How Does the Tomatis Method Work?

Introduction

Learning and communicating are processes that can seem easy as they are natural for most of us. But for one in ten people, it's a daily battle. The ability to properly process sensory information is compromised. It is said in this case, that listening is disrupted.

In the processing of information, the ear plays a fundamental role since it is the main gateway to our brain. It picks up the surrounding sounds and those of our own voice, converts them into electrical stimuli, and transmits them to the brain which analyzes them. More surprisingly, it also captures our movements and is heavily involved in coordination, balance and rhythm. It therefore has a vital function in daily life, whether through talk, to argue, to follow instructions, read, learn, memorize or simply to move.

When communication between the ear and the brain is blurred, our ability to interact with the outside world is compromised. The result is often a loss of self-confidence that will enhance in turn the difficulties of communication and learning.

It was sixty years ago that the French doctor Alfred Tomatis developed an educational program that aims to stimulate the brain through the auditory system in order to restore listening. By treating the music and the voice in a very particular way, the Tomatis® Method helps children and adults to improve their quality of listening.

A pioneer in the field of neuroscience, the Tomatis® Method is now practiced in more than 2,000 specialized centers offering personalized listening sessions through a unique technology called TalksUp®.  An alternative educational program, the Tomatis® Method stimulates the brain effectively and naturally. It is a complementary approach to medical and traditional therapeutic treatments.

How it works

The Tomatis® Method operates through a single handheld device called TalksUp®. It has been specifically designed to treat music and the voice based on specific parameters. This tool has many features including “Electronic Gating®”. The switch is a unique non-invasive procedure that allows sound contrasts with the sudden transition from low frequency to high frequencies. This back and forth between low and high frequencies causes a major effort of adjustment from the ear and creates a stimulation of the brain.

After assessing your ability to listen, your Tomatis® professional establishes a program with sessions tailored to your profile. With TalksUp®, you can continue your listening program at home or in a certified center.

During sessions called "passive", clients are listening to music with a headset that transmits sound through earphones (air conduction) but also by bone vibration (bone conduction). During the "active" sessions, clients are reading and rehearsing exercises through the same headset, equipped with a microphone. This time it is the voice that is instantly processed to work on the auditory feedback loop.

Our mission

As a physician and researcher, Alfred Tomatis dedicated his life to perfecting his Method in order to effectively help people suffering from communication, attention and learning problems. Alfred Tomatis continuously improved his technique by adding many features to its devices and by gradually altering the measurements of the application protocols. Through patents, trademark licensing contracts and specialized training, he also made sure to protect his technique in order to avoid anything that would compromise its authenticity and efficiency. Through the organization he founded,TOMATIS DEVELOPPEMENT S.A.,the company continues, over twenty years, to improve its equipment and to train highly qualified people. The company continues its mission of making the Tomatis® Method accessible and highly effective.

TOMATIS DEVELOPPEMENT S.A. has accompanied recent discoveries in neuroscience and participated in many research studies on brain plasticity.

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