THE TOMATIS® METHOD
The Tomatis® Method is a neurosensory stimulation listening therapy. Dr. Alfred Tomatis developed a device that helps train the brain by enhancing its perception of specific frequencies that some individuals miss despite the fact that their hearing is normal. The Tomatis® Method uses sequences of music (primarily Gregorian Chant and Mozart) and language to improve auditory processing. Individuals listen to filtered and modulated music on special headsets that contain specific frequency bands that can retrain the pathways that connect receptors in the inner ear with the sound processing area in the brain called the primary auditory cortex. While listening to music, the headset also delivers a very light vibration at the top of the skull which helps the brain connect the sound and vibration of each frequency: listening through air and bone conduction. As humans, we always hear and listen through both bone and air conduction when we listen to ourselves, but only through air conduction when listening to others. Optimal listening occurs when these two systems -- bone and air conduction -- are well balanced.
This balancing is one of the unique aspects of the Tomatis® Method.
Treatment programs involve multiple sessions over several months. Each client’s Tomatis® Method program is tailored to meet his or her specific needs. The length depends on two factors:
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Nature, length and severity of the problem.
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Client’s response to the program.
Some clients respond more quickly than others. As much as possible, we try to give an accurate estimate for the duration of the program before starting. Keeping this in mind, an average program consists of three blocks and approximately 70 hours in total. However, some clients may need additional blocks.
What Is The Tomatis® Method?
Listening Is Different Than Hearing
HISTORY
The Tomatis® Method was developed by Alfred Tomatis (1920-2001), a French Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) physician. He devoted a considerable part of his career to studying the relationship between the ear and the voice, and by extension, between listening and communication. On the basis of his research, Dr. Tomatis made a distinction between hearing and listening and emphasized the interconnections of the ear, brain, and body. His discoveries were validated at the physiology laboratory of the Sorbonne and were presented to the Academy of Sciences and Academy of Medicine in Paris in 1957 and 1960.
The Tomatis® Method is based on concepts of how human beings develop, process information, communicate with self and others, and learn.
As with any "educational" approach, training must be done in a sustained, repeated way by alternating training with resting phases for proper assimilation. After a complete assessment, your program will be customized and defined by
Dr. Marvin, a Licensed Tomatis® Practitioner.
TOMATIS® is NEUROLOGICALLY MULTIFACETED
The method simultaneously works on three core functions of the ear: Hearing, Balance and Energy to:
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Improved Fine and Gross Motor Skills
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Develop More Elaborated Social Interactions
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Increase Discrimination of Spatial Concepts
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Improve Components of Non-Verbal Communication
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Decrease Tactile Hypersensitivity
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Improved Spatio-Temporal Organization
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and more
The Tomatis® Method has helped adults and children with:
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Auditory Processing
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Anxiety Disorders
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Attention, Focus, Memory
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Autism Spectrum Disorder
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Behavioral Disorders
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Sensory Integration
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Delays in Reading and Writing
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Trisomy 21 (Down Syndrome)
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Learning Disorders: Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, Asperger, Apraxia, etc.
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Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
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Mood Disorders
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Motor Control
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Emotion Regulation
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Stress
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Voice Control and Performance (Singing, Speaking)
HEARING and LISTENING: The Difference
Hearing and listening are not the same. Hearing is a function of the ear. It is the passive reception of sound. Listening, as a function of the brain, is the active participation in what one hears. Someone may have good hearing yet may be a poor listener. Listening is the ability to use one’s hearing voluntarily and attentively for the purpose of learning and communicating.
Listening is therefore a high-level cognitive function that implies the ability to manage emotions. It is more than passive reception of sound that depends on a functioning auditory system. The ear plays a unique and critical role in our day-to-day lives. If sensory information transmitted by the ear is misinterpreted by the brain, listening is disrupted; we have distorted listening. This distortion is related to dysfunction or weakening of the two muscles of the middle ear, their role being to ensure the harmonious transmission of sound to the inner ear and brain. When the sensory message is distorted, the brain protects itself by triggering mechanisms that confuse listening.
Distorted, dysfunctional listening can result from genetics, a difficult pregnancy or birth, early childhood illnesses, multiple ear infections, accidents, living near loud sounds, emotional trauma, and many other experiences that alter how a person processes sounds. Whenever this dysfunction occurs, the brain orders the ear to function less efficiently which then compounds the dysfunction. A variety of problems are associated with dysfunctional listening, such as learning difficulties, lack of comprehension, problems with attention, mistaking certain sounds as aggressive when they are not, to name just a few.
DISCOVER FORBRAIN®
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Also, in order to complement your Tomatis® listening sessions during your break periods in between Intensives, and once you have completed your neurosensory stimulation program with TalksUp®, you may want to acquire the Forbrain® headset. Forbrain® is another Tomatis® Method device but is available for purchase by the general public. Used for 15 minutes a day, for periods of 6-10 weeks, you can strengthen your auditory reception and processing by speaking aloud through the Forbrain® microphone, stimulating your ears with your own voice. It is a valuable tool for brain training and is designed to work on the auditory feedback loop.
Purchase Forbrain® using our coupon code: 3B6403589. Code will be automatically inserted into your order page when clicking the code link. When you purchase your Forbrain® through our ABT account using the link,
you will receive a 10% discount on the Forbrain®.
ADDITIONAL READING
Learn more about Forbrain® and read Testimonials
The Most Interesting Doctor No One Has Ever Heard Of…Tuning the Ear, Transforming the Self
A profile of Alfred Tomatis, the renegade French physician who discovered how sound shifts the brain and body.
Excerpt from Paul Madaule and Tim Gilmor's book, About the Tomatis Method, regarding Gregorian Chant