by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.
Over the past few years I have been conducting a large-scale study of people who experience Musical Ear Syndrome (MES). To date I have collected the stories of more than 1,500 people.
As time permits, I have been compiling and analyzing the vast amount of information collected in order to learn more about MES.
Recently I totally rewrote the article “Musical Ear Syndrome, The Phantom Voices, Ethereal Music & Other Spooky Sounds Many Hard of Hearing People Secretly Experience” that I originally posted on the Center’s website back in 2005.
In this first major update to this article, I have incorporated some of the preliminary results from this research project. This better helps us all understand exactly what MES is, the characteristics of people with MES, some common triggers of MES and a number of things people can do to help bring their MES under control. You can read this updated article here.
Interestingly enough, there has been a surge of interest in the subject of MES this past year. As a result, my book on Musical Ear Syndrome, called Phantom Voices, Ethereal Music & Other Spooky Sounds is now my best-selling book—for the first time knocking Ototoxic Drugs Exposed out of the first place position it has consistently held for the past number of years. If you want to learn even more about MES, you can order this book from the Center’s website.
Hello DR.
I have had Tinnitus since 2011, sometimes very faint, and at other times like in the next room!
My Theory consists of the following:
Your Mind Records everything you experience, and there is an application, that allows you to hear an instantaneous copy of the last recording of any song we have experienced, and we only have to think of it and it will begin to play, in our minds theatre.
I believe, the Neuro Spinal Fluid, that surrounds our brain, is an Electronic transmission mixture, and some charged particles, bouncing of a memory archive Lobe, will trigger the contents of the sound in that memory archive, in much the same manner, as Dr. Wilder Penfields, “Heritage Moment” (Dr. I smell Toast Burning)
Dear Neil, you and I had an exchange about my Musical Ear Syndrome i 2016. It still continues. In large shops usually with a high ceiling. Christmas songs. When I leave the shops, the music and the singing stop. At one store I hears Silent Night and when I returned to that shop, it started again. At another store I kept hearing a Trinidad Christmas tune, for months. A few days ago at a pool where I do water exercises, we were singing Happy Birthday for a fellow and afterward, in the dressing room, I hear Happy Birthday over and over until I left the dressing room. I do not have the MES when I am outside those buildings and also never at home.
Ilka PS I do have hearing aids but I did not have them in. However, once I had them in and was at the store where I heard the Trinidad Christmas song, I still heard it.
Hi Ilka:
Based on the above, I really wonder whether you have true Musical Ear Syndrome. It sounds more like you have audio pareidolia since your music is so location specific. With audio pareidolia, your brain turns a continuous background sound into music and/or speech.
Maybe you are hearing a soft sound such as air conditioning, fans, etc. that your brain always interprets as music. What I find interesting is that you always get the same song in a given store. But when you go out of the store and shut the door, the music instantly goes away and if you open the door and go in, there is the music. That sure sounds like audio pareidolia.
Have you read my article on the subject at https://hearinglosshelp.com/blog/apophenia-audio-pareidolia-and-musical-ear-syndrome/ ?
Cordially,
Neil
My mother, Millie, is 93 yrs old. She has been a pianist/organist since she was 4 yrs old. She plays by ear and reads music! She was amazing and recently had to quit playing for church and Sunday school because of her great hearing loss. Her hearing aids hardly help anymore. The audiologist says her damage is too great. She started having MES about a year ago. It is 24/7. She slept one hour last night! HELP!!! She had COVID Sept of 2021; got both Phizer vaccines prior to that. Her health has diminished since COVID. Thank you!!!
Hi Lynn:
I understand her situation. My hearing aids don’t help much either any more. But I do find that using various assistive listening devices makes all the difference.
If your mom is in good health, she may want to investigate getting a cochlear implant so she can hear again. Has she considered that?
Is she worried about the MES and what she hears? Is the music she hears pleasant? Some people actually enjoy their MES music. Of course, others hate it and want to get rid of it.
When did the MES appear in relation to her getting COVID and to getting the shots? There could well be a connection there.
Cordially,
Neil