Denver Tinnitus Support Group Meeting (7:00 - 8:30 p.m.)

The Denver Tinnitus Support Group invites you to join them at their next meeting.

When:
Monday, October 10, 2011
7:00 - 8:30 p.m.

*Note: this group typically meets on the second Monday night of every month.

Where:
Lutheran Medical Center
8300 W. 38th
2nd Floor - Education Center, Classroom #3
Denver, CO 80033

Topic/Guest Speaker: James Hollman, Meditation Instructor from the Denver Shambhala Meditation Center, will discuss how tinnitus patients can use meditation to reduce distress and suffering and improve their quality of life.  John, who has tinnitus himself, has been a meditation practitioner since 1997, with fourteen years in the Shambhala, Kagyu and Nyingma traditions. He has taught meditation since early 2007. If time permits, James will introduce us to the basics of mindfulness meditation through a group activity.

Background: Tinnitus researcher Jennifer Gans says that while most people who have tinnitus, or ringing in the ears, do whatever they can to make the noise go away, new research suggests that acknowledging the sensation and learning to live with it can help decrease suffering. Gans, an assistant professor at the University of California at San Francisco says a technique called mindfulness-based tinnitus reduction helps people separate the ringing from the stress, anxiety and other negative emotions it often causes. "Instead of pushing it away, it's dealing with what it is and experiencing it as a body sensation without the fear and depression that's creating the suffering," Gans said. Mindfulness-based tinnitus reduction is modeled after mindfulness-based stress reduction, which previous studies have found to be effective in helping people deal with chronic pain and arthritis. The tinnitus version is specifically designed to deal with those symptoms.

If your tinnitus makes you feel anxious or depressed, this is the meeting for you. If you want to learn new ways to enhance your quality of life, we encourage you to attend this event.

Note from the Group Leader:
"Our support group offers encouragement, current information and coping techniques to tinnitus sufferers and their families. Meetings are open to the public and are free of charge."

For additional information or directions please contact Rich Marr at (303) 292-6408 or r.marr@comcast.net; or Charles Aune at (303) 796-8291 or ancaune@msn.com.

The American Tinnitus Association's Support Network consists of dedicated support group facilitators and help network volunteers across the country. These volunteers provide compassion, support, experience, and perspective, as well as valuable resources for treating your tinnitus. Please note that ATA offers Support Network information solely as an informational aid. Examine your personal needs and decide if participation in support activities could be meaningful for you. ATA makes no recommendations or representations as to the groups or individuals volunteering.

Please click here for more information on ATA's Support Network.If you are interested in starting a support group or becoming a help network volunteer, please contact Katie Fuller, Manager of Member & Support Relations, at katie@ata.org.