When Everyday Sounds Feel Like an Attack.
Chewing. Breathing. Tapping. It's not "just annoyance". It's a reflex. And it can be rewired.
Why do you feel instant rage?
It happens before you can even think. That is the clue.
The Miswire
In our brain, the anterior insular cortex is responsible for the subjective sense of the inner body, emotional processing and is part of the salience network. The function of the salience network is to single out significant stimuli and focus our attention on it. With Misophonia, the anterior insular cortex is hyperactive so the activity in the salience network is increased. Plus, connections to the limbic system (responsible for emotional states) are also increased, this produces the instant rage.
The Reflex
When you hear the trigger, the salient network picks it up as some sort of sign of "Danger". This activates defensive responses: anger to fight, adrenalin to flee or disgust to avoid.
The Solution
We use gradual exposure to increase your tolerance of the sound and you learn how to encounter the initial reaction with the help of CBT and restore your ability to sit at the dinner table.