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floorten
United Kingdom
120 Posts |
 Posted - 11/25/2006 : 12:06:02
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I read an article on "acoustic shock" suffered by call-centre workers (tinnitus, hypersensitivity, muscle pain etc), and there's clearly TMS at work here.
Interestingly it talks about how the "damage" to the ears - ordinarily not at levels which would damage the eardrums - develops afterwards, and notes how people who are highly stressed and the suddenness and maliciousness or "shock value" of the sharp sound are deciding factors in who develops the condition.
The article is here:
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1951837,00.html
How totally TMS that a small trigger event, not large enough to cause physical damage, can set off a chronic decline of health and catalogue of symptoms, quite disproportional. Big surprise that when you combine stressed workers, repression of emotion (these workers always have to be polite) and a shock trigger that TMS of the ears results.
I feel sorry for the sufferers, and for the companies being sued for "damaging" these people's hearing.
--
"What the Thinker thinks, the Prover proves."
Robert Anton Wilson |
Edited by - floorten on 11/25/2006 12:08:13 |
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spacegirl74
Italy
27 Posts |
Posted - 11/26/2006 : 04:49:34
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Hi Floorten,
I was just discussing acoustic stress with my therapist the other day. I was telling him that I work for 8 hours with the computer and with the phone, and for 8 hours I have behind me the constant noise of 2/3 people who speak with a very loud voice and often shout. That leads me to having trouble eating in the company's canteen, where there are 400 people chattering, and often when eating there I have a kind of panic attack.
He didn't find it strange that I told him I would need silence during the hour long break that I have, to 'regain some balance'. He told me that there is now extensive literature now about acoustic stress, so the article you posted doesn't really surprise me.
One more source of stress/anxiety in our modern lives. |
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tennis tom
USA
4749 Posts |
Posted - 11/26/2006 : 08:53:25
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Use headphones or wax earplugs. There are many different types of headsets like those by Bose that block out different levels of sound allowing in necessary sounds. I have just started using wax swim earplugs from Rite-Aid while I read my Sarno in the hot-tub to block out the non-sensical distracting prattle of the "regulars". I find it amusing and wonder what they are thinking when I REMOVE them to go for my swim.
"Acoustic-shock" a disease, nah--it's a neurosis.
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carbar
USA
227 Posts |
Posted - 11/26/2006 : 20:01:12
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Hmm. What a crazy buzz word "acoustic shock."
Here's some thoughts on noise:
I was always very sensitive to loud noise when I was a child. Growing up serious about music, I was warned of doing damage to my ears if I kept playing professionally. I had a conductor with significant hearing loss and it was clear that it had a major impact on his life. My father also had hearing loss from his army service and truck driving. Out of concern, I would wear ear plugs when I went to see rock shows and sometimes in rehearsals.
However, after I came down with RSI in my arms, I turned the stereo up right away as a way to "feel" the music, since I wasn't making it anymore. Ever since then, I haven't felt at all sensitive to sound. The louder the better for music.
However, when you do stop and think about the # of decibels you are subjected to in the workplace it is kinda shocking, I can definitely see how this is is becoming a TMS equiv. It's as shocking as the # of keystokes you've gotta take, or the awkward repetitive position...
Sigh. Great. Is another epidemic looming?
Along this topic, is anyone familiar with the work of Aron on The Highly Sensitive Person? I wonder where her theories fit in with TMS. I believe she is arguing that genetically, certain folks are more attune to/sensitive to stimuli which can make modern life more stressful. Don't have the book in my collection, but I'd be interested in any feedback!
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Littlebird
USA
391 Posts |
Posted - 11/26/2006 : 21:22:28
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Hi Carbar,
I read the book by Elaine Aron and feel that the idea of some people being more sensitive than average to stimuli in the world around them fits both me and my son, as well as some other family members.
I think that it could lead a person to have more experiences that could lead to the emotions that cause TMS, because when your environment bothers you more than the average person, you can easily develop frustration and anger if, for example, someone insists on playing the music louder than you're comfortable with because they figure if it doesn't bother them it shouldn't bother you either. My son and I both get stressed over sounds, lights, textures and things that don't bother others in our family.
I wouldn't think there could be a direct physical connection, since TMS is psychological in origin, but the psychological feelings triggered by being overly sensitive could really be a contributing factor for me. |
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Acoustic shock TMS
