Tomatis Support for ADHD
Auditory and Vestibular training for Adults and Children with an ADHD diagnosis, characteristics of ADHD, or other Neurodiversity.
When your brain is working hard to process a world that feels too overwhelming, it can lead to exhaustion, frustration, and a constant feeling of being out of sync
How much of a difference could a stronger ear-brain connection make to your sense of calm, clarity and belonging?
The Bridge between Ear and Brain
Did you know the ears are the superhighway to the nervous system? This could be why you or your child sometimes feel overwhelmed by loud noises, struggle to focus in busy spaces, or get frustrated when listening feels like a constant effort?
These challenges are common for neurodiverse people, including those with characteristics of ADHD, whose brains process the world in a slightly different way. The good news is, your ear and brain can be trained to work together more harmoniously to create a sense of calm and clarity.
What is the Tomatis Method?
The Tomatis® Method is a gentle brain training method that uses specially filtered music to strengthen the ear-brain connection. It helps the brain process the world more efficiently, creating a greater sense of connection and inner peace.
How It Helps
A stronger ear-brain connection can help you or your child navigate daily life with greater ease.
For Adults, this can mean:
Greater Focus & Working Memory: Better concentration at work and home, with a stronger ability to recall information, like where the car keys are, and manage multi-step projects.
Emotional Calm: A more regulated nervous system can reduce emotional overreactions and the feeling of overwhelm.
Easier Decision-Making: Helps you feel less stuck and more able to process information, reducing decision paralysis.
For Children, this can mean:
Better Attention: Improved listening skills in the classroom and at home, greater ability to follow instructions and be less distracted by environmental sounds.
Reduced Overwhelm: A calmer nervous system that helps with emotional regulation, sleeping and communication.
More Fluid Learning: Makes it easier to remember what was said and start tasks without feeling stuck.
Please understand that while the Tomatis® Method may minimise any characteristics of ADHD or other Neurodiversity your experience it is not designed to fix or cure Neurodiversity, instead it works by:
Strengthening connections between neurons in the prefrontal cortex which can improve executive functions
Soothing the Vagus Nerve through the Amygdala connection which may reduce anxiety
Enhancing emotional and sensory regulation reducing overwhelm
The Tomatis Process with Free to Bee
Your journey with the Tomatis® Method is customised for you or your child.
If I am working with your child, I will offer you or their other parent a complimentary listening programme so that you too can reap the benefits of the Tomatis® Method. This is because when our children are stressed by a world that doesn't allow all their strengths to shine, parents can become stressed too, which can impact family dynamics and relationships.
After an initial consultation, we design a personalised program of gentle listening sessions that are comfortable and relaxing and are done at home. We are here to guide you every step of the way, making it a supportive and stress-free experience.
Little Quiz
This short quiz is designed to help you see if the daily challenges you or your child face might be related to how the brain processes sound and movement. There are no right or wrong answers, just an opportunity to see how deeply these daily challenges resonate with you.
Do you/your child:
▢ Get easily overwhelmed by loud or sudden noises?
▢ Struggle to focus on what someone is saying when there is background noise?
▢ Often feel exhausted or drained after a long day of listening and interacting?
▢ Overreact to "little" sounds that others seem to ignore (like a tapping pen or a humming fridge)? ▢ Do you struggle with balance or feel clumsy and uncoordinated?
▢ Have a hard time following multi-step instructions?
▢ Do you have trouble sitting still or feel the constant need to fidget, even when you're trying to listen?
▢ Do you get stuck in a loop of overthinking, replaying conversations or events over and over?
▢ Struggle to find the right words or speak clearly, even when you know what you want to say?
▢ Often feel like you know what needs to be done but struggle to get started?
▢ Often need to ask people to repeat themselves?
▢ Feel disconnected from reality, almost like you live in your own world?
▢ Feel anxious, stressed, or overwhelmed by life a lot of the time?
If you answered yes to some or a lot of these questions, chances are your brain is working harder than it needs to.
This isn't a sign that something is broken. It simply means that your ear-brain connection may benefit from some gentle support. We're dedicated to helping you or your child find greater connection, focus, and peace in daily life by addressing auditory and sensory challenges.
We are committed to Tomatis support for ADHD and other Neurodiversities.
The Tomatis® Method is perfect for people who want brain level change, rather than behavioural strategies to improve how they experience life.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Tomatis® Method?
The Tomatis® Method is a form of auditory training.
It's a gentle, natural process that uses specially filtered music to stimulate the auditory and vestibular systems and the brain through both bone conduction through the skull and air conduction through the ear.
The goal is strengthen the ear-brain connection to improve the way your brain processes information, using the principle of neuroplasticity—the brain's ability to reorganise itself by forming and strengthening new neural connections.
A special feature of the Tomatis® Method is that the Vestibular system is also stimulated during the listening sessions which has a positive effect on balance, rhythm, co-ordination and movement.
How can listening training help with common ADHD struggles?
By strengthening the ear-brain connection, the Tomatis® Method helps the brain to process sound more efficiently. This frees up the brain's valuable resources that were previously being used just to "try" to listen, allowing them to be reallocated to executive functions like sustained focus, emotional regulation, and working memory.
