You might have noticed me doing a lot of sound events lately. I’ve studied and practiced sound healing for many years so it all makes sense to me. But if the idea that sound can be healing is news to you, I wanted to take a bit of time and offer some info that might help you comprehend how sound can be beneficial to you- body, mind and spirit.
We are vibratory beings. Every molecule in the planet vibrates- our bodies, the planets, even objects that appear solid and lifeless, like a stone or the top of your desk. All vibrating, all different frequencies.
Sound is a science. Vibration can be measured, changed, amplified and affects objects exposed to it. Sound is not just heard thru our ears but reaches every cell of the body.
In ancient Greece, sound was used to heal mental disorders. More recently, research has linked music to a number of health benefits, from boosting immune function and lowering stress levels to improving the health of premature babies and increasing function with Alzheimer’s patients. Historically, some researchers (Royal Rife and others) thought that each organ of the body had an optimal vibration rate. When some illness invaded the organ, the vibration shifted. They hoped that by applying that original, healthy vibration, the organ would return to optimum function. Some great success was achieved but was difficult to replicate. Experience has shown that vibration varies depending on many circumstances including the intention of the one creating the sound. Each individual might have different vibrations depending on their very nature, mood and environment. All these can be changing all the time. Today, many sound therapists create sound with a positive intention, knowing that each individual will resonate as they have the need.
Resonance is the affinity you feel for a particular sound vibration or harmonic. Resonance also applies when a vibrating object causes a nearby object with the same natural frequency to begin vibrating. So, if I strike a C note tuning fork and hold it near another C tuning fork, the second fork will vibrate without being struck.
Similarly, entrainment is the natural tendency towards synchronization. A slow beat of a drum can cause you to relax, slowing pulse and breathing rate. Women who live together find that in time, their menstrual cycles tend to occur nearer the same time. Pendulum clocks in the same space will eventually all tick together.
I’m particularly interested in entrainment with rhythms. A steady drum rhythm will cause your brain waves to entrain to it. Our normal, waking brain wave is busy beta waves at 12-30Hz. I teach new meditators that as they struggle with their minds- to stay in the moment or if they are trying not to think, they are only insuring their brain waves stay in the busy beta range. Deep meditation happens in theta brain wave rate of 4-7.5Hz. If I drum a steady rhythm in that range and students will relax into it, in about 10 minutes, their brain waves will entrain to the theta rate and they get to experience deep meditation without struggle.
A sound bath presents an opportunity for your body, mind and spirit to be immersed in vibrations and rhythms that can calm, cleanse, heal and lift your energy to a new place. Traditional meditation might require training of the mind and years of practice. Opening to healing sound and rhythms can take you to a deeper place with ease.
I invite you to experience sound, rhythm and the vibration of crystal bowls, bronze bowls, rain stick, chimes, djembe, frame drum and voice. Each can vibe you in ways that are unique to you and your experience. The results take you deeper, allow you to fly a bit higher, release, cleanse and heal.
“If we accept that sound is vibration and we know that vibration touches every part of our physical being, then we understand that sound is heard not only through our ears but through every cell in our bodies. One reason sound heals on a physical level is because it so deeply touches and transforms us on the emotional and spiritual planes. Sound can redress imbalances on every level of physiologic functioning and can play a positive role in the treatment of virtually any medical disorder.”
— Dr. Mitchell Gaynor, director of Medical Oncology and Integrative Medicine, the Cornell Cancer Prevention Center in New York.
If you’re interested in experiencing sound as a healing modality, contact me. I offer sound immersion events/ sound baths regularly. Those events are listed on my events page.
