autism and Misophonia

While misophonia and misokinesia can occur in individuals with autism, it’s important to note their distinction. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) encompasses a wide range of neurodevelopmental conditions, including differences in social communication and behaviors. Sensory sensitivities, including misophonia and misokinesia, might be present in some individuals with autism, but they are not exclusive to ASD. These sensory conditions are specific in their triggers and responses and are not defining characteristics of autism itself.

Causes

As now we know the misophonia symptoms let’s look into its causes. The brain usually considers triggers as a threat that heightens the function of the autonomic nervous system. Exposure to the triggering stimuli can cause a response for defense, such as disgust, panic, fear, frustration, anger, disbelief, and despair. Such emotional distress could cause people to activate their fight or flight response; either they run away from the situation or start displaying anger.

People with Misophonia or Misokinesia have a higher speed of myelin communication in the brain, which means the message transfers more efficiently, and in this case, the efficiency is causing more harm than benefit. It is believed that sufferers have more IQ as compared to others. Up until now, it is considered a psychiatric disorder but recent research has shown some linked with a neurological basis.

Misophonia Treatment

With the aid of therapies and technological advancements, curing misophonia has become more achievable. People with misophonia might be searching for misophonia therapy near me. Here is a good news! While there isn’t a definitive cure, these tools and treatments can significantly help individuals cope with and reduce the impact of trigger sounds or movements associated with misophonia.

Relaxation Techniques

One of the misophonia treatment is practicing relaxation methods, such as deep breathing, meditation, or mindfulness, which can help individuals manage their emotional responses to triggers and reduce overall stress levels. Victims usually find themselves irritated, anxious, or angry; so deep breathing would supply proper oxygen to the brain which stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system and gives a feeling of calmness.

Sound Therapy

Using devices that produce background noise (like white noise machines) can help mask trigger sounds, providing relief and reducing the impact of the triggers. Wearing earplugs could help you avoid undesirable sounds. Listening to music is helpful but one should be sure that the volume is adequate and not damaging the ears.

Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)

Go to a psychologist; the therapy helps sufferers change the thought of blaming others. Most of the time victim’s thoughts are like “S/he is chewing that loudly intentionally, why is s/he doing this to me, s/he is doing it purposely, etc”. Such thoughts can only aggravate the defense response, making the person more irritated. So CBT helps in changing the negative thought patterns and reframing them into more positive ones.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) helps reframe thoughts and behaviors related to trigger stimuli, reducing the emotional response. Exposure therapy might gradually expose individuals to trigger sounds or movements in a controlled manner to desensitize their reactions.

Talk about it

Tell others around you about this condition. If the sounds are bothering you, you inform them. Tell them it’s not them it’s just the sound that is disturbing you. Try to educate people around you so they will be more conscious about the triggers you have and avoid doing it, or if they cannot avoid it they might not find it rude when you leave the room.

Maintain a Healthy Routine

Maintain a proper sleep pattern, 8 to 9 hours of sleep is necessary for healthy functioning. Exercise on the other hand is beneficial in calming us down and releasing happy hormones. Eating properly can save one from being “Hangry”. The more relaxed we are, the less annoyed we become. So try to be as calm as you can by fulfilling your basic needs.

Medication

In some cases, medication to manage anxiety or stress might be prescribed. However, medication isn’t a primary treatment for these conditions and is usually used in combination with other therapies.

Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapy aims to equip individuals with practical strategies and techniques tailored to manage triggers associated with misophonia and misokinesia in their everyday lives. This can help individuals develop coping strategies and adaptive techniques to manage triggers in daily activities. It is one of the effective misophonia treatment options.

Conclusion

Coping with Misophonia is pretty challenging but with professional help, one can easily manage it and maintain a healthy social life. Research is taking place to find an effective cure for it, and one day we will have one. Never lose hope.

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