Can We Still Hear Each Other? Reflections from TRI Berlin 2026 by audiologist and artist Dyon Scheijen. From the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe to a noisy congress ballroom, this personal essay explores hearing, tinnitus research, acoustics, science, art and human connection. What happens when we look beyond disciplines and truly listen to one another? A story about breaking down walls and rediscovering the human experience behind hearing.

The lady came to my consultation with severe tinnitus complaints (ringing in the ears). Beforehand, her husband had written a personal, handwritten letter to me, in which he indicated that his wife is illiterate and requested me in advance to avoid this subject during the conversation. The letter conveyed so much love and devotion. Between the lines, I also read the struggle and sorrow that low literacy had cost them for years. In our conversation, while I explained tinnitus

What if tinnitus is not only about the sound we hear, but also about what the brain does with it and what it means in a person's life? After more than 25 years in clinical audiology, and following my presentation at TRI 2026 Berlin, I reflect on The Hearing Triptych: Sound, Brain and Human Experience.

Wat begon als een tweeluik tijdens een kunstresidentie in San Diego in 2013, groeide jaren later uit tot een monumentaal drieluik voor Frank en Maja. Tijdens dit creatieve proces ontstond ook The Hearing Triptych: een manier om gehoor te begrijpen vanuit geluid, brein en mens. Dit verhaal laat zien hoe kunst, audiologie, akoestiek en menselijke ervaring elkaar kunnen versterken. Een reis van doek naar denkkader, van San Diego naar Berlijn.

At the moment, an interesting discussion is taking place in the Netherlands about sound levels at live concerts. Earlier this week, Blaudzun and OORMERK experimented with deliberately lowering the sound level during a concert at the Melkweg in Amsterdam. The ambition was clear and, in my view, very valuable: can we create a live music experience at lower sound levels, while maintaining the quality and impact of the music? As a clinical physicist-audiologist, I strongly welcom

Wat als je zelf in het derde paneel terechtkomt? In dit persoonlijke essay verbindt Dyon Scheijen tinnituszorg, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, kunst en wetenschap in The Hearing Triptych: Physics, Brain en Human Experience. Over psychologische flexibiliteit, overbelasting, dementie, menselijkheid en de vraag wat herstel werkelijk betekent. Soms is niet méér draagkracht nodig, maar minder belasting — en opnieuw leren wortelen.

Waarom zijn prachtige open woonruimtes soms zo vermoeiend om in te luisteren? Klinisch fysicus-audioloog en kunstenaar Dyon Scheijen verbindt gehoor, akoestiek, kunst en menselijk contact. Over 50+ horen, luisterinspanning, gehoord worden, herstel en hoe akoestisch absorberende kunst schoonheid en beter verstaan samenbrengt. Where Art Meets Science.

Inspired by the TRI Conference Berlin 2026 theme, Jump the Wall – Discover and Uncover Gaps, this perspective connects tinnitus science with lived human experience. The Hearing Triptych integrates Sound, Brain and Human Experience, while the Glass Metaphor reframes rehabilitation: not only reducing the burden of tinnitus, but also increasing a person’s capacity to live meaningfully despite persistent symptoms.

The Hearing Triptych | Sound · Brain · Human Experience | A scientific framework for understanding tinnitus and low-frequency sound | Where art meets science LFG Handbook Essay 10 Communication with residents and patients Listening beyond the sound Reports of low-frequency sound often begin with an experience. Someone hears a hum, a thud, or a vibration that seems difficult to explain. Sometimes the sound is present mainly at night. Sometimes it seems to be continuously prese

The Hearing Triptych | Sound · Brain · Human Experience | A scientific framework for understanding tinnitus and low-frequency sound | Where art meets science LFG Handbook Essay 9 Collaboration between disciplines Why low-frequency sound is not a single-discipline field Reports of low-frequency noise often bring together various disciplines. Technical experts investigate potential sources and measure sound signals. Medical professionals examine hearing function and possible he

The Hearing Triptych | Sound · Brain · Human Experience | A scientific framework for understanding tinnitus and low-frequency sound | Where art meets science LFG Handbook Essay 8 A step-by-step approach to low-frequency sound From signal to human experience Reports of low-frequency noise often place professionals in a complex situation. Residents experience nuisance that sometimes seems difficult to explain with technical measurements alone. At the same time, professionals wi

The Hearing Triptych | Sound · Brain · Human Experience | A scientific framework for understanding tinnitus and low-frequency sound | Where art meets science LFG Handbook Essay 7 Das Glas der Lebensakzeptanz - The Glass of Life's Acceptance Carrying capacity and the experience of sound When people are bothered by a sound, they often look at the sound itself first. How loud is it? Where does it come from? How often does it occur? Although these questions are important, practic

The Hearing Triptych | Sound · Brain · Human Experience | A scientific framework for understanding tinnitus and low-frequency sound | Where art meets science LFG Handbook Essay 6 Attention and meaning: why a sound sometimes becomes increasingly emphatic Imagine you are sitting in a room with a clock on the wall. The clock has been ticking the whole time, but usually you hardly notice it. The sound fades into the background of your perception, as it were. But as soon as someon

The Hearing Triptych | Sound · Brain · Human Experience | A scientific framework for understanding tinnitus and low-frequency sound | Where art meets science LFG Handbook Essay 5 Why some people hear it and others don't One of the questions that almost always arises in reports of low-frequency noise is why some people perceive the sound clearly while others in the same environment hardly notice anything. For residents, this can be particularly frustrating. When a sound is per

The Hearing Triptych | Sound · Brain · Human Experience | A scientific framework for understanding tinnitus and low-frequency sound | Where art meets science LFG Handbook Essay 4 Sound and the brain: how the auditory system gives meaning to sound When people talk about sound, they often think of the ear first. The ear picks up sound waves, converts them into electrical signals, and transmits them to the brain. From this perspective, hearing seems like a relatively simple proc

Als wetenschap wordt gebruikt om hoop te verkopen, moeten we extra kritisch blijven. In deze blog reflecteert klinisch fysicus-audioloog Dyon Scheijen op nieuwe tinnitusbehandelingen, placebo-effecten en de rol van commerciële belangen. Wanneer wordt onderzoek gebruikt om kennis te vergroten en wanneer vooral om vertrouwen te creëren? Een persoonlijk en kritisch pleidooi voor eerlijke zorg, duidelijke communicatie en het beschermen van patiënten tegen valse hoop.

The Hearing Triptych | Sound · Brain · Human Experience | A scientific framework for understanding tinnitus and low-frequency sound | Where art meets science LFG Handbook Essay 3 The Hearing Triptych applied to low-frequency sound In the preceding essays, it was described how research into low-frequency sound often begins with measurements and analysis of the physical sound signal. At the same time, practice shows that measurements do not always fully explain why certain soun

The Hearing Triptych | Sound · Brain · Human Experience | A scientific framework for understanding tinnitus and low-frequency sound | Where art meets science LFG Handbook Essay 2 Why low-frequency sound measurements often differ One of the most striking observations in research into low-frequency sound is that measurements do not always yield the same result. Professionals working with LFG recognize situations where multiple measurements are taken in the same room, sometimes

Low-frequency noise (LFN) is one of the most complex noise issues of our time. People experience nuisance, sleep disturbance, stress, and a sense of powerlessness, while measurements do not always provide a clear answer. It is precisely this tension between what we measure and what people experience that makes low-frequency noise so challenging. This handbook brings together insights from: audiology physics neuropsychology ACT communication human experience Based on the convi