Individual perception Although tinnitus is not imaginary, the perception of and response to it determines whether it becomes an annoying problem or an inconsequential experience. In order to explain the body’s response to sensory information, the following mechanisms should be understood. A large amount of sensory information reaches the brain every second, where it is processed to represent such meanings as smell, color, taste, sight, sound, etc. In processing this information, there are several types of sensory information. There are several mechanisms that occur within the brain when processing this information. One area of the brain determines whether we notice the information, another area, also known as the limbic system, determines the emotional response, and a third area, the autonomic nervous system, governs the somatic response to the information. Eliciting the right response These processes have evolved to enable us to be aware of what is happening in our surroundings, to recognize safe or dangerous situations, and to react instinctively in order to survive. Imagine if you were in the jungle and you heard a lion roar, which of course would get your attention. In fact it would cause an emotional experience of fear, leading to tension in the body, raising your heart rate and making you want to run away. An example from everyday life is when you are working in your office and suddenly a fire alarm sounds, you will have a reaction similar to that caused by a lion’s roar because of the special meaning this sound contains. The same mechanism occurs when you see or smell something dangerous. On the other hand, these messages can be neutralized without causing emotional and somatic reactions. Looking at the office example, the ringing of the phone, the sound of conversation, and the sound of the air conditioning would make up a usual environmental noise, and as long as you can hear and see what is happening, you will be able to react to these situations or ignore it. Another example is that if you don’t pay attention you won’t hear the ticking of the clock at home. This sound is ignored because it is familiar to you and does not cause danger. The process of ignoring some sounds is a function of the brain’s filtering mechanism, which determines what is important and what is not, and what information should and should not be responded to. Initial response to tinnitus When a person first perceives tinnitus, it is an unknown signal. Since there is no sensory information or sensory experience associated with it, the brain evaluates this signal. Like any unknown, it triggers a question/stress response. Most people will learn to ignore their tinnitus when they learn that it does not mean anything and that it is a disease. The process of learning to ignore tinnitus is called adaptation, which means that if you want to hear it, it will still be there, just like office noises and the ticking of clocks. But for others, the ticking of the clock can become an annoying sound that interferes with their sleep. This is because they pay too much attention to the sound. The same can be true for the experience of tinnitus. These patients find tinnitus to be annoying, depriving them of silence and triggering a stressful emotional response. These patients use tinnitus as an event to which they pay attention, triggering a vicious cycle of perception and negative emotional reactions. For these individuals, the tinnitus becomes chronic and annoyingly loud. In some cases, they even react to tinnitus as they would to a danger signal (such as a lion’s roar). Phantom pain Phantom pain, such as occasional pain after an amputation and spider phobia are often compared to tinnitus. Like tinnitus, fear of spiders is not uncommon, but only in rare cases does the fear of spiders dominate people’s lives, limiting their ability to go places and do things.