The Listening Centre - London
Tel: (020 7359 5268)
Alfred Tomatis was born on the first of January 1920. Son of a well-known operatic baritone from Nice and an Italian mother he studied medicine in Paris before, during and after the Second World War. A combination of research into the occupationally deaf for the French Government and his own private practice as an ear, nose and throat specialist with musicians and singers led him to a series of discoveries about the nature of hearing and listening.
During the 1950s the first Electronic Listening Devices were developed and in 1957 the French Academy of Science and Medicine recognised the "Tomatis Effect" and the three "Laws of Tomatis". Professorships and honours followed and at the time of his death on Christmas Day on 2001 he had established Listening Centres for the Tomatis Therapy in more than 200 locations worldwide.
The therapy known as Tomatis Listening Therapy, is also well known for treating; dyslexia, dyspraxia, learning difficulties, autism, brain-damage, vertigo, Meniere's disease, depression and the aftermath of strokes. It is also used by many pregnant women as an aid for relaxation, better sleep and relief from backache.
At the Listening (Voice, Music & Language) Centre, London, we use the original Tomatis programme with analogue sound. Analogue sound is complete sound without the tiny gaps that are the hallmark of digital sound. Digital sound is unnatural and “deadens” the harmonics, losing richness. Also in accord with the original vision of Professor Tomatis, microphone work is an essential part of the course, providing full integration between the ear and the voice. We provide a comfortable, non-clinical environment where clients may explore their own creativity.
Tomatis left an autobiography, "L'oreille et la Vie"; published in English as "The Conscious Ear", in which his life and discoveries, triumphs and trials are transformed into a rivetting narrative.