AIT Shows Success in Fighting Depression

Al's Story

Al McC. is fifty-four years old. He has undergone important changes in his life since his treatment with AIT. In an interview after receiving AIT, he realized that he had always been "hyper-auditory", and he believes that this has caused many of his problems. He described himself as having characteristics of Attention Deficit Disorder, but that was not his motivating reason to try AIT.

Al was in psychoanalysis for ten years. He says that it was an extremely helpful, rewarding, difficult, and lifesaving experience. His story begins with a painful childhood in which his father, who as an alcoholic, abused and abandoned his children and Al's mother. Al's mother was rarely home, as she had to earn money to take care of Al and his three siblings. Al says that after many years of successful therapy he reached a point where he found he was "stuck". His therapist referred him to a local psychiatrist who recommended medication for depression. He was given two medications, which Al says did seem to help, but after about a year he was still struggling with his depression. His therapist then suggested that he be evaluated for Auditory Integration Training. At this time, Al underwent an assessment which included a hearing test and was told that on the basis of the test results, he was a good candidate for the treatment and showed evidence of what is known as a "depressive personality."

About two weeks after completing the first treatment of AIT, Al decided that he was feeling so much better that he did not need or want to take the prescribed medications anymore. He contacted his prescribing psychiatrist who told him that he was putting himself at risk and that he should accept that he would need to be on medication probably for the rest of his life. Al decided to take himself off of these medications anyway; he did so slowly and carefully.

Al noted that not only had his depression lifted but that headaches he had been plagued by stopped. He had much more energy and could work much better and with greater concentration. Al felt better; he was more relaxed and not as irritable. His then wife noticed he was easier to be with and seemed to take more initiative, that he would follow through better with work and projects around the house. She said, "It's like having a whole new husband!"

Al has said over and over that he is much "happier, more relaxed, and no longer depressed". Al described the sensation of the way the AIT felt during a session was like that of an "inner ear massage", which was very soothing to his sense of hearing and well-being.

Al McC. is a strong advocate for AIT as a treatment that works for adults as well as children. Indeed, Al feels excited about the evaluation process itself, stating that it can determine in advance whether a person is a good candidate or not for AIT. He said that anyone who thinks that they might have an issue that can be helped by AIT should consider spending the money it costs to have the evaluation and be assessed to learn if they can benefit from AIT.