Kaya Calm: Misophonia Relief

Mariusz Kociubinski

About this app

**The First App Built for Misophonia**

Research shows 5–18% of adults have clinically significant misophonia (Swedo et al., 2022; Dixon et al., 2024). Living with it means your nervous system treats everyday sounds — chewing, breathing, pen clicking — as threats. The rage, panic, and disgust you feel aren't choices. They're your fight-or-flight response being hijacked.

Kaya Calm: Misophonia Relief gives you a practical tool to fight back. Our breathing exercises directly activate your parasympathetic nervous system — the body's natural counter to the fight-or-flight response that triggers produce.

**Why Breathing Works for Misophonia**

Neuroimaging research (Kumar et al., 2017) shows that misophonia trigger sounds hyperactivate the anterior insular cortex and amygdala. The 2024 action-perception model (Berger, Gander & Kumar) further confirms aberrant motor-cortex and insula pathways drive the fight-or-flight response — the same response you'd experience facing a physical threat.

Controlled breathing is one of the fastest ways to interrupt this response:

**Focus Breathing** – 1:2 inhale-to-exhale ratio for maximum parasympathetic activation
**Coherence Breathing** – Builds vagal tone to reduce trigger reactivity over time
**Box Breathing** – Counting pattern occupies working memory, redirecting attention from triggers
**Tranquility** – Deep asymmetric pattern for post-trigger recovery

**Real Human Voice — Not Robotic Sounds**

This matters for misophonia. Many people with sound sensitivity find synthetic beeps and robotic audio irritating. Every exercise is guided by a warm, natural human voice. Just close your eyes, listen, and breathe.

**When to Use It**
• **During meals with family** — the most common trigger situation
• **Open office or shared spaces** — keyboard clicking, pen tapping, sniffling
• **Partner breathing at night** — lower your arousal before bed
• **Public transport** — enclosed spaces with unavoidable sounds
• **Before a known trigger situation** — pre-regulate to raise your threshold
• **After a trigger episode** — bring your nervous system back to baseline faster

**Key Features**

**Real Human Voice Guidance** – Natural voice, not synthetic sounds that could trigger you
**Science-Based Exercises** – Parasympathetic nervous system activation backed by peer-reviewed research
**Personalized Pace** – Adjust speed, duration, and intensity to match your comfort level
**Progressive Training** – Gradually deepen your practice with adaptive settings
**Mood Check-ins** – Track your trigger intensity before and after sessions
**Reflective Prompts** – Misophonia-specific reflections like "What sound didn't bother you today?"
**Track Your Progress** – Streaks, achievements, and session history
**Offline Support** – Practice anywhere, no internet required
**No Ads, No Distractions** – Nothing to irritate you further

**Build Long-Term Resilience**

What’s new

White Noise support added.