The brain has three networks, the Default Mode Network where our attention is inward focused and the Central Executive Network where our attention is outward focused. The switch between the two is the Salience Network which directs how and what our brain pays attention to. The Tomatis® Method works in the Salience Network area of the brain as well which is why it is so effective at changing what our brain pays attention to and how our brain navigates the inward and outward processes we experience in life.
How are hearing and listening different?
The Tomatis® Method is designed to increase the capacity of the brain to listen, not to improve hearing.
The two are distinctly different.
Here's how:
Hearing is a passive, physical process. It's the involuntary act of your ears receiving sound vibrations and sending them to the brain. You can hear a siren or a conversation in the background without any conscious effort.
Listening is a conscious, active, and mental process. It's the brain's job to process and make sense of the sounds you hear. Listening involves choosing to pay attention to a specific sound, interpreting its meaning, and deciding how to respond to it. It requires effort, focus, and other cognitive functions.
What does a Tomatis® session actually involve?
During a session, you listen to music through specialised headphones for a specified length of time over a number of days.
The headphones use both air conduction (through the earpieces) and bone conduction (through a small vibrator on top of the head).
The sessions are typically very gentle and relaxing, and you can simply sit, read, or entertain yourself quietly away from devices and screens.
Each programme is broken down into 3 mini-programmes or 'cycles' of listening with evaluation between each cycle so that we can optimise your programme as your listening profile changes. No two peoples listening, progress or outcomes are exactly the same!
Can the sessions be done from home?
Yes. The program is designed for convenience and flexibility. We will program your Maestro headphones or the TalksUp device so you can complete your listening sessions from the comfort of your own home.
You will need to be able to visit me in person to conduct the listening evaluations and have your headphones or the TalksUp device programmed each step of the way.
We will then check in regularly to monitor your progress.
Can this be used alongside medication or coaching?
Absolutely. The Tomatis® Method is a powerful complementary program.
While medication and coaching work on the how characteristics impact a person with ADHD, the Tomatis® Method works on a foundational level, to regulate the nervous system and enhance prefrontal cortex function through neuroplasticity.
A multi-faceted approach can support the benefits of other treatments and therapies.
How much does it cost?
Tomatis® Method - dependent on needs and length of the programme.
Maestro Programme - for two listeners
Maestro Headphones $900 (Two person use)
Each loop of listening $600 (Three cycles are recommended for optimal change)
TalksUp Programme - for two listeners
Infinite headphones $550 (Multi-person use)
Each cycle of listening $700 (Three cycles are recommended for optimal change)
Special Offer to honour Dr Tomatis and his Philosophy:
One parent is offered a complementary listening programme when purchasing a three cycle programme for their child.
NOTE: Some clients have been successful in gaining funding for the headphones where children have government funding for their particular neurodiversity.
Is the Tomatis® Method suitable for everyone?
The Tomatis® Method does have a few restrictions.
1. Children whose Fontanelle is not completely closed should not wear the headphones. (A child's fontanelle is generally closed by the age of 2.5 years of age).
Instead, Bone Conduction Kits are available which do not use headphones for small children and people who are unable tolerate wearing headphones for any reason.
2. People who experience or have experienced:
•Epilepsy
•Severe depression
•Meniere's Disease
•Bipolar
•Schizophrenia
•Alzheimers
•Parkinson's Disease
•Dementia
•Calcification of inner ear bones
Should contact a Level 4 Consultant in their country for further advice on their suitability to a customised Tomatis programme.
Jane Smith
Client Testimonials
"The Tomatis program has literally changed my life. I have stopped interrupting people when they're talking and can now stay focused on what is being said especially in busy places like cafes. I am also much calmer, sleeping better and my IBS has totally disappeared. I just feel happy and contented instead of tired and stressed."
Mary, New Zealand
Client Testimonials
"The biggest change for me is that now I can focus for sustained periods of time without being distracted by every noise in the background. My head feels clearer and I'm not nearly as exhausted as I used to be at the end of the day."
Geoff, New Zealand
It's easy to connect with Debbie!
Step One
Book in for a friendly chat today.
Email: debbie@freetobee.co.nz
Mon - Fri 10am to 5pm
Phone: 027 230 2310
Step Two
Work with Debbie to navigate your unique challenges in a way that is meaningful to you and focuses on your strengths.
Step Three
Live life in a way that is authentically you in with increased self confidence for a more fulfilling future.
Please Note:
Free to Bee™ is not a Medical or Mental Health Agency or Service. We are not trained medical or mental health professionals. Our training is to help clients move beyond life challenges that they believe are holding them back. As a Life Coach, we welcome people with characteristics of ADHD and other neurodiversities. We do not claim to be a coach who specialises in Coaching for ADHD or any other neurodiversity.
We are trained in Tomatis® auditory retraining and are passionate about Tomatis support for ADHD and other neurodiversities. While our services may contribute to increasing a person's overall resilience and ability to thrive despite life's challenges, it is not a replacement for medical or mental health help, support, diagnosis or advice.
If you are looking for a mental health service please click the link below for a list of agencies providing assistance.
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Contact us at Free to Bee™
Phone: 0272302310
Email: debbie@freetobee.co.nz
Online or In person sessions worldwide
Based in Hamilton, New Zealand
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Send a message to Debbie Eaton
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