Articles and More
Neil’s story: “I was an aspiring jazz musician. Now, I can’t live any semblance of a normal life.”
Hyperacusis is so surreal and beyond the comprehension of anyone who isn't experiencing it firsthand. I can't count the number of times people have said, “Hey, have you tried earplugs or noise-cancelling headphones"? To be fair to them, I doubt I could ever understand...
Hyperacusis is a Movie Star!
For the first time ever, hyperacusis takes the lead in a major motion picture, Tuner. The Washington Post has named Tuner one of the best movies of 2026. We agree! Tuner is an engaging crime caper with a love story on the side, and it sheds needed light on this truly...
Applications now being accepted for research grants!
Hyperacusis Research is pleased to announce expanded funding opportunities through our new partnership with Tinnitus Quest (TQ), helping to accelerate the search for effective treatments and a cure for hyperacusis. Researchers worldwide may now apply for grants of up...
Dr. Anthony J. Sommo, 1947-2023: “Tinnitus is worse than blindness.”
Hyperacusis Research is grateful for the generous gift of Anthony J. Sommo, Ph.D., who donated $42,000 after his death at age 75 to further our research to find a cure. Tony was a sociology professor at Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ. He grew up in a working class...
The Weight of Sound
Photo credit: Vítor Belanciano by João Øbo · Rågeleje, Denmark João Øbo recounts his solitary journey through recurrent periods of unremitting torment and invasive noise in a world where even silence is loud. · For more than six years, I have lived with chronic...
2026 Hyperacusis Research Grant Awarded to Bshara Awwad
The recipient of our next Hyperacusis Research research grant is Bshara Awwad, Ph.D.! Dr. Awwad, a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Polley Lab for Auditory Neuroscience at Harvard Medical School, will be researching auditory-limbic circuit dynamics as therapeutic targets in...
Register for our Research Webinar on October 21, 2025
Update following the webinar: HHF has published a summary of the webinar in their Winter 2026 magazine, read it here Please join us on Tuesday, October 21, at 7:00 pm Eastern Time / 4:00 pm Pacific Time for our Research Webinar, which will be held via Zoom. There is...
A Letter to ‘Dr. Payne,’ the Audiologist Who Made My Hyperacusis Worse
Reprinted with permission from The Mighty. Dear Audiologist: I know you think the squeaky door in your office is no big deal. I would have thought so too, until the rock concert that wrecked my ears and caused my hyperacusis. I don’t know how to make you understand...
Interview with Marsha Johnson, Au.D. “A toothache in your ear — the pain is severe and incapacitating”
Marsha Johnson, Au.D., an audiologist in private practice in Portland, Oregon, opened the Oregon Tinnitus & Hyperacusis Treatment Clinic in 1997. Here, Dr. Johnson — one of the first clinicians to recognize pain hyperacusis as distinct from loudness hyperacusis —...