Our ear emits a sound!! It's called a Spontaneous Otoacoustic Emission
Our ear emits a sound called an otoacoustic emission. This spontaneous outpouring of sound from our ear is providing information about our body’s lack of function. This emission provides the exact frequency that our body needs in order to self-heal.
By identifying our spontaneous otoacoustic emission, Dorinne Davis connected irregular frequencies with imbalanced frequencies identified by vocal analysis 100% of the time. This became known as The Davis Addendum® to the Tomatis Effect.
We need to hear this sound from within. We can only hear this sound in the silence of the body or the environment. We can become internally aware of the vibration of this sound but this takes much training. We need to turn off the external sound world, while remaining a part of that world. We need to selectively tune into our sounds from within. The ear then becomes a multi-talented organ of the body.
Many people describe tinnitus as a ringing in the ear. In the past, tinnitus has been defined as “the perception of sound that has no external source.”[i] What is the sound? Where does it come from? Many assume the problem is associated with the ear but recent brain research indicates that perhaps the origins are neurological and begin in the brain. A hearing loss can damage the hair cells within the inner ear leading to loss of normal function of the auditory nerve fibers sending input to the auditory neurons in the brain. This loss of normal auditory nerve function triggers physiological changes such as an increase in spontaneous neural activity. This spontaneous activity refers to the firing of neurons at rest when there is no sound stimulation. When there is a loss of normal input, the neurons fire at abnormally high rates, which is similar to what happens when neurons are stimulated with sound.[ii] These same neurons continue to respond to sound but at the edge of the hearing loss. There is a reorganization of the frequency map of the brain. Dorinne Davis proposes a theory in The Cycle of Sound: A Missing Energetic Link that something similar is happening with our spontaneous otoacoustic emissions. The emission map or graph possibly shows where the frequency map is distorted, even if only slightly.
Recently the theory was proposed that by stimulating the energy of the missing sound on the frequency map of the hearing loss, a form of neural plasticity would reactivate the auditory system, thereby reducing the process creating the tinnitus sound. Two studies involving cats demonstrated that tinnitus may improve as a result of acoustic therapies that stimulate the auditory cortex of the missing frequency of the hearing loss.[iii] Dorinne Davis proposes that something similar can be done to support the imbalanced spontaneous otoacoustic emission. By reintroducing the sound to the brain, the frequency map is repaired and the brain then supports the body towards wellness. The voice reflects this change.
Most ideas about spontaneous otoacoustic emissions have been associated with one’s sense of hearing. The generation and the operation of our Spontaneous Otoacoustic Emission are not understood. In fact, previously the theory was that a backward traveling wave traveled along the cochlea similarly to a forward traveling sound wave, but at least 2 papers have disproved this idea.[iv] Instead an experiment at the Oregon Health and Science University showed that the sound waves coming out of the ear travel through the fluid of the inner ear.[v] This fluid appears to be stimulating both sides of the basilar membrane in the cochlea. This research possibly demonstrates that the sound is not from sound entering the ear but coming from somewhere else, most likely the brain.
In another study evaluating the response of a medication for tinnitus, the author of the study reported, “We’re pretty sure the brain is involved. That’s important, because for a long time doctors and scientists assumed tinnitus was an ear problem. It was only after they cut the auditory nerve of a number of patients, ‘and they woke up and still had the ringing’ on top of total deafness, that experts looked to the brain.”[vi]
[i] Kaltenbach, James A., “Insights on the origins of tinnitus: An overview of recent research”. The Hearing Journal. Vol 62, No 2. February 2009. pp 26-31.
[ii] Kaltenbach, James A., “Insights on the origins of tinnitus: An overview of recent research”. The Hearing Journal. Vol 62, No 2. February 2009. pp 26-31.
[iii] Kaltenbach, James A., “Insights on the origins of tinnitus: An overview of recent research”. The Hearing Journal. Vol 62, No 2. February 2009. pp 26-31.
