These are the comments of an adult who has just completed 50 hours of listening using Level One with bone conduction.
"I came to TLP having completed a course of Tomatis Listening Therapy at the Listening Centre in London. I had found that the significant improvements that the Tomatis had given me seemed to be wearing off so I was looking for something which might be able to offer a more long term solution. In terms of my life TLP is also far more practical as it can be done at home and at a time that suits you. TLP is supposedly more gentle than Tomatis as you only listen for half an hour a day as opposed to two hours but as the listening takes place over a much longer time period I actually found that TLP has taken me far beyond the point I had reached with Tomatis.
As a musician the ability to listen is absolutely vital and impacts on so many more aspects of playing an instrument than you might at first believe. Doing TLP has improved my sound and rhythm, as well as my aural memory, posture and ensemble playing. However, it has also had an impact on many other areas of my life - my general confidence and self esteem have improved dramatically as has my ability to interact socially. Many of the changes are very subtle and I would say that it often improves things you didn't know needed improving!
Using TLP with the help of a provider has enabled me to personalize my listening according to any problems that have come up. Alan Heath has been excellent in answering my questions, helping me to make sense of it all and giving me suggestions for further reading. As I understand it, TLP works by retraining all aspects of listening both externally and internally so it would seem logical that the best results will come from regular listening and I hope that I will be able to keep enjoying the benefits for years to come.
I would add though that TLP is quite a commitment. To listen for half an hour a day 5 days a week can be a lot harder than you might think if you are busy person. Also in order for these changes to occur the body can sometimes react emotionally and at times I felt quite dreadful as a result of TLP! This is where the regular contact with your Provider is vital as they can assess whether you need to change your programme or not. However, I began to see that emotional upheaval was an indication that change was on its way and it was always worth it. There is no such thing as a magic wand but in some ways TLP can almost seem like one as you experience improvements in areas you have struggled with for years without seemingly having done anything at all!"
