"My hearing was progressively deteriorating and my social life disintegrating as I could not possibly concentrate on a conversation in an environment with a cross current of various conversations. When trying to sing in church I could not hear my own voice, and so gave up trying. Whereas I used to enjoy music, now it just existed and gave me very little lift. I had to try so hard to distinguish any words a soloist was singing.

Road noise drove me frantic. The noises I did not want to hear became a maddening roar, and those I wanted to hear I could not.

After listening to the Sound Therapy program, all this is changing. It brings tears of gratitude to my eyes, this recharging of life, made possible by this wonderful therapy. I can now hear the timbre in my own voice as I sing equally with that of others, and I can even hear the birds singing as I walk in the park. I am using my hearing aids less and less.

It is more that just improved hearing though. I find myself able and willing to communicate with people, it is easier to smile and reciprocate love.

William A. Whiteside
Toowomba, Queensland
Australia

"Looking back over past years, I have come to the conclusion that somewhere in my childhood, I closed off my hearing level to a point where the darkness of retreating eventually overcame my ability to want to hear.

...by the time I was 35, I had passed through some of the most disastrous years of my young life. About that time I contracted an industrial disorder where industrial noises repeat in the hearing long after the noise is out of range. Within the next four years, I made an appointment (out of sheer frustration) with a specialist who performed a stapedectomy.

I say categorically, no person should be subjected to this dangerous treatment before being alerted to the alternative treatment which sound therapy provides.

I was always mentally drained, the numbness was still there and there seemed something pressing on the ears which affected my ability to hear. My doctor shrugged his shoulders and said the audio test was the same as that taken about four years ago.

I commenced sound therapy in January 1991. After about 200 hours of listening everyday I noticed some changes, headaches diminished, tiredness fading, less restless sleep. Shoulder and back pain reduced, posture improved, better sense of direction of sound, improved sense of balance. Hearing improved, fuzzy noises in ears not so apparent.

Previously, trying to talk to a group of people in a room was nearly impossible, and a one on one conversation always brought signs of rejection, when everyone else thought that they were not part of the conversation.

I have now clocked up 444 continuous days for a total of 2043 hours, and now average about 3.5 hours per day. You don't have to be sick to gain benefit. One very noticeable benefit is the correlation between resonance in the voice and the ear. If you can hear better, you can speak better.

Noises in the ear, (by the way aggravated by an operation) at times now reduce to zero. I am not embarrassed by noisy locations, or entering into casual conversation. Sometimes there is pain in the ears, but this soon passes. The reduced need for sleep, about six hours per night, is sufficient and does not interfere with what may have been necessary previously.

Being able to express thought better, do not tire easily - more energy, posture improved, mental alertness, self confidence, better concentration, more relaxed - but alert, some dizziness - soon passes.

There is no doubt in my mind, the findings of Dr. Tomatis are widespread, with outside noise levels discharging our energy and childhood problems being carried into adult life. a great deal of credit must go to Patricia Joudry for her effort in making the treatment available."

K. Joseph Biggs
Burleigh Heads, Queensland
Australia