Nexus - 0401 - New Times Magazine-pages

Page Content (OCR)

shock, illness, lifestyle changes, or trauma suffered before, at or after birth, thus weakening the mother-child audio-vocal link that forms the foundation for the child's later acquisition of language and communication skills. "The inability to hear the natural mother's voice may have a traumatic emotional impact on infants," she asserts, "whether due to a physiological difficulty caused by developmental delay, or because the mother is not there with the child due to some extended separation such as adoption, illness or even death." Such an experience may prevent the infant from responding to certain sounds, including speech, ever after- wards— something APP specialists identify as an instinctive pro- tection mechanism against sounds that are too loud or associated with experience of trauma. Physiologically, this protection mechanism manifests itself through gradual loss of elasticity of two tiny muscles, the stapedius and the tensor tympani, which are connected to the hammer and stirrup ossicles of the middle ear, and eventually the loss of tone necessary to perceive and differentiate between sound frequencies. The principal function of the electronic ear is to con- dition these muscles to respond to all frequencies more efficiently and to encourage dominant function of the right ear. As listening skills improve, students participate more actively—speaking, reciting, singing, chanting—while listening to the feedback of their own electronically ‘improved’ voices until they spontaneous- ly and naturally reproduce those desired sounds. As listening improves, so do the quality, modulation, fluency and articulation of their speech. Apart from its obvious advantages for singers, musicians, lin- guists, actors and anyone dependent on good communication skills, the method is particularly valuable in overcoming learning difficulties. The structure, content and length of programs varies—average is 30 days of listening sessions spread over sev- eral months—but almost all commence with a recreation of the earliest stages of auditory and language development to overcome blocks caused by early trauma. This includes simulated sounds of the womb and a sonic ‘birth’, based on filtered recordings (if pos- sible) of the mother's voice, the chief instigator of a child's desire to communicate with the outside world. Students then progress to listening to tapes incorporating rhymes, chants, folk songs, vocal exercises, and phonemes—the building blocks of language— played at progressively higher frequencies. Finally, the student reads or sings aloud under the electronic ear to reinforce his audio-vocal control. Underscoring all of this is the Mozartian leitmotif, as an aid to receptivity, relaxation and motivation. Buy why Mozart? Decades of research show that despite their beauty, the works of other composers do not improve auditory skills, concentration and alertness. On the contrary, Chopin tends to encourage day-dreaming and absent-mindedness linked to learning disabilities; Beethoven can deepen feelings of depression and melancholic withdrawal; while Paganini, Wagner or military marches may over-arouse children to irritability, aggression and hyperactivity. Most destructive, warns Tomatis, echoing other sound researchers, are the new ‘sonic drugs'—loud rock music, personal stereos— which hypno- tise and heighten bodily sensation by low-pitch stimulus while destroying the ear and its functions, isolating us from our environ- ment and shattering any desire to communicate. When tempted to shut out the world in this way, we would do well to remember the possible cost of escape. (This article, written by Alix Kirsta, was originally published in VOGUE, Paris, June 1992 edition.) There are about 250 Tomatis Centres in the world. For further information, we suggest you contact one of these addresses near you, or visit the Tomatis Web Page at: http://www.tomatis.com The Tomatis Centre (UK) 3 Wallands Crescent Lewes, East Sussex BN7 2QT, UK Ph +44 (0)1273 478666 Fax +44 (0)1273 487500 Tomatis International (France) 6 Place de la République Dominicaine 75017 Paris, France Ph +33 1 43 80 92 92; Fax +33 1 42 27 93 91 Lafayette Tomatis Center (USA) 3700 Mount Diablo Boulevard, Suite 300 Lafayette, CA 94549, USA Ph +1 510 284 8431; Fax +1 510 283 0961 E-mail: tomatis@ix.netcom.com Kay Distel / Sound Education (Australia) 3 Coutts Place, Melba, ACT 2615, Australia Ph (06) 259 1364; Fax (06) 258 5530 SOUND AS A MODULATOR OF CONSCIOUSNESS by Tom Kenyon, M.A. Director of Research and Development Acoustic Brain Research their experience of the world as vibratory in nature. The term nada brahmin means literally "the world is sound". And modern quantum physics would agree with this basic tenet. The science of mantra, which has evolved over thousands of years, directly seeks to affect consciousness itself and, in some cases, matter, through the use of specific vibratory keys. These vibratory keys or bijas (seed sounds) can profoundly affect aware- Te Vedic Rishis of ancient India coined a term that conveys The Tomatis Centre (UK) 3 Wallands Crescent Lewes, East Sussex BN7 2QT, UK Ph +44 (0)1273 478666 Fax +44 (0)1273 487500 ness. In my own work with groups and individuals I have found that the use of mantras or chants can seemingly transport one to other dimensions of consciousness. I have also found that these vibra- tory keys work even if they are not inherent in the culture of the participants. I use, for instance, mantras and chants from numer- ous traditions including Buddhist, Christian, Hebrew, Hindu, Moslem as well as from indigenous cultures. All of these have the ability to affect people profoundly. Empirical research from a number of sources has clearly docu- mented that mantras or chants have a direct effect upon brain pro- cessing and physiology. Certain classes of meditative mantras have been shown to have very positive physical as well as men- tal/emotional benefits. Some of these benefits include: a reduction in stress hormones such as adrenaline; the lowering of respiration and heart rate; slower EEG activity (with increases in alpha and theta activity); and, in some cases, a slowing of the ageing process. Research by Dr Herbert Benson (Harvard) has demonstrated Lafayette Tomatis Center (USA) 3700 Mount Diablo Boulevard, Suite 300 Lafayette, CA 94549, USA Ph +1 510 284 8431; Fax +1 510 283 0961 E-mail: tomatis@ix.netcom.com Kay Distel / Sound Education (Australia) 3 Coutts Place, Melba, ACT 2615, Australia Ph (06) 259 1364; Fax (06) 258 5530 NEXUS - 47 DECEMBER 1996 - JANUARY 1997