RELAXATION CDs and CASSETTE TAPES
This is printed as part of a series of occasional papers produced by
BIRMINGHAM & DISTRICT TINNITUS GROUP
presenting a variety of points to
offer information and support for our members
Compiled by Eileen Hewitson, Deputy Chairman, B&DTG
By
special request I have recorded a Relaxation CD for the group.
This CD has been produced by the Birmingham & District Tinnitus
Group, a self-help group established in 1981 set up to offer
support, information and advice to tinnitus sufferers and their
families. I have taught relaxation to patients with tinnitus,
balance and hearing problems at City Hospital, Birmingham and
ran training courses for health professionals to teach
relaxation to their patients and clients. My hearing loss and
tinnitus started in my twenties.
Non-members
click here to order
I am also often asked to recommend a Relaxation tape or CD. Although
it is you alone who allows your body to relax, there is no doubt
that an outside voice can direct and keep you focussed on your
relaxation. There are well-tried sources that provide relaxation
tapes (and increasingly just CDs) and these are listed below.
However, I thought it might be a good idea to cast the net a
little wider, so I did a search on the Internet.
A request for pages offering Relaxation Cassette Tapes in the UK
provided a list of 2,470 websites and all within 0.05 seconds!
Obviously there are plenty of organisations out there that
produce relaxation exercises. The difficulty comes in finding
out whether the content and format is right for you. You have to
decide whether you prefer a man’s or a woman’s voice; whether
you want background music or not; whether you want the
relaxation to last for 10, 20 or 30 minutes.
Some of the companies offered demonstrations over the Internet
but I was unable to access the couple I tried. It is nice,
however, to have a variety of formats as you may well find that
some suit one occasion more than another.
Below, in alphabetical order, is the list of suppliers who
have proved reliable over many years, and the CD/ tapes they
supply at the moment:
Aleph One Limited, The Old Courthouse, Bottisham,
Cambridge CB5 9BA. Telephone 01223 811679, e-mail
info@aleph1.co.uk,
Website www.aleph1.co.uk
A range of tapes from the Lifeskills series by Dr Robert Sharpe.
Most popular is Relax and Enjoy It (now only on CD); on
cassette is Control Your Tension and Sleep Well £10.00
for the first, £19.00 if 2 are ordered.
Royal National Institute for Deaf People, 19-23
Featherstone Street, London EC1Y 8SL. RNID Information Line 0808
808 0123, Website:
www.rnid.org.uk
RNID sells three CDs to help people with tinnitus relax. They
have all been recommended by people with tinnitus. Contact the
RNID Information Line to order any of the following:
Pure Calm Tranquil music to help you drift calmly away
from everyday problems.
Ultimate Relaxation TV Doctor Hilary Jones talks about
the signs of stress and why we get stress. He then takes you
through two practical exercises to help you meditate and relax
your muscles.
Sea and Garden takes you through two simple relaxation
journeys (female voice).
All are available on CD - price £11.99.
Stresswise, PO Box 5, Congleton, Cheshire CW12 1XE
Telephone 01260 274294
e-mail
stresswise@talk21.com, Website
www.stresswise.co.uk
Stresswise Relaxation Tape – two 15 minute relaxation
sessions £7.50 (includes 10 Biodots which measure how well you
are relaxing.
The following have been recommended by our members:
Diviniti Publishing produce tapes which may help with
depression and tinnitus:
* Deep Sleep Every Night/Lucid Dreams For Problem Solving
* Develop Your Self Confidence/Confidence In Company
* Always Think Positively/Create A More Positive Future
* Develop Your Self Esteem/Believe In Yourself
* Develop A Powerful Memory/Develop Your Concentration
The tapes are £8.95 and the CDs £11.95. They are available at
most large bookstores, such as Waterstones or over the Internet
on www.hypnosisaudio.com
Thorson Audio supplies Principles of Meditation by
Christina Feldman Price £8.99 + £1.00 p&p. The 90-minute
tape includes the five main types of meditative practice and a
series of exercises to improve and enhance your meditation
skills. It can be ordered from:
Thorsons Audio, Harper Collins Mail Order, Harper Collins
Publishers, Westerhill Road, Bishopbriggs, Glasgow G64 2QT
Telephone 0141 772 3200
If you would like to have a background sound and guide
yourself in your relaxation, there are other types of recording
:
British Tinnitus Association produce the CD Surf of Deal
Beach at a cost of £7.50 inc. p&p. Please make cheques payable
to British Tinnitus Association and send to :
BTA, Ground Floor Unit 5, Acorn Business Park, Woodseats Close,
Sheffield, S8 0TB. Freephone 0800 018 0527. Office Line 0114 350
9933. Website:
www.tinnitus.org.uk (Also available at our general meetings)
Hull Tinnitus Group have produced Sea Shore Sounds which
is a recording of water lapping in the Solway Firth. CDs and
tapes can be obtained from HUSH c/o 109 Southella Way, Kirkella,
Hull, HU10 7LZ. Telephone 01482 656033 Email
hush@btinternet.com, CD
£6, Tapes £5 including P & P. They are also in the process of
producing a DVD called “River and Sea - Scenes of Moving Water”.
This is primarily aimed at those with a profound hearing loss,
but others have found it very helpful and relaxing as well. At
the moment there is no specific charge, although a donation is
most welcome.
Please do check first that the recording is still available
and that the cost has not changed and if you experience any
problems, I would like to know. If anyone can recommend any CD
or tape, please get in touch and share your experience. Many
thanks.
Reviewed May 2008, amended October 2009
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