Emanuel's Story

Hi Emanuel, thanks so much for answering my questions. We need more stories like yours in the Misophonia Community! Congratulations on your major success! 

 

So, you had success doing Sequent Repatterning Therapy (SRT) with Morven Surmon. On a scale of 0-10 (0 no stress and 10 the worst stress), before you did SRT where were you on the stress scale with your misophonia reactions? And now, having completed the therapy, where are you on the stress scale?

10 before. 1 after.

​

Can you give some backstory to your misophonia? Do you remember when and how it started? When did you learn what misophonia was? Was there a specific person or thing that was most triggering to you?

I remember being about 10 years old, or younger, when I first experienced misophonia – of course, I had no idea what it was at the time, and no one would understand, so I bottled it all up and thought for many years that I was crazy, or something like that.

 

I think it started from growing up in a very restrictive family, with an abusive, alcoholic father, being confined by grandparents and forced to witness and take part in activities that I did not like or want to do. I believe that from all the restrictions and abuse, I developed this enormous hate and rage that I would bottle up inside of me, and it would get activated by certain triggers (chewing noises, gulping noises, repetitive sounds, repetitive movement, tooth brushing noises, etc.).

 

I discovered what it was only about 2 years ago and I was glad to learn that it had a name and I wasn’t the only one experiencing it. Lately, my husband was my biggest trigger because we spent more time together than I did with anyone else.

​

How did Misophonia impact your life? Were people understanding about your misophonia?

Growing up no one would understand and I’d often be told to get over it or move away from the triggers. I used to avoid certain people or situations in order to protect myself.

Once I learnt what it was and that it had a name, I started to explain to people around me and they would be more understanding, but by then the symptoms and reactions had gotten a lot for me worse too.

​

What kind of reaction did you have with misophonia? Some people feel anger, some anxiety, some disgust, etc. Some people also have a very physical reaction when they hear a sound.

My main reaction was anger and rage. My whole body would fill with anger and get very tense. Sometimes I’d get fast shallow breathing too.

​

Do you relate to having trauma or stressors when growing up or later in life?

Yes, as I explained above, I believe my childhood trauma caused me to develop misophonia.

​

What kinds of things did you try before doing SRT? Any specific therapy, coaching, medication, diet, or self-care techniques? Was anything helpful at all before SRT?

I tried meditation, CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy), taken CBD, but nothing helped until I tried SRT.

​

How did you learn about SRT?

I wanted to give therapy one more go, but this time I looked up therapists that had experience with misophonia and that’s how I found SRT website and from there found Morven.

​

I know that SRT is a mix of hypnotherapy and other techniques. Were there any specific parts of the therapy that you felt really helped the misophonia?

Yes, the Parts Work was particularly helpful for me. I also found the Anchor technique very useful at the beginning. (parts work done in the style of Internal Family Systems).

​

Was the change gradual over the course of the treatment or was it more sudden? Were you given any therapy homework?

The change was gradual but fairly quick. Overall, the therapy was 10 sessions. From only the second session I began to see improvement in the symptoms. The only homework was in the first few weeks, related to the Anchor technique and Parts Work

 

How did you know the misophonia was gone?

When I heard noises that used to trigger me and noticed that there was no reaction within my body. Like a reflex, I would expect a reaction, but nothing would happen, that’s when I knew that it was gone.

 

Do you feel you are a Highly Sensitive Person? Many people with misophonia relate to this.

Yes, I can relate to that too.

​

Is there anything else you feel set you up for success in working with Morven? (perhaps healthy lifestyle habits, coming to it with an open mind, feeling safe with and seen by Morven, safety in your current living situation and partner relationship, etc.)?

Before I reached out to Morven, I felt that my marriage was falling apart because my husband was my biggest trigger, I was suffering a lot internally and I just wanted something or someone to help me understand better and deal with these horrible reactions in my body. So I felt ready to try whatever it would take, and felt like I had nothing to lose.

I have approached a few other therapists, but I really wanted to work with someone who understood Misophonia and had experience with it. So when I met Morven I instantly felt comfortable and knew that it was a good fit.

​

What advice would you give to people who are struggling with misophonia?

Please don’t delay it any longer. There is help out there and I hope that they find what works for them.