Dr. Steven Hayes, Emeritus Professor of Psychology and founder of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), has joined the Clinical Advisory Board of Freequency.
Impact on psychology
Dr. Hayes is affiliated with the University of Nevada, Reno, and is also chairman of the Institute for Better Health, an organization that has been dedicated to improving mental and behavioral health for 45 years. As a psychologist and researcher, he has made an enormous contribution to the field. With 47 books and nearly 700 scientific publications, he is among the most cited psychologists worldwide.
Personal tinnitus experience
He also has personal experience with tinnitus. That is precisely why he is motivated to contribute to Freequency:
“Exposure helps you respond more flexibly to tinnitus, instead of remaining stuck in automatic reactions that are often unhelpful. It is about changing your relationship with the sound. The Freequency app does exactly that, including with short ACT-based exercises. I look forward to integrating my work into this and hope that Freequency becomes a valuable tool worldwide for people with tinnitus.” – Steven Hayes The vision behind Freequency aligns closely with the core principles of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. While ACT focuses on increasing psychological flexibility and learning to cope with difficult experiences differently, Freequency helps users change their relationship with tinnitus step by step. Instead of avoiding or fighting the sound, users are invited to approach it in a safe and structured way, creating more space for different responses and behaviors. This approach helps people become less trapped in automatic patterns and experience more control, despite the presence of tinnitus.
ACT in Freequency
Moreover, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy has long been an integral part of the 100-day journey within Freequency. In this journey, ACT principles are translated in an accessible way into daily exercises and insights, enabling users to learn step by step how to deal with tinnitus differently. These components were developed and narrated by Gijs Jansen, a leading ACT expert in the Netherlands. The fact that the founder of ACT is now also joining Freequency is therefore a tremendous honor for the team. His involvement underscores the scientific basis of the app and simultaneously offers the opportunity to further deepen and develop this approach for people with tinnitus worldwide.
Following a successful introduction in the Netherlands in 2025, an American version of the app will be launched soon. It will be available via the Apple App Store and Google Play.
“I have been working with Dr. Hayes for quite some time and am incredibly happy that we can now further deepen this collaboration. With his expertise, we can make even more impact for the millions of people worldwide living with tinnitus.” – Rob Hulsen Welcome aboard Steven!