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Integrated Listening Systems is a pleasant frequency-based sound stimulation therapy developed from the research of the brilliant Dr. Alfred Tomatis. Listeners may experience significant benefits in the following areas:

concentration and focus
auditory processing issues
sensory integration
reading and spelling
comprehension
math skills
memory
motivation
balance and coordination
moodiness and anxiety
depression
stress
organization
verbal expression
self-esteem
energy levels
ability to learn
increased desire to learn
listening skills
clarity

Dr. Tomatis is the primary developer of sound frequency stimulation, and conducted much research which indicated that the ear is the battery to the brain. He found that specific sound frequencies stimulated the brain and nervous system which created many positive benefits for the listener. Dr. Ron Minson, a board certified neurologist and psychiatrist, who worked and studied with Dr. Tomatis in France has taken that research and methodology to the next level in developing DLS.

Looking at the ear physiologically, with its direct connection to the brain and nervous system, it is easy to see how important it is to our learning, language, emotions, physical movement, and overall health. The vestibular and cochlear systems, located in the inner ear, act as a relay station for sensory input to the brain. They manage our ability to integrate our senses, and play a key role in the development of new neural pathways for language development and processing. Additionally, the cochlear/vestibular systems serve as a "battery" to the brain, a natural transducer: sound waves entering the outer ear are transformed into electrical impulses in the inner ear and sent to the brain; those impulses provide energy to the brain and influence our ability to focus and sustain attention. (Brain scans show, for example, that children with AD/HD lack 'energy' in key parts of the brain for attention and focus.)

iLs is based on the research and practice of Dr. Alfred Tomatis, the pioneer of auditory/vestibular stimulation. Primarily using the music of Mozart, DLS modifies sound according to the precepts of Dr. Tomatis - adding, subtracting and enhancing selected frequencies while modulating the music between high and low channels.

Dr. Tomatis was the first to recognize the cybernetic, or feedback loop, relationship between the ear and the voice. This discovery came to be called the Tomatis Effect: the voice only contains that which the ear can hear. His research over 45 years also resulted in the following insights, many of which are only now gaining recognition in the medical field...

The ear is the transducer which converts sound into electrical impulses which not only energizes the brain but stimulates the vestibular system to influence our movement, coordination and muscle tone.
Frequency is a nutrient for the brain, much like oxygen and food feed our body.
Hearing is passive and physiological, while listening is active and psychological; listening involves the ability to tune out distractions and to focus at will.
The ability to listen affects one's language, learning, emotional health, coordination, and creativity.
listening begins prior to birth: Tomatis was the first to discover that by 4-5 months of intra-uterine life a child can listen to the mother's voice.

Sound Frequencies and Learning

In his research, Tomatis learned that different languages use different sets of frequencies. For example, the frequencies used in British English mostly fall between 2,000 and 12,000 Hz. The French language mainly uses frequencies between 1,000 and 2,000 Hz. This is one reason why some foreign languages are so difficult for certain peoples to hear. How can you learn something you can't really hear? (Or, correctly decode a sound which you did hear; this is very much what it is like to have a learning disability.) However, Tomatis' research showed that our ears can become accustomed to foreign frequencies through training. This is why in Europe, where foreign language study is emphasized, there are Tomatis-based centers in towns of just 40 - 50,000 people.

Filtering

Based partly on the theory that those who can hear more of the auditory spectrum have an advantage in learning, Dr. Tomatis developed his method of "filtering." By filtering, or letting only certain frequencies through, he found he could selectively train those parts of the auditory spectrum his clients had trouble with. Even though the equipment he used was relatively simple, compared to the equipment used by DLS today, he found filtering to be very effective. Not only did his clients' learning ability improve but they also had more energy. This observation led him to discover that high frequencies tend to have an energizing effect on the central nervous system.

Gating

Gating is one of Tomatis' most innovative techniques, and is particularly relevant today in terms of improving concentration ability. Tomatis realized that he was able to improve his clients' hearing ability by strengthening the muscles of the middle ear, known to be responsible for "tuning out" unwanted sounds. Gating entails separating music into 2 channels and alternating (or "gating") them, with one channel boosting high frequencies and the other channel boosting low frequencies as the music gets louder or softer. This causes the muscles in the middle ear to continuously tighten and relax, a process that strengthens them. As the muscles become stronger so does our ability for focused listening.

Air and Bone Conduction

Most of us are not aware of it, but we hear sound in 2 ways - through air conduction and bone conduction. The odd sensation of hearing our own voice on an audio tape and not recognizing it is because on the tape we only hear the air conduction. Many times with people that have learning or stress related issues, the bone and air conduction are not working together, and may in fact be working in opposition to each other. Dr. Tomatis developed ways to use bone conducted sound to help people integrate bone and air conduction to improve the way the ears work together, allowing the various frequencies to stimulate the brain without interference.

Vestibular Stimulation

The vestibular/cochlear systems, housed in the inner ear, play a crucial role in our ability to analyze sounds, integrate our senses, and maintain our balance and posture. Dr. Jean Ayers, the pioneer of sensory integration, pointed out in "Sensory Integration and the Child" that poor sensory integration could lead to both hyperactivity and poor attention: "A well-modulated vestibular activity is very important for maintaining a calm, alert state ... The vestibular system also helps keep the level of arousal of the nervous system balanced. An under-active vestibular system contributes to hyperactivity and distractibility because of its modulating influence." The iLs program uses specific gating, filtering and bone conduction techniques to stimulate the vestibular system, strengthen muscles within the ear responsible for filtering out unwanted noise, and improve our ability to discriminate and process sounds.

