Misophonia & Mortal Sin?

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LilyW84

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Hi everyone, I am wondering if I am in a state of mortal sin or not!
I have a disorder called Misophonia. I have had it since I was a little girl and it is literally a “hatred of sound.” For me, it is the sound of lips smacking! And when I hear the noise, it puts me in a state of rage. I don’t act out in front of people…most people have no idea I even have this disorder. Only my family knows. But when I hear the noise I have to leave the room and go some where by myself and I cannot control my rage. I cry and beg God to make it stop (quietly) and sometimes I box my own ears:( This only happens when I completely lose it and it only lasts for a few seconds before I come to my senses and I’m begging God for forgiveness. I never really hurt myself…I just get lost in that rage feeling that comes with the sound. I hate it!

This happened to me this past sunday (Divine Mercy) and I was wondering if it is considered a mortal sin and if I need to confess it before receiving communion again. I definitely can’t control it. I have tried so many times. But I did get physical with myself for a couple of seconds before I settled down.

Thank you for any help!
 
Having an illness is not a sin. Something that you cannot control is not a sin. If this is a problem for you, you should be seeking treatment.
 
I’d never heard of misophonia until this moment, but from what you say, I’m sure it can’t possibly be a sin. It seems to be something in the nature of an allergy. What does your doctor say?
 
I understand - I also have misophonia. Horrible, misunderstood syndrome. It’s not a sin to become angry, and you don’t take out your anger on anyone else. Try to be kinder to yourself. Hitting yourself is not going to solve anything.
 
I do not have that to your extent, but I understand, as even my ‘lighter’ version of it can be angering and frustrating.

In my situation, prayer has helped, and practice. Sometimes, the more I pray, the less I am able to hear the noise and distractions that torment me. If I focus on God, even silently praying a Hail Mary, Glory Be, or another prayer, it has helped drown out the offense. Not every time, sometimes not even very often, but it’s a success if I can skip that ‘rage’ even one time.

God has given me Grace at times to deal with it, and at other times, it’s a cross and burden that I bear. Other times, my head and every fiber of my being is going to explode and it’s all I can do not to snap on the person making the noise, be it in Church or anywhere else!

Try to give it to God; being as it is a physical condition (so to speak) it isn’t resolved that easily in general, but it can help. Offer it up to Him if you can.

In the meantime, would something medical help when you attend Mass or Prayers, or whatever situation this occurs in (lunch? dinner?) ? I prefer not to take a Xanax, but due to my conditions (at times in the past, I’ve had bad social anxiety, believe it or not), it helped me deal with it so that I could focus on what was truly important. If you had a migraine and needed medicine to deal with it so that you could function at Mass or with others, that is not a problem. This is NOT medical advice at ALL, but it could be something to visit with your doctor about.

Silly question, but: does lip smacking only occur during meals? That would be difficult; my issues with certain noises or distractions, especially at Mass or other social events, can be helped by positioning myself away from the noises that bother me the most.

Feel free to confess your frustration and anger; I would not think it was a mortal sin; look up the requirements for mortal sin (three?), and I do not think it meets them. However, a good confession never hurt anyone, and if you have any doubt, do not receive.

God bless you,
 
Goodness gracious me - there is a name for it! I’ve suffered from misophonia all my life, apparently. The sound of noisy eaters sends me round the twist. I had my children trained to eat quietly by the time they were 2. My man smacks his lips over grapes - just grapes, only grapes, and grapes are in season at the moment.

Certainly not a mortal sin - not even a venial sin - it is a disorder, and not a sin at all - unless you actually hit someone, I should think.

Meanwhile, I’d avoid Asian holidays - it is polite to slurp in China and Japan - and I get very, very upset in Asian restaurants.
 
Falco said:
Meanwhile, I’d avoid Asian holidays - it is polite to slurp in China and Japan - and I get very, very upset in Asian restaurants.
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Which is one reason I don’t go to Asian restaurants anymore! My other bad trigger is the hissing sound of people whispering. Which happens at every Mass. 😦

One thing I was advised to use is earplugs. Normal earplugs don’t work very well, so I finally bought some moldable earplugs. Pricey, but once I actually use them (procrastination has nothing to do with misophonia!) they should work better than the cheap kind. You can find them at sporting goods stores.
 
Thank you everyone for the replies and helpful suggestions! It is actually nice to get to hear from others who experience this. Makes me feel not so alone 🙂
ccmcmg, yes it is usually during mealtimes when it is the worst! Which does make it very difficult. I will take your advice and try to pray and offer it up to God first thing, before I go in to the “rage”.
I will also talk to my doctor about it and see if there is anything else that can be done.
 
Why should you seek treatment to cope with other people’s bad manners? What should be done is educate the WORLD in silent eating and GOOD MANNERS. They should use people like us as canaries in the coal mine, as alarms to indicate bad table manners. We should be honoured, not ridiculed, or told to seek treatment.
 
Falco said:
Why should you seek treatment to cope with other people’s bad manners?
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Because there is no way we can force others to change. We can only change ourselves.

God grant me the serenity
to accept the people
I cannot change,
the courage to change
the one I can,
and the wisdom to know
it’s me.
 
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