Chapter 1. It is a Good Start if You Know Where You're Going Any biological being has the ability to heal itself. We all experience this every day. We stub our toe on the table leg, cut our finger, or knock our ankle against the wall. It hurts, maybe it bleeds, but it immediately compels our body to heal itself: After an injury, the body, from its inherent ability, immediately starts the regulation and regeneration process. This capability is part of all living things. In this book, we consider that process under the special perspective of hearing: why do we hear worse, why we no longer hear as before. What are the causes of hearing loss? How can we have the ability to regenerate and regulate our whole system--including our body with all its features, our soul, and our mind? A healthy system responds and always works as a whole. If parts are affected, will this impact the whole? The practical approach presented in this book is novel, unconventional, and connects different areas of knowledge in the fields of physiology, biology, anatomy, physics, psychology, trauma therapy, field theory, and brain research. The approach goes beyond the purely mechanical notion that damage to the mechanism in the ear--for example, bent hairs in the inner ear--is responsible for hearing loss and prevents hearing improvement. Sounds constantly change and influence our lives. They determine how we feel, whether we relax or go on alert. Our whole system of perception is always included and involved. My hearing is constantly "on." Even when I sleep, I react to noises. We don't stop listening. As soon there is an unusual sound, our bodies awake. Our consciousness constantly scans the environment by hearing--hearing never sleeps. By listening, we want to understand--what are we hearing? We listen to each other, we listen to ourselves. We want to understand in ourselves what the world "out there" is telling us. This is a very complex process, in which many aspects of our senses interact and work together. Our task, therefore, is to learn to hear again. We can rebuild our sense of hearing again by training the acoustic detection and processing of auditory information in the brain. For this we don't need to regrow or replace anything. The hardware or the physical components of our sense of hearing are just as they are right now. Our task is to fully and correctly use this existing hardware again. How and why this works is explained in this book. Precise instructions for training can be found in Chapter 5 as well as complementary strengthening exercises in the following chapters. SAMPLE EXERCISE This test works best with a running water tap, so that we can reliably vary the volume and strength of the water jet. When testing with a tap, water is consumed. I am aware of that, but in my opinion, the end justifies the use of this resource. Also, the costs are manageable, at least in developed countries. 1st level: Determination of General Hearing Procedure for this level, step by step: * The person sits relaxed and comfortable in the training area. The companion sits opposite them on a chair. He has pen and paper ready to record important observations and answers. The faucet is off. * The attendant asks the person to close their eyes. Then he quietly goes to the faucet and slowly turns it on, just a little. * The companion goes back to the chair across from the person being tested, and asks from the front: "Can you clearly hear the sound of water?" * As long as the person does not hear the water noise significantly, the faucet is continually turned on more in steps. For this, the companion goes to the faucet to open it up a little more, and then back to the chair opposite the person and the question is asked again. This process is repeated until the person can hear the water running very clearly. * The volume can be increased by, for example, placing a pot under the faucet, or else something else "tinny," which amplifies the sound. * If you've reached a volume in this process that is well heard by the person, compare this volume with that of a normal conversation. If the water noise is louder, this indicates a weakness of our sense of hearing. 2nd level: Testing the balance of the right / left auditory field This tests whether we hear equally well with both ears. Procedure for this level, step by step: * With the faucet running, at a level the person can hear, the person remains relaxed, sitting with eyes closed. The attendant looks at the person and checks: * What is the position of the head? * Is the head straight? * Is the head is rotated and / or held at an angle? * Are the shoulders about the same height or is one higher than the other? A different strength of the left and right auditory perception, a unilateral hearing loss, is almost always reflected in a more or less imbalanced posture and body geometry. Usually, a specific ear is rotated forward, usually the "stronger" ear. In particular, if the head isn't directed straight forward, this is considered a very strong indication that a listening field--one side--is stronger than the other. This relationship of imbalance and hearing will be further investigated in the 3rd level test. Excerpted from Restore Hearing Naturally: How to Use Your Inner Resources to Bring Back Full Hearing by Anton Stucki All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.