What are Vestibular Neuritis and Labyrinthitis?
Vestibular neuritis and labyrinthitis often follow a bug or infection that upsets the inner ear’s balance system. Neuritis mainly affects the balance nerve; labyrinthitis can also affect hearing, adding ringing (tinnitus) or ear fullness. The sudden mismatch between your inner ear and your brain’s expectations can trigger:
- Spinning vertigo or strong dizziness
- Nausea or vomiting, visual blurring, “brain fog”
- Imbalance/unsteadiness, especially when moving your head
- With labyrinthitis: hearing changes and/or tinnitus
Many people improve over days to weeks; for others, the “off” feeling hangs around longer. Medical teams (GPs, ENTs, vestibular clinicians) guide diagnosis and treatment. We don’t diagnose or treat infections we help with the mind–body recovery that follows.
Life after the acute phase
Even when the illness has passed, it’s common to feel:
Ongoing dizziness or wobbliness
Anxiety about movement, driving, or being far from home
Fear of “what if it hits again?”
Hesitation returning to work, exercise, or social life
Low mood, frustration, or lost confidence
A frequent story is: “My tests are fine, but I don’t feel steady inside yet.” That’s a nervous system still on guard very real, and re-trainable.
Why symptoms can linger
After a big vertigo event, the brain learns to over-check every movement and visual scene like a smoke alarm that now goes off for toast. You feel off → you brace and monitor → the alarm gets louder. Avoiding movement or busy places brings brief relief, but it teaches the system to stay afraid. Recovery is not willpower; it’s gentle retraining: clear understanding, calmer body signals, and tiny, repeatable steps back into normal life.
Our Approach (Mind–Body Support, Not Physio or Medical Care)
We work alongside your doctors/physios by addressing the emotional, cognitive, and nervous-system patterns that keep dizziness “turned up.”
Your support may include:
Education & self-understanding
What just happened to your balance system and why you still feel wobbly so fear drops and confidence grows.
Psychotherapy & hypnotherapy
Skills to soften catastrophising, reduce hyper-vigilance and bracing, and rebuild trust in movement and visuals.
Breathwork & nervous-system regulation
Practical tools (longer exhales, soft-gaze drills, pacing, wind-down routines) to turn the body’s alarm down.
Supportive counselling
Space to process the shock, grief and frustration, then design doable days that help you re-enter life.
Mind-body strategies
Gentle, graded re-entry: short head-turn practice, bite-size shop/screen exposures, sleep/nutrition anchors, light strength—steady over perfect.
We prioritise small wins you can repeat tomorrow. Consistency rewires faster than heroic pushes or total avoidance.
What progress looks like
- Less body-checking; more moments of normal
- Walking, driving and screens shift from edgy → manageable → boring
- Shorter recovery after busy days
- Confidence returns in work, movement, travel and social time
How we complement medical care
- We do not diagnose, prescribe, or perform vestibular rehabilitation. Please continue care with your GP/ENT/vestibular clinician.
- If you’re doing vestibular rehab, we align mind–body skills so your system learns safety + movement together.
- Our role is to help you feel less overwhelmed and more in charge, even while symptoms ebb and flow.
Sessions & booking
In-person in Brisbane
Start with a free 30-minute consult to map your next steps
Online Australia-wide & internationally
We Care About Our Customers Experience Too
Working with Riaz has been absolutely transformational. He is kind, with a heart of gold. He helped me navigate through my childhood trauma and he gave me a road map to healing
Relief from Dizziness
A life-changing experience.
You can feel the change from the first session.
Highly recommended.
Frequently Asked Questions!
What’s the difference between vertigo and dizziness?
Is dizziness dangerous?
Once a clinician has ruled out urgent causes, the sensations are usually uncomfortable, not unsafe. They feel dramatic because the balance/threat system is loud. When a wave hits: pause, feel your feet, pick one steady object to look at, and breathe out longer for 60–90 seconds. Let it pass like a swell in the ocean. Then gently continue what you were doing.
Will panic attacks ruin my progress?
No. They’re intense but temporary—like a thunderstorm. When one hits, name it: “My body alarm is loud, but I’m safe.” Sit or stand with support, look at a still object, and ride the wave with longer exhales. When it settles, do one small, normal action (wash a cup, step outside). That teaches your brain you don’t have to hide from life.
Should I join dizziness forums?
Community can help but choose carefully. Spaces that collect worst-case stories can spike fear and compulsive checking. Look for solution-focused groups where wins are shared, progress is measured in tiny steps, and people talk about living not just symptoms. A practical rule: if you leave the forum more anxious than you entered, unfollow for a month. Replace scrolling with five minutes of skill practice or a text to a supportive friend. Curate your inputs like your diet.
How long does recovery take?
It varies. Some feel meaningful change in weeks, others over months. What predicts faster progress? Consistency over intensity, tiny daily exposures, process focus, and kinder self-talk. What slows it? All-or-nothing goals, constant body-checking, and waiting to “feel ready” before living. Compare only with yesterday-you. If you’re doing the right things, improvement can be sneaky: more normal moments, longer stretches of “forgetting,” fewer meltdowns after busy days. Those are the real markers.