Introduction: tinnitus rehabilitation by retraining instead of treatment; how to use this book. Understanding tinnitus: I hear ringing in my ears. What is tinnitus? Is there help?; anatomy and function of the ear; information theory of hearing - from the sound wave to understanding; central processing of acoustic information - hearing, perception and sensation; our organ senses work without interruption, flooding our brain with data; the acoustic short-term memory; civilization and stress; tinnitus theories - how does tinnitus come about?; what are the medical causes of tinnitus? I have tinnitus - what can I do?: evaluation; information; counselling and treatment plan; support. The effects of tinnitus: tinnitus rarely occurs alone - problems associated with tinnitus; the question of meaning - is tinnitus a psychosomatic disorder?; prognosis - the fear of things getting worse; insurance issues. Modern tinnitus theory as a basis to overcome tinnitus: how the brain works - hardware and software; modern tinnitus theory; how does modern tinnitus theory apply to me? Therapy: the fundamentals of tinnitus therapy - passive and active methods; preliminary remarks for assessing tinnitus therapies - why are there so many divergent opinions?; measuring the success of tinnitus therapy; summary and outlook; early and late treatment of tinnitus; commonly used drugs against tinnitus; tinnitus treatment without medication; masking methods; therapies offered by naturopaths; two different pathways - treatment attempts or rehabilitation. The modern rehabilitation programme for tinnitus: fundamentals of modern tinnitus rehabilitation; what does a rehabilitation programme involve?; results of rehabilitation programmes; additional methods. Appendices: simple medical tinnitus questionnaire; questions frequently asked by tinnitus sufferers.