The Misophonia Podcast

This week I’m talking to Pia Watson. Pia is an actor, artist, and body-mind transpersonal therapist currently in Mexico City and about to move to London. We talk about her experience with misophonia, autism, ADHD, and autistic burnout, and how all of those layers can heighten sensory overwhelm. Pia shares early memories of trying to escape teeth grinding on family vacations, hiding in a closet as...

This week I’m talking to Lila, again! This is Lila’s third time on the podcast. And we meet her at yet another transformation. She shares her journey from being a touring musician to becoming a clinical hypnotherapist. She discusses her personal struggles with misophonia and how hypnotherapy has changed her life. Our discussion delves into the healing process, the importance of trust in therapy, a...

This week I'm talking to B about navigating misophonia from childhood through their twenties and into their thirties. We talk about those early memories—kicking the back of their dad's truck seat during long drives, the anxiety of asking for accommodations, and how substance abuse became a way to cope when triggers felt unbearable. B shares how they've learned to be more direct abou...

This week I'm talking to Los Angeles actors and filmmakers Lorin and Eric Davis about Lorin’s experience with misophonia and how it shaped their new short film. Lorin shares how her sound triggers—especially crinkling bags, rummaging noises, and even typing—show up in daily life, and how she’s learned to cope through hot yoga, silence breaks, sleep, and masking sounds. The couple also discuss...

I'm honored to speak with Steve and Diane Miller, the incredible couple behind the Misophonia Research Fund. When their daughter Rachel started being triggered by their voices and chewing about nine years ago, they didn't just try to cope, they redirected their entire family foundation to fund misophonia research. They've basically built the field from the ground up, now funding doz...

In this episode, I speak with Fay, a Los Angeles-based multimedia artist, actor, and filmmaker who's working on a comedy-horror short film about misophonia. Diagnosed with severe misophonia along with autism, ADHD, fibromyalgia, and several other conditions, Faye considers misophonia one of the most disabling things she deals with daily. We discuss her creative approach to raising awareness t...

This week I’m talking to Michelle, an animator and 3D artist based in Malta—one of the most population-dense places in Europe. After discovering her misophonia and realizing how Malta's constant noise amplified her struggles, Michelle channeled her experience into an immersive art project. Working with a local focus group of people with misophonia, she created a short animated film designed t...

This week I’m talking to Michael, a 70-year-old retired software engineer who experienced a remarkable breakthrough with his lifelong misophonia. After hearing episode 218 with Sarah Barrick about memory reconsolidation, and following a painful breakup that motivated him to seek help, Michael worked with a therapist using EMDR and memory reconsolidation. Through this process, he uncovered a trauma...

This week I talk with Gabriel, a 45-year-old marketing professional from Western Montana. Gabriel shares his lifelong experience with misophonia that started around age five or six, primarily triggered by eating sounds from those closest to him—his parents, wife, and kids. We talk about growing up with a child psychologist father who tried to help through exposure therapy, the decades of shame and...

This week I talk with Esty, from the UK. Esty reflects on growing up in a large religious community in London, where misophonia first surfaced around age 10. She shares how isolation at family meals, a lack of understanding at home and school, and later an autism diagnosis shaped her experience. We discuss her decision to leave the community, move to a quiet farm, and how solitude has been both pr...

This week I talk with Beverly, a Feldenkrais practitioner from Southern California. Beverly reflects on growing up as the youngest of five in a loud Midwestern household, and how misophonia shaped her early experiences of family dynamics, school, and self-image. We explore her struggles in open workspaces—especially during her years at Facebook—and the breaking point that led her to discover the F...

This week I talk with Andy, a production supervisor from Lexington, Kentucky. Andy shares how misophonia shows up in both his personal and professional life, and how emotional intelligence has become essential in his role. We talk about growing up in a large, close-knit, homeschooled family, and how misophonia shaped his early experiences. Andy opens up about past struggles with therapy—particular...

