Erfahrungsberichte
Hörtherapie in Kunreuth
Ich habe im Februar 2008 eine Hörkur mit 12 Sitzungen in Kunreuth durchgeführt. Mein Problem ist leichtes Stottern in Kombination mit Hörproblemen, sowie Konzentrationsprobleme in einer nicht ganz leisen Umgebung.
In der Behandlung habe ich die erste Stunde meistens mit Schlafen verbracht. Mich hat es immer gewundert, dass dies den Behandlungserfolg nicht schmälert. Im zweiten Teil habe ich dann meine Gedanken einfach kreisen lassen. Die sehr angenehme Umgebung in Kunreuth mit Blick in die Natur lässt dieses zu.
Schon nach dem dritten Tag hatte ich das Gefühl der Ausgeglichenheit, auch hatte ich mit dem Sprechen so gut wie gar keine Probleme mehr. Beides habe ich zunächst dem "Zufall" zugeordnet, da es bei Stotterern immer gute und schlechte Phasen des Sprechens gibt.
Umso mehr überrascht es mich, dass dieser Zustand bis heute - 4 Wochen nach Beendigung des ersten Teils - fast unvermindert anhält. Seltsamerweise denke ich jetzt kaum an mein Sprachproblem, in Gesprächen bin ich konzentriert bei der Sache. Auch das Hörvermögen hat sich leicht verbessert.
In 2 Wochen werde ich mit dem zweiten Teil beginnen, ich freue mich schon drauf.
Michael W. aus B.
My mum and I had two 10-day listening therapy treatments. We had these treatments because when tested, my listening was not very good. I could only concentrate on one sound at one time and this made life very difficult. When I was younger I was diagnosed with glue ears but it rarely bothered me and I grew out of it.
A year before the listening therapy I moved to a big secondary school, I found it very hard to concentrate in the big classes, my marks slipped and I was moved into lower sets. I am also a cellist and when playing in orchestras I found it very difficult to know when to come in, and also the rhythms in which I should be playing. Sometimes when my mum asked me to do things I would not hear them and she would get increasingly annoyed (through no fault of her own) On top of this my sleeping patterns where very unstable, I would lie in bed for hours exhausted but unable to sleep; a result of my lack of sleep was that I had very low self-esteem and a poor body image.
During the listening therapy I was physically tired easily and became very emotional over subjects I found discomforting, but would normally cope easily with. Most importantly though I was totally relaxed, I don’t remember feeling more at peace with myself ever. Day to day tasks were not tedious and I had invaluable time with my mum. It was a complete break from reality, and they are my most precious memories.
When listening to the music I found the Mozart refreshing and soothing but the Gregorian chants very irritating and they were taken out of my program. Sometimes it would fit Heidi’s schedule better to have my two-hour slot in the evening and when the high-pitched filters were put in I found them discomforting and painful and reduced me to tears. Once the music was altered it was an enjoyable experience, the first few times I did a puzzle and the next times I did drawings in the same room whilst my mum slept. I found it comforting to have someone else with me, but it was important not to inflict my presence on her. Other days I would sometimes play with another girl. She was younger than me and I found it quite hard work, but I could not settle to anything else as Heidi had maximally filtered the music.
On returning to England I was much more confident; my self-esteem renewed and my sleeping pattern corrected. My schoolwork recovered, and is improving all the time. My musicality has shown so much more understanding, and in my orchestra I am moving up to the Salisbury Youth Orchestra and will then go to Wiltshire Youth Orchestra, both excellent young people’s orchestras.
The listening therapy was an amazing experience.
I think that I have benefited from it in so many different ways and it has improved my quality of life a lot.
Holly T. (13 Jahre)
Our daughter Holly had experienced great difficulty adapting to the transition to secondary school. She changed from being a happy and confident child who was achieving well academically. At secondary school she became withdrawn and sulky. She had difficulty sleeping, although obviously exhausted. She was unable to remember more than one instruction at a time, homework tasks and books for school. Academically she was failing.
She and I had two 10-day listening therapies. She reverted to her cheerful outgoing self very quickly. As did her listening skills – no longer did she forget to do any household tasks that I asked of her. Her sleeping pattern normalised. Over the next few months her attitude to school work improved; she rarely forgot homework and was able to prepare for her lessons. She became industrious and achieved improved marks.
Holly is a cellist, but always had difficulty with concepts of time in music e.g. counting and remembering note lengths, which significantly compromised her ability to progress. This completely changed after the listening programme and has transformed her playing.
And my experiences? It was an incredible gift to spend time in Kunreuth with my daughter and my friends and to explore the beautiful area of Fränkische Schweiz. Listening allowed me to take time out of my busy life, to absorb the tranquillity of the Listen! Praxis and to achieve an inner stillness. I found the strangely modified Mozart and Gregorian Chants soothing and relaxing. The language training too was obviously beneficial, as I am often complimented on my German.
I think that listening therapy has improved my self-confidence and given me clarity of mind and purpose. Interestingly, my tinnitus was accentuated, both during the therapy and for several weeks afterwards. But 6 months later I rarely notice it.
Listening therapy is largely unknown in the UK, and without a solid evidence base, people may be sceptical of its claims. Although there is currently no diagnostic test for Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) in the UK, we believe that Holly suffered with APD, and that listening therapy has transformed her listening ability, and possibly the rest of her life.
Katie T.
Nach der Hörkur waren bei C. und auch bei mir eine riesige Müdigkeit in den Tagen danach zu spüren. Wir fielen Frühabends ins Bett. In der ersten Woche nach der Kur kam mir C. irgendwie "durcheinander" vor, das legte sich dann aber schnell wieder. In der zweiten Ferienwoche schaffte er es dann, sehr viel für sein Referat zu lesen. Das Lesen insgesamt geht nun viel besser - auch bei schwierigen Texten, er versteht auch, was er liest.
Der Lehrerin fiel auf, dass er sich nun seine wöchentlichen Englisch-Vokabeln gut merken kann, das Umsetzen in Sätze fällt noch schwer.
Ich finde, dass er in den vergangenen Wochen viel selbständiger wurde, sich um seine Dinge kümmert,
aber auch sehr impulsiv in manchen Situationen handelt. Ich finde auch, dass er nach der Durcheinander-Woche so richtig in der Pubertät heraus kam, wir diskutieren jetzt heftig.
Frau R. G.
She and I had two 10-day listening therapies. She reverted to her cheerful outgoing self very quickly. As did her listening skills – no longer did she forget to do any household tasks that I asked of her. Her sleeping pattern normalised. Over the next few months her attitude to school work improved; she rarely forgot homework and was able to prepare for her lessons. She became industrious and achieved improved marks.
Listening therapy is largely unknown in the UK, and without a solid evidence base, people may be sceptical of its claims. Although there is currently no diagnostic test for Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) in the UK,
we believe that Holly suffered with APD, and that listening therapy has transformed her listening ability,
and possibly the rest of her life.
Katie T.