Anyone ever heard of sound healing? I hadn't until recently.
Sound healing uses vibrational sound to help reduce stress, alter consciousness and create a deep sense of peace, well being and better health. (
from http://www.soundenergyhealing.com/pages/aboutSoundEnergy.html)
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| Ann, with some of her singing bowls. |
Enter Ann, my
massage therapist. She's always on the lookout for new therapies that will benefit her clients. One type of client demographic she'd like to be able to include are individuals that are touch sensitive. For example: people with PTSD, fibromyalgia, going through chemo, etc. and are sensitive to touch.
She's educated herself about sound healing and explained its basic principles to me. Interesting stuff! Here's some Q&A she shared with me that I found helpful in understanding the principles of sound healing and how it works.
The Science of Sound
Brainwaves are the electrical patterns emitted by the brain, and, as such, they respond to frequencies. These waves change frequency due to the neural activity in the brain. Sound Therapy can affect that activity by applying specific frequencies using various instruments. When we present rhythm, beats, tones, and pulses to the brain, it begins to mimic them. The process is called entrainment. In effect, the sound instruments ‘speak’ to the brain in its own language; the language of frequencies. Brainwave frequencies determine what state we are in at any given moment.
When clients turn their attention to the sounds created in the sessions, the brain-chatter turns off and a deep peace overtakes them. We can use sound therapy to achieve specific goals, ie: relaxation, learning, uplifting, energizing and so on.
How do the vibrations from the singing bowls help in the healing process disease?
1. Restoring the normal vibratory frequencies of the diseased, out-of-harmony parts of the body. Since all matter is energy vibrating at different rates, by altering the rate of vibration we can change the structure of matter.
2. Sound from the bowls entrain the brain to move into the deeper Alpha and Theta brain wave frequencies that induce deep meditative and peaceful states, clarity of mind, and intuition.
3. When placed directly on the body the sound vibrations are transmitted into our blood, organs, tissues, and cellular memory through the 80% water in our system.
4. The sound vibrations impact our nervous system, engaging our relaxation reflex and inhibiting the stress or pain response. It reduces brain wave activity, slows the respiratory and heart rate creating 'Cardio-Respiratory Synchronicity'—the perfect condition to bring the body back into alignment.
5. Sound induces trance states of consciousness conducive to healing. Their sound synchronizes sentient brain waves and creates a therapeutic effect upon the mind/body realization. They stop one's internal dialog, the 'Monkey Mind.' The individual is transported into a space of tranquility and balance.
6. The ensuing sympathetic resonance between brain and bowls reawakens the intrinsic blissful self in us. The healing process is initiated by entraining our brainwaves and creating sympathetic resonance with the perfect vibrations of the bowls.
7. Positive thinking can strengthen your immune system and change your life. The combination of the sound vibration of the bowls with positive visualization and affirmations will greatly enhance the healing experience.
More about Ann's Sound Sessions
Ann uses a variety of instruments during her sound healing sessions.
-tibetan bowls
-tuning forks
-crystal bowls
-rin gongs
-tingshaws
-temple bells
-gongs
After a healing session last week, I experienced a profound difference in my mental state. Before the appointment, I was zipping here and there, trying to juggle errands, remember what to do, etc. I was a bit frantic and frazzled - a common status for my brain the past few weeks. It was as if the sound waves and my brain patterns wrestled for a while at the beginning of the session, but the singing bowls won in the end. They calmed down all my mind chatter and I felt SO MUCH MORE at peace! It was wonderful and brought me back to a place I hadn't been in a while.
Partly based on my peaceful mind experience after the sound session, I'm saying "Yes!" to going to a 1.5 hour
gong bath this weekend with Ann. Hope to experience some good vibrations during and after
Richard Rudis' gong bath.
Ann Martin, CMT
Transforming Body, Psyche & Soul
303-378-6250
