In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

300 14 Therapeutic Issues with Recipients of Cochlear Implants DALE V. ATKINS Acknowledging that one hears differently is a long and difficult process that no one, aside from others experiencing the same situation, may fully understand. Professionals need to be acutely aware of this before, during, and after providing services to any such client. Even therapists who are deaf or hard of hearing may not have exactly the same experiences as their clients, though they may have at least some similar experiences. During the past few decades, there have been significant improvements in the technology related to cochlear implantation (CI).1 As a result, more people with severe to profound deafness are choosing to become CI recipients with the generalized hope of improving their ability to hear and experiencing a different quality of life. This chapter presents information on certain socioemotional aspects of the lives of some of the adults I interviewed, including psychotherapy clients in my practice, who received CIs. I have talked with individuals and families who considered cochlear implantation when it was thought of as “experimental,” with people who had implants 25 years ago, and with those who considered becoming recipients within the last few years and even within the previous few months. I changed names and specific identifying information for reasons of confidentiality. I informed the interviewees that I was writing a chapter about people who received CIs as adults and the ways the device has or has not met expectations (and everything in between), changed and/or affected their lives with particular emphasis on the social and emotional aspects of their experience . I asked them to describe factors influencing whether they experienced the type of improvement in their ability to communicate as they had hoped, and if they experienced changes in their personal well-being. I also asked them to share what they learned about themselves and others, what advice they received, and what advice they would give to others. Common threads and valuable truths exist within each 1. A cochlear implant (CI) is an electronic device that bypasses nonfunctional hair cells in the cochlea and directly stimulates the auditory nerve in order to provide sound. During this process, sounds are picked up by a microphone and turned into an electrical signal, which is then sent to a speech processor (worn either on the body or the ear) where it is “coded” or turned into a special pattern of electrical pulses. These pulses are sent to the coil or headpiece and transmitted across the skin by radio waves to the CI. The CI sends a pattern of electrical pulses to the electrodes on the electrode array implanted within the cochlea. The auditory nerve picks up the tiny electrical pulses and sends them to the brain, which recognizes these signals as sound. For more information, refer to http://www.uihealthcare.com/depts/med/otolaryngology/clinics/ cochlearimplant/whatiscochlearimplant.html. Therapeutic Issues with Recipients of Cochlear Implants 301 narrative that will help readers better understand the variations of intellectual and socioemotional responses related to factors such as surgery, expectations, technology, outcomes, relationships, roles, and the unexpected positive and negative issues recipients encountered along the way. Most of the interviewees were pleased with the decision to have one (or in some cases two) CIs. For Charlene, a 46-year-old professional woman who grew up with limited hearing that deteriorated as an adult, “it was the best and most amazing decision I have ever made for myself; even though all of my hopes have not been met, it changed my life positively.” Andy, a 41-year-old systems analyst, says: “the jury is still out regarding whether this has been more positive than negative. I am not at all convinced that going through this many surgeries has been worth it. I knew I was taking a risk, but neither the doctors nor I had any idea that I would have so many significant problems requiring me to have multiple complications and surgeries.” Some people became deaf as adults either due to a progressive loss or a sudden loss resulting from disease, medication, or injury. Their decision to receive a CI was made without any history of associating with other deaf peers, and they entered this world most reluctantly, sometimes after a close brush with death because what caused their hearing loss could have killed them. Their initial responses about being grateful to be alive sometimes became clouded by the reality of living without hearing. Others were deaf from birth...

Share