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
 

I am 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

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