There is wide variation in responsivity to sensory cues in the population. Sensory sensitivity is proposed to be a vulnerability factor in anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorders, a key feature in some neurodevelopmental conditions, and a defining feature of sensory processing disorder and misophonia.

This workshop will introduce a simple model for understanding the potential cognitive and behavioural mechanisms involved in the distress and impairment caused by sensory sensitivity. Many existing transdiagnostic strategies can be used to target these mechanisms, and the model can be integrated into broader formulations for individual clients.

Individuals with misophonia are no strangers to using devices and modifying routines to reduce their contact with troublesome sounds. From trusty foam earplugs to elaborate noise cancelling technology to visiting the cinema at the unsocial hour of 11am on a Monday, for many of us with misophonia, modifications are part of life. But new research suggests that for youth with misophonia, these kinds of strategies might extend to the rest of the family too.

Are you a CBT therapist looking to improve your skills in helping people with misophonia? Join us for an online workshop over zoom to learn how to understand distress and impairment in misophonia from a CBT perspective. We will use interactive exercises to help adapt your existing techniques for use with clients with misophonia, and how to work sensitively and collaboratively to use sounds as part of your sessions.

Many of us have sounds that we find to be annoying. But for some people, certain sounds actually trigger extreme reactions. It’s a disorder known as misophonia, where sounds like chewing, sniffing and pen clicking can cause intense emotional reactions – and sometimes even physical reactions, such as an elevated heart rate and spike in blood pressure.

As it turns out, this condition is more common than many realise, as our recent study showed. We estimate that nearly one in five adults in the UK may have misophonia.

For some kids, family meals and noisy classrooms can feel like absolute torture. Misophonia is phenomenon where small repetitive sounds like eating and breathing feel impossible to ignore and can cause an extreme emotional reaction. While the research on misophonia in young people is still very young itself, there are some ways that families can help their children with misophonia.

If your misophonia is at the point where it is impacting your mental health or interfering with your work, studies or relationships, you may be able to receive help from the NHS. It may take a while, and may feel like an uphill battle at time, but help is available.

Misophonia slowly drifted into the public consciousness after it was mentioned in the New York Times in 2011. Despite nearly one in five people in the UK and one in six in the US experiencing it to some degree, it is still a relatively unknown phenomenon. There is now good evidence that misophonia is a distinct phenomenon and cannot be explained by other condition. While health professionals catch up on learning about misophonia, you might find that your reactions to sounds are misinterpreted as something else.