Ohm. Sound Healing Explained.
Sound healing is hardly a new form of therapy, yet many may consider it new age wellness. The ancient Greeks even used music to cure mental disorders & all throughout history, sound has been used to help people work faster, influence, & also boost morale. Humans have a natural instinct for sound therapy. Given that everything has a vibrational frequency, including ourselves, it makes sense that sound frequencies impact how we feel. A great example is how a favorite song can lift your mood! Of course, these days, sound healing can take on many different forms. Many practitioners prefer to use instruments like tuning forks, sound bowls, gongs, & more. That is because these can work faster to achieve a healing effect. Each instrument used by a practitioner serves a different purpose. Sound healing helps to clear energetic blockages and therefore facilitate healing on a mental as well as physical level.
Benefits
Deep relaxation is one of the most significant & universal benefits of sound healing. If you take nothing else away from a sound healing session, relaxation on its own is worth it!. With our busy schedules & so much going on in the world, we can all use some relax vibes.
Clears energetic blockages. Some people experience deep healing during sound therapy as the sound vibrations open, clear, & balance chakras in addition to releasing stuck energy. It is akin to experiencing an energetic deep tissue massage!
Health boost. Scientific research has already demonstrated that sound healing can be beneficial when working with a variety of patients. Benefits can include reduction of chronic pain, reduction in blood pressure, improved sleep, lowered cholesterol, lower mood swings, & even a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease! It has also been used to treat a number of conditions including anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, autism, & dementia.
Types of Healing
Sound bath. Attending a sound bath is a great way to snag the benefits of the practice. During a sound bath, you lie down & relax comfortably while you are bathed in healing vibrations of sound. Simply listen as the practitioner plays a variety of instruments & you “bathe” in the soothing sounds & vibrations. The sound frequencies slow down brain waves to a deeply restorative state, which is what activates the body’s system of self-healing.
Listening to pre-recorded sessions. This is a great way for busy professionals to experience it. Simply You can work with you to devise the perfect sound healing recordings that you can use whenever you want & take on the go!
Instruments
Gongs. Did you know that Gongs have been used as a form of sound healing since around 4,000 B.C.? Gong usage in sound healing is great for clearing fears or emotional blocks & improving mental clarity. They help release tension in the body & stimulate the glandular & nervous systems. According to Gong Master Martha Collard, “The sound wave passing through the body stimulates red blood cells, and opens up the blood supply to all organs and throughout the body. Gongs also stimulate the limbic system, forcing your muscles to relax. The sound of a gong is heard through the ears, passing through the auditory nerve, then the vagus nerve, stimulating every organ in the body. All your organs operate more effectively especially your liver and kidneys. You wake feeling refreshed and invigorated.”
Tuning Forks. These are most often used & known for tuning other instruments. Did you know they have healing powers of their own!? Calibrated tuning forks can be held to specific parts of the body to send vibrations that open blocked energy & release tension. This form of sound healing is particularly good for emotional balance & pain relief.
Solfeggio Frequencies. This is a form of music that uses specific sound patterns to stimulate the brain. Solfeggio Frequencies are used to help improve relationships, deal with fear & change, awaken intuition, & more. These Solfeggio Frequencies include a set of numbers with a repeating sequence of 3, 6 & 9, & each has a specific purpose. One example is 528 hertz (Hz) frequency used to help repair DNA. Frequencies & traits:
963 Hz – Divine Consciousness; Enlightenment
852 Hz – Returning to Spiritual Order
741 Hz – Awakening Intuition
639 Hz – Connecting Relationships
528 Hz – Transformations
417 Hz – Reversing Situations & Facilitating Change
396 Hz – Releasing Guilt & Fear
Binaural Beats. Can be used for many things such as meditation, lowering anxiety & stress, increasing focus, sleep improvement, relieving aches & pains (like colds/flus, fibromyalgia), & overcoming depression. Science explained: when you listen to a tone of 200 Hz in one ear & a tone of 205 Hz in the other, your brain automatically perceives an “illusory tone” & produces a new frequency of 5 Hz. This third tone is what is knows as a binaural beat. The binaural beat is simply an auditory tone perceived by the brain when the frequency difference is less than 40Hz & both tones are within the frequency of 1500 Hz.
Singing & Sound Bowls. Bowls have been used in Tibetan culture since the 12th century. There are a variety of types of sound & singing bowls that are designed to do or illicit different healings. Metal Tibetan bowls are our favorite & come in different sizes; each one produces a sound that relaxes & heals the mind. Each