Joudry Sound Therapy
In 1980, Canadian author Patricia Joudry was treated because she was painfully sensitive to loud noise. Her life was transformed by Sound Therapy because it got her ear and brain working in a new way.
Events led her to a Benedictine monastery in western Canada, where monks who were using the Tomatis method helped her to release it as a portable program for the first time.
Sound Therapy uses CDs?
The Sound Therapy books insist that Sound Therapy must use analogue sound, so why is it now on CDs?
The simple answer is that cassette players which reach high enough frequencies for Sound Therapy are nearly impossible to source now.
Fortunately, technology has advanced enough to enable the therapy to work using CDs.
Recommended reading
Sound Therapy: Music to Recharge Your Brain is the story of how the Joudrys came across Dr Tomatis' work and brought Sound Therapy to the wider public. It offers great detail of how Sound Therapy works.
What is Sound Therapy?
Sound Therapy is a therapeutic self-help listening program which uses specially recorded classical music on a portable player with headphones to correct disorders relating to the ear, auditory processing, speech, learning, mood and behaviour.
Many types of healing with sound may be called "sound therapy". Some use voice, music, tuning forks or other instruments. The type of Sound Therapy produced by the Joudrys is unique, and is based on the discoveries of French ear specialist Dr Alfred Tomatis.
How does Sound Therapy work?
The classical music - whose complex rhythms, harmonies and melodies of the classical music stimulate the brain and soothe the nervous system - has been processed by the "Electronic Ear" apparatus designed by Dr Tomatis.
The lower frequencies are progressively filtered out while leaving the high frequencies intact, and the sounds fluctuate between the high and low channels, forcing the ear to constantly adjust between the different tones. This gives the ear a complete work-out in the act of listening, and serves to rehabilitate the ear.
In addition, an emphasis is also placed on the music entering through the right ear to encourage right ear dominance.
The filtering on the Sound Therapy CDs is introduced to the ear gradually. This requires a program consisting of 6 hours of music, which is spread out over 4 CDs. A benefit of having so many hours of music is that you or your child won't become bored listening to the same CD over and over again.
Programs for Children
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Programs for Adults
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How does Sound Therapy differ from other therapeutic listening programs?
Sound applications, such as SuperLearning, Holosynch or Hemisynch, use specific rhythms to slow down brain waves and induce greater states of relaxation. They require your full focus to be effective.
Sound Therapy is different in that it uses varied frequencies to physically reactivate the ear. By stimulating and enhancing ear function, the therapy has a profound restorative effect on the brain and the entire nervous system. Sound Therapy impacts on many ear related and neurological conditions not addressed by other methods.
Since the ear responds to sound whether we are conscious of it or not, Sound Therapy does not require conscious attention to work. Hence it can be played as you are engaged in other activities.
Another big difference is that our Sound Therapy programs are around 1/10th the price of other similar programs!
How to use Sound Therapy
The Sound Therapy programs involve listening to CDs on a portable player at a very low volume in the privacy of your own home or while you are out and about.
It won't take any extra time out of your normal daily routine. With a listener's manual plus support from your Sound Therapy consultant when needed, you are in control of your own program, and can adjust your listening hours to to fit in with your lifestyle.
Headphones are necessary
Headphones need to be worn while listening to Sound Therapy as the high frequency sounds are so subtle that unless they are played directly into the ear, they would not reach the ear at all.
The other reason why the headphones are necessary is that training for right ear dominance is achieved by having more sound go into the right ear.
Keep the volume level as low as possible
The volume should be adjusted so that you can just hear the music in a quiet room (don't turn it up when you go into a noisy environment!) Having to turn the music down is a good indication that the program is working for you.
Because the volume is so low and played on a portable player with headphones, you can listen to Sound Therapy while undertaking just about any activity, including jogging, reading, studying, watching TV, working on the computer, travelling, driving the car, having a conversation, or even sleeping.