The French otolaryngologist Alfred Tomatis was the first to systematically study the effects of high frequency sounds on the human psyche.
According to his theory, the baby, floating in amniotic fluid during prenatal development, hears a lot of sounds that are inaccessible after birth: the mother’s breathing, her heartbeat, voice, the noise of internal organs, etc.
The reason is that during the fetal period a baby’s ears are filled with a liquid that conducts sound much better than air; in particular, high-frequency sounds are much less damped in the liquid
To put his discoveries into practice, Tomatis submerged film-protected microphones and speakers in a bathtub transmitting the sound of the woman’s internal organs. In this way, he simulated the filtering of sound through the maternal placenta.
In the resulting recordings, most of the sound spectrum lay above 8,000 vibrations per second. When these recordings were regularly listened to by children with dyslexia, autism, and hyperactivity, the changes in their behavior and learning were stunning. This high-pitched sound, according to Tomatis’s theory, awakens a sense of the most archaic connection with the mother.
Such sounds seem to tap into the most ancient, primal layers of our memory–the bliss of being in the mother’s womb, the oneness with the mother–and awaken in the listener this forgotten sense of wholeness.
Tomatis’ research and clinical experience led him to conclude that the ear is one of the most important organs that shape human consciousness. Prior to his research, most people, including scientists who had studied the ear, believed that this organ had only one function – to hear. What they didn’t notice was that hearing is but one aspect of a much larger, dynamic process that involves every cell in the body.
Tomatis discovered that the ear does not just “hear,” but that the vibrations it perceives stimulate nerves in the inner ear, where these vibrations are converted into electrical impulses that travel through various pathways to the brain. Some go to the auditory centers, and we perceive them as sounds. Others create an electrical potential in the cerebellum, which controls complex movements and sense of balance. From there they go to the limbic system, which controls our emotions and the release of various biochemicals, including hormones that affect our entire body. The electrical potential created by sound is also transmitted to the cerebral cortex, which is in charge of the higher functions of consciousness. Sound thus “energizes” the brain and with it the entire body.
Another of Tomatis’ discoveries was the direct link between a person’s range of hearing, the range of vibrations in his voice, and his level of health. – Just compare the colorless, faint voice of a sick person and the sonorous, joyful voice of a child! Tomatis has developed a special sound recording process called the “electronic ear. In this process, a high-frequency component is alternately cut out of an ordinary sound and a low-frequency component. When a person listens to such a recording, their ear muscles are exercised by alternately tensing and relaxing; in this way, the range of listening perception is expanded,
There are many documented studies that show, among other things, that creativity, memory, and concentration are enhanced as a result of this method. There is also a significant improvement in what is known as fine motor skills. As a result, even professional musicians noted a significant improvement in their musical technique and virtuosity. Similar results were demonstrated by masters of various martial arts and professional car racers. Today, there are over 300 centers around the world that provide the Tomatis Method treatment and training.