Darn. I was hoping for better news after returning from having no internet for a few days.
I did read through some things on modding and never saw anything about changing the sounds I needed changed... I was just hoping it was still possible, somehow, perhaps in a far more complicated or difficult fashion.
Oh well. I guess I'll just have to have no sound at all while playing. I did try fiddling with sound settings in and out of the game. Only part of the problem is the piercing high frequencies- lowering the highs did help a little, but not nearly enough.
A big part of it is the jarring disharmonics and the pitch and vibration of the sounds. Drills right into my brain in the
worst way.
Thanks for your response, though!