[iv] http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/printerfriendlynews.pho?newsid=97164. 4/10/2009
[v] http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/printerfriendlynews.pho?newsid=97164. 4/10/2009
[vi] Report in Oregonian about OHSU study on Tinnitus, March 09.2008
By identifying our spontaneous otoacoustic emission, Dorinne Davis connected irregular frequencies with imbalanced frequencies identified by vocal analysis 100% of the time. This became known as The Davis Addendum® to the Tomatis Effect.
We need to hear this sound from within. We can only hear this sound in the silence of the body or the environment. We can become internally aware of the vibration of this sound but this takes much training. We need to turn off the external sound world, while remaining a part of that world. We need to selectively tune into our sounds from within. The ear then becomes a multi-talented organ of the body.
Many people describe tinnitus as a ringing in the ear. In the past, tinnitus has been defined as “the perception of sound that has no external source.”[i] What is the sound? Where does it come from? Many assume the problem is associated with the ear but recent brain research indicates that perhaps the origins are neurological and begin in the brain. A hearing loss can damage the hair cells within the inner ear leading to loss of normal function of the auditory nerve fibers sending input to the auditory neurons in the brain. This loss of normal auditory nerve function triggers physiological changes such as an increase in spontaneous neural activity. This spontaneous activity refers to the firing of neurons at rest when there is no sound stimulation. When there is a loss of normal input, the neurons fire at abnormally high rates, which is similar to what happens when neurons are stimulated with sound.[ii] These same neurons continue to respond to sound but at the edge of the hearing loss. There is a reorganization of the frequency map of the brain. Dorinne Davis proposes a theory in The Cycle of Sound: A Missing Energetic Link that something similar is happening with our spontaneous otoacoustic emissions. The emission map or graph possibly shows where the frequency map is distorted, even if only slightly.
Recently the theory was proposed that by stimulating the energy of the missing sound on the frequency map of the hearing loss, a form of neural plasticity would reactivate the auditory system, thereby reducing the process creating the tinnitus sound. Two studies involving cats demonstrated that tinnitus may improve as a result of acoustic therapies that stimulate the auditory cortex of the missing frequency of the hearing loss.[iii] Dorinne Davis proposes that something similar can be done to support the imbalanced spontaneous otoacoustic emission. By reintroducing the sound to the brain, the frequency map is repaired and the brain then supports the body towards wellness. The voice reflects this change.
Most ideas about spontaneous otoacoustic emissions have been associated with one’s sense of hearing. The generation and the operation of our Spontaneous Otoacoustic Emission are not understood. In fact, previously the theory was that a backward traveling wave traveled along the cochlea similarly to a forward traveling sound wave, but at least 2 papers have disproved this idea.[iv] Instead an experiment at the Oregon Health and Science University showed that the sound waves coming out of the ear travel through the fluid of the inner ear.[v] This fluid appears to be stimulating both sides of the basilar membrane in the cochlea. This research possibly demonstrates that the sound is not from sound entering the ear but coming from somewhere else, most likely the brain.
In another study evaluating the response of a medication for tinnitus, the author of the study reported, “We’re pretty sure the brain is involved. That’s important, because for a long time doctors and scientists assumed tinnitus was an ear problem. It was only after they cut the auditory nerve of a number of patients, ‘and they woke up and still had the ringing’ on top of total deafness, that experts looked to the brain.”[vi]
[i] Kaltenbach, James A., “Insights on the origins of tinnitus: An overview of recent research”. The Hearing Journal. Vol 62, No 2. February 2009. pp 26-31.
[ii] Kaltenbach, James A., “Insights on the origins of tinnitus: An overview of recent research”. The Hearing Journal. Vol 62, No 2. February 2009. pp 26-31.
[iii] Kaltenbach, James A., “Insights on the origins of tinnitus: An overview of recent research”. The Hearing Journal. Vol 62, No 2. February 2009. pp 26-31.
[iv] http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/printerfriendlynews.pho?newsid=97164. 4/10/2009
[v] http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/printerfriendlynews.pho?newsid=97164. 4/10/2009
[vi] Report in Oregonian about OHSU study on Tinnitus, March 09.2008
