Therapeutic strategies for Misophonia have mostly focused on cognitive approaches such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. These modalities certainly have their place and can help us understand our automatic thoughts and feelings when triggered, but these modalities engage the brain’s neocortex where we process complex thinking and language. The survival instincts triggered by trauma - or a trigger sound-- are not controlled by this part of the brain, it is controlled by our mid-brain or "limbic system" and our "lizard brain" where our emotion regulation and survival instincts live. These "lower" brain structures are directly connected to our brain stem which then communicates with the rest of the body. A significant study that compared MRI scans of misophone brains and “normal” brains found differences in the Anterior Insular Cortex—part of our mid brain where threat assessment is processed. To effect change, we need to access deeper parts of the brain and brain stem which can then share that change with the body. IFS and Brainspotting does exactly that—allows us access to deeper, unconscious parts of the brain. At this level of change, body sensations and emotional reactions shift in powerful ways with very little conscious effort. (For more information on these specific modalities, look under “Articles” to learn more.)