How the sound affects our brain and nervous system

The vestibular and cochlear systems are 2 of our 3 main systems for organizing sensory input (vision being our 3rd). They extend from the ear to the base of the brain, where they act as a relay station for sensory input to the cerebral cortex (home of higher order processes such as thought, language, reading, etc.). Together they form an interdependent system which allows us to detect and analyze sound, control, balance and movement (including eye movement), and integrate our touch, hearing, and vision.

The iLs specifically altered sound frequencies stimulate the cochlea and the vestibule of the inner ear. Fluid inside the cochlea vibrates according to the frequency of sound received. These vibrations generate nerve signals which are sent to the brain. Often, in the case of learning or attention difficulties, the vestibular/cochlear system is one of the sources of the problem as it is unable to process, organize and manage the thousands of pieces of sound information coming from the environment.

How are alertness, focus and energy affected by DLS?

Research has shown that if we deprive ourselves of sensory stimuli we are unable to function effectively. A majority of our sensory stimulation is received via the vestibular/cochlear system. If that system is hindered, the results can be seen in our brain. One of Dr. Tomatis' core findings was that high frequency sounds are energizing while low frequency sounds tend to have the opposite effect. On an anatomical level, the feeling of alertness resulting from a "healthy ear" occurs when sensory input coming through the vestibular-cochlear system is channeled to a system at the base of the brain known as the ascending reticular activating system (ARAS). From the ARAS, the stimuli are relayed to the cerebral cortex. With good auditory and vestibular input, the ARAS stimulates much of the cortex, having a profound effect on levels of "consciousness" and on one's sense of feeling sharp versus hazy.

A Discriminating Ear

Sound enters our ear as a myriad of frequencies and intensities. The cochlea, within the inner ear, is in charge of discerning the various frequencies. If the cochlea isn't doing its job well, we have a hard time telling the difference between a "T" and a "D", or a "B" and a "P". This difficulty is often found in dyslexics, who are unable to hear a sound properly and therefore cannot write or read it properly, and in those with auditory processing delay, who process language at a slower rate than those with a well-functioning auditory system. The result is a tendency to "tune out." One gets tired of tying to catch up, tired of seeming "slow" to others, and tired of not being able to stay with the conversation in a group.

We read with our ears. As your eyes see a letter, your ears identify the corresponding sound. So, as your eyes move from letter to letter your ear (cochlea) translates each letter into a sound. Reading requires the ears and eyes to work together synchronously. The vestibular system coordinates the eye movements and increases the synchronicity of the eyes and ears. Ideally, both operations should happen almost simultaneously. The trouble starts when the delay is too long and prevents the synchronization of the eyes and ears.

DLS has success helping those with learning, speech & language, and motor planning difficulties because we re-train the way the ear listens. The process of gating helps to strengthen the muscles of the middle ear. Specifically, these are the tensor tympani and stapedius muscles which control the function of the small bones within the middle ear. These muscles are responsible for transmitting sound from the eardrum to the cochlea, allowing for better auditory discrimination. The expressive phase of the DLS program helps make the right ear more dominant and increases the synchronicity of the eyes and ears.

Stress and Emotional Balance

An important part of our autonomic nervous system is the parasympathetic system, which controls our ability to conserve or restore energy. Typical responses of this system include a decrease in the heart rate and force of the heartbeat, which lowers our blood pressure and activates our digestive system. A cranial nerve known as the vagus nerve transmits sensory information from the ear to the parasympathetic system. By stimulating the vagus nerve through sound, the iLs program is able to decrease stressful reactions. Like other effects caused by repetitive auditory stimulation, clients report those positive changes to be permanent.

Note: Some of this text was drawn, with the author's permission. from Pierre Sollier's book, "Listening for Wellness." We heartily recommend this book to those who seek more information on the methods developed by Dr. Alfred Tomatis.

Adapted Lindamood-Bell Therapy programs.

The adapted Lindamood portion of this program remediates auditory discrimination disorders. This program utilizes a multi-sensory approach to learning consonant and vowel sounds. The sounds are seen, heard and felt. They are labeled for what the mouth is doing while producing the sound. For example, a /p/ sound is called a popper because the lips pop while making the sound.

After the sounds are learned the process of tracking begins. Tracking begins at the two sound level such as /pi/ to /si/. A student uses blocks to represent the sound changes that occur. The levels increase to 5 sound words and then progress to multisyllabic words. Nonsense words are used so that true retraining of the brain occurs in regard to auditory skills and a student is not just spelling words they already know.

Throughout the process improvements in listening, reading and spelling skills occur. Improvements with handwriting skills, social skills, musical ability, organizational skills, self esteem and confidence are common as well.

The adapted Bell portion of this program remediates listening and reading comprehension skills. The premise of the program is the left hemisphere of the brain hears and reads words and the right hemisphere makes pictures of what was read or heard. If a student does not picture information that is learned, the brain has no way of comprehending and remembering it for long term use. This program aids a student in learning to visualize starting from describing an actual picture, to describing and picturing a word, then a sentence, then connected sentences and finally up to a whole page of information. If learned and used correctly the results of this program can be dramatic as the crux of learning in school involves memory and comprehension.

Improvements from this program may include the following: increased desire to read, increased reading enjoyment, better reading and listening comprehension skills, improved memory, better ability to follow directions and complete math word problems, increased writing ability (more cohesive writing and lengthier written assignments), improved test scores (especially mid-term and final exams that have a larger amount of information to recall), improved organizational skills and increased confidence and self-esteem.