Tackling misophonia holistically and from an artistic background, the workshop ‘Listening with Misophonia‘ teaches methods of conscious listening. The aim is to deal with the disorder actively and constructively so that those affected can react more calmly and reflect on what happens when they are triggered.
Misophonia usually begins in childhood and is characterised by sometimes violent reactions to certain sounds that are perceived as attacks.
For me, triggers such as whispering, a certain tone of voice when people are talking on the phone in public, or situations where children are playing have occasionally caused stress of varying intensity.
However, when I learned in 2021 that I was affected by misophonia, I no longer felt helpless in the face of such noise attacks and was able to react more calmly in triggering situations.
The ability to do this seems to me to be based on a form of conscious listening and would thus be a concrete implementation of composer R. Murray Schafer’s suggestion to reflect on the circumstances associated with sounds. The founder of the soundscape movement promoted listening as a source of knowledge – as did composer Pauline Oliveros with her concept of deep listening.
A grant from Berlin-based Musikfonds e.V. for summer/autumn 2022 enabled me to learn more about misophonia. To find out whether others can also improve their coping with this disorder, I developed a workshop programme consisting of six units. It provides new perspectives on the topic of listening, offers material for further reading or listening, and encourages practice.
Topics
Pauline Oliveros’ ideas about deep listening
If you don’t like a sound, listen closely!
The concept of soundscapes
Meditating on sound
When the world turns into a sound installation
An introduction to receptive music therapy