Today we’re reconnecting with a guest who many of you will remember from one of our most popular episodes a couple of years ago. Sara Barrick, formerly Sara Bidler, has returned to share more of her invaluable insights. Since we last spoke, Sara has published her book "Demystifying Misophonia," which I highly recommend to all our listeners. As a licensed marriage and family therapist spe...

Jo works in project management for the NHS in the UK. Jo’s greatest miso issue currently is her noisy apartment which has exacerbated her condition, leading to a lot of stress and frustration. Jo reflects on her childhood, particularly her relationship with her father, who has OCD and is a noisy person. She reflects on the challenges of navigating work environments, social connections, and family...

In the second episode of the series "Between Two Ears", I share my recent trip to Iowa City to participate in a groundbreaking misophonia research study led by Dr. Sukhbinder Kumar — a continuation of his earlier work on mirror neurons and the motor basis of misophonia. This new study explores the social context of trigger reactions and involved time in an MRI chamber while exposed to co...

Stacy is an accomplished brand and creative strategist whose journey with misophonia began long before the condition even had a name. Stacy takes us through her early experiences participating in a college study on sound sensitivity back in the 1980s, her lifelong struggle with certain trigger sounds—especially from her mother—and how these experiences shaped her personal and professional life. St...

Carlie is up in northern Alberta, of the great independent nation of Canada. Carlie shares her personal misophonia journey, her experiences with therapy through the years, and her path to self-discovery and understanding her neurodivergence. She highlights the importance of nervous system regulation, the impact of trauma, and the need for supportive environments in managing misophonia. We talk abo...

I'm excited to have Dr. Lauren Harte-Hargrove, executive director of the Misophonia Research Fund (MRF). We talk about this fund’s origins, and the evolution of research around misophonia. We start by getting a little into her background in neuroscience and her transition to the nonprofit sector. About the MRF and current research talk about some current focus areas of research, including the...

Dr. Jaelline Jaffe is one of the most experienced therapists working with people with misophonia, over on the west coast. Jaelline shares her journey from teaching to becoming a therapist specializing in misophonia. We talk about a ton of things, the importance of family support and school accommodations and we get into her own protocol for approaching misophonia that incorporate cognitive behavio...

Meagan is an actress based in San Diego. Meagan shares her personal journey with misophonia as a wife and mother of 3, including her experiences with therapy and self-regulation techniques. She discusses Image Transformational Therapy (ImTT) that has provided Meagan with significant relief from her symptoms from 10 to about a 2. We get into the neurological aspects of sound sensitivity, childhood...

This week I’m talking to Alex from beautiful Victoria, British Columbia. Alex shares her lifelong journey with misophonia, which began at age 11 amid a turbulent home life. She opens up about how her sensitivity to sounds, especially during family meals, became tied to a need to escape overwhelming emotions. Through therapy, Alex discovered how these triggers were linked to deeper childhood trauma...

Kathryn runs an ecology non-profit in southern Oregon. She shares her journey with misophonia, particularly how it has impacted her life as a parent. She reflects on her childhood experiences with sound sensitivity, the lack of understanding from those around her, and how her relationship with her husband has provided a supportive environment. We talk about the impact of misophonia on her relation...

Imbi is an author who came to my attention earlier this year when she published her novel “Kind Of, Sort Of, Maybe, But Probably Not”, which features a lead character who has misophonia. Imbi shares her experiences with misophonia, discussing how it affects her daily life, relationships, and creative pursuits. She emphasizes the importance of communication with loved ones about her sensitivities a...

In this experimental episode, we're talking about a new AI research platform I am developing that blends scientific literature, lived experience on the podcast, and questions and comments from the community. You can learn more about the details and some research proposals it has generated at https://misophoniapodcast.com/research . In this episode, I take it a step further and use AI to gener...

This week I have two guests, Tressi and Brooklyn Disch. Brooklyn you may know has Brooklyn Disch who is a misophonia coach and has all kinds of resources on her website (link below). Tressi has worked with Brooklyn and has also published a book which is a fictionalization of many of her experiences living with misophonia. Both guests discuss the challenges they faced growing up, the lack of unders...