The Tomatis® Method Technology

Electronic Gating®

When your listening is interrupted, your brain stops paying attention to the sounds the ear transmits. It is therefore necessary to capture the brain’s attention. The brain is especially sensitive to sudden changes that it cannot anticipate. So, while you would ignore the next door neighbor’s dog barking for the hundredth time, you would jump if the dog suddenly uttered a single meow! 

During the Tomatis^® listening sessions, music is transmitted with sudden changes of tonal contrasts triggered by timbre and intensity. These contrasts are totally unpredictable. 

The TalksUp^® device splits the sound into two independent channels, C1 and C2, which are processed individually. The sound characteristics of these two channels can be very different. Each channel can be programmed to provide a different composition of frequencies, that is to say a different timbre of the original sound. This switching back and forth between these two channels is called “Gating^®”. While using TalksUp^®, you sense the same melody at different levels of tones and intensity.

Although painless, the electronic Gating^® will have the effect of surprising the brain, which will then pay close attention to the auditory stimulation. As a result of these repeated and unpredictable acoustic contrasts, the brain develops greater listening clarity, which in turn improves overall listening. The speed and the power of the Gating^® are set for each individual based on the Tomatis^® listening test assessment.

TalksUp^® integrates a new generation of miniaturized processors capable of instantly processing the music and the voice.

Air and Bone Conduction

Sound is vibration! When it travels through the air, we use the term air conduction. Sound travels even better through the bones of the body: this is called bone conduction. Cover your ears and speak normally. You hear your voice perfectly clear because it travels mainly through the bones of the skull. Speak louder and you can feel your whole body vibrate.

During the Tomatis^® listening sessions, music and voice are transmitted through headphones equipped for both air and bone conduction. The sound therefore reaches the auditory canal through the headphones placed on each ear and through a vibration from the top of the skull. 

With a specific setting applied, the sound transmits first through the bones of the skull. As a result, the auditory system naturally prepares itself to receive the sound through the air channel. This dual transmission of the sound at two different times educates the brain to correctly analyze the sensory sound message.

The first bone conduction technology was implemented on Tomatis^® headsets in the 1980s Today, this technology is used in the medical industry (cochlear implant), military (ground intervention transmission helmets) and leisure (gaming, Google Glass) …

Music and The Voice

A Tomatis® program is usually divided into a passive listening phase and reading and rehearsal exercises.

The high-definition musical recordings used are mainly pieces by Mozart that are rich in harmonics and high frequencies. High-frequency sounds enriched by Tomatis^® filters help to efficiently stimulate the auditory system. As Mozart’s music has universal appeal, it perfectly enhances the effect of the Electronic Gating^® and thus the Tomatis^® effect.

The voice filtered through the Gating^® helps to restore the entire auditory system. The auditory feedback loop is the natural process by which we perceive, analyze, assimilate and continuously adjust the information individually received and produced through sound. Implementing the Electronic Gating® and parameters in this loop requires the brain to cope with a modulated voice feedback and creates a strong sensory workout. This is called an active listening session.

Auditory Laterality

We have two hands, two eyes and two feet. You can be right or left dominant for each. The same is true of our ears. One is dominant, which means that it is processing the information faster than the other one. That might be because the connections of the right and left auditory pathways within the brain are really different.

The left ear is connected to the right brain area, while the right ear is connected to the left brain area. The right and left parts of the brain do not treat the auditory information in the same manner.  

Studies have shown that each part of the auditory cortex is responsible for specific functions. It has been determined that the left auditory cortex (right ear) is implicated in the comprehension of oral language and logical reasoning while the right auditory cortex (left ear) is dedicated to emotional perception and musicality. How we process auditory information depends on whether the ear is right or left dominant. It is generally accepted that being right ear dominant will help to develop learning and communication.

Through specific settings, the Tomatis^® Method can naturally stimulate the right ear by appropriately modulating the intensity of sound in each ear.

The Mother's Voice

From about the 18th week of pregnancy, the fetus is able to hear. The fetus hears the voice of the mother through bone conduction vibrations via the spine of the body. The mother’s voice is therefore one of the main sources of fetal sensory stimulation until birth.

For various reasons, this transmission might be compromised, or at least not optimized. In very specific situations, the Tomatis® Method offers to record the mother’s voice and adapt filters and the electronic Gating® to help clients reconnect with their natural development.

Like music, the mother’s voice processed with the TalksUp®can be a powerful medium to help with emotional and developmental disorders.