Do you do your rehab on the spot or at home?

A little history

To better understand the reasons for this short article and to try to answer this question, let's go back to the 1980s. At the time, sound reproduction technologies being what they were, Dr. Tomatis' choice naturally went to what was best: Revox-type magnetic tapes. Given the size of the device (we let you appreciate below), to which the electronic ear still had to be connected, it was normal that the listening session was done on the spot. No question of moving these mastodons!

Today it's different. We have a choice.

Technological advances have led to the device we use today, the TalksUp®. Produced by the company Tomatis Développement in the hands of the Tomatis family, it is the legitimate and current heir of the electronic ear. Here it is below.

Easy to use, intuitive, portable and portable, it allows you to get the most out of your listening session. So when asked the question - should you do the treatment at the centre or at home - the answer is simple, you decide! Here are the pros and cons to help you make your choice.

The advantages of a session at home

• You decide the schedule.
• Decide what you're going to do while you're listening.
• There are no interruptions during the weekend.
• You can take a long break during your 2×40 minute listening session.
• You don't have to come to the centre every day.
• You do 10 to 13 days in a row...
• You can send another person to pick up or return the device.
• You can receive your device by mail.

The advantages of a session at the centre

• You are taken care of in full
• Schedules are fixed in advance, no way to forget or to slip out of it.
• For children, games and assistance are available on site.
• In the event of a breakdown or problem, we can help you immediately
• You have a weekend break

Disadvantages of a home session

• You have to organize yourself and maintain the protocol.
• You need to isolate yourself.
• If you make a protocol error without realizing, we will not be able to correct you.
• For children, you must take care of them or keep them occupied while listening.
• In case of problems, we will not be able to help you immediately.
• You have to make sure yourself that the device is working properly.

Disadvantages of a session at the centre

• You can't change the schedule
• You have to come every day and stay 1h30.
• You only have a 10 minute break during your 2×40 minute listening session.
• The activities during the listening session are limited.
• You interrupt the treatment on the weekend
• Treatment is spread over 3 weeks instead of 10-13 days.

Our Tomatis consultant, Julien Frère, who discovered the method at the age of 14, tells you what it was like at the time.

When I benefited from the method more than thirty years ago, (yes, I'm getting old...), it was mandatory to go to the center for listening sessions. Every day of the week, for two weeks, I would settle down and listen for two hours, with all the travel constraints that this entailed.

I remember riding my moped for an hour to get to the center, then another hour to get home. When I complained, my mother would say, "You're lucky. Normally we would have had to go to Paris."

The music was recorded on magnetic tapes, then filtered before being played back into the headphones. All these devices took up a lot of space, an entire room was dedicated to them.

Julien FRÈRE, Tomatis® consultant