A Tribute to Dr. Alfred A. Tomatis (1920-2001)

By Billie M. Thompson, Ph.D., RCTC, President of IARCTC. Published in “Ricochet”, May 2004.

Dr. Alfred A. Tomatis (1920–2001) spent the second half of the twentieth century developing the method of sound stimulation and consultation that bears his name. A French ear, nose, and throat physician, philosopher, author, psychologist, educator, and inventor, he was known throughout the world for the wide range of applications of his method.

As an entrepreneur, he created the Electronic Ear — a device that earned numerous patents in many countries and is the cornerstone of his method.

Dr. Tomatis stirred both controversy and praise: controversy because he questioned, and at times challenged, accepted beliefs; praise because his method facilitated desired changes in people’s lives. He invited us to think differently about human potential — and about the fact that listening is the most fundamental of our abilities.

The Tomatis Effect

That question evolved into a theory known as the Tomatis Effect, with two corollaries added as the Electronic Ear took shape and was applied to singers. The Tomatis Effect is the foundation of the Tomatis Method.

Law 1: The voice contains only the harmonics that the ear is able to hear.

Law 2: If the ear is given the possibility of correctly hearing distorted, poorly perceived sound frequencies, these are immediately and unconsciously restored in the voice.

Scientific Verification

The Tomatis Effect has been scientifically verified independently of Tomatis. Research conducted at the Sorbonne and by other institutions has confirmed the fundamental principles of the Tomatis Effect.

Among Dr. Tomatis’s patients were famous artists: Maria Callas, Romy Schneider, the painter Hans Hartung, and Gérard Depardieu. He published some fifteen books on the relationships between the ear and the voice, and his method is used in more than 600 centers around the world.

Source: Billie M. Thompson, Ph.D., RCTC, “Tribute from Members of IARCTC to Dr. Alfred A. Tomatis (1920–2001)”, Ricochet, International Journal of Tomatis Method Research, Vol. 1, No. 1, May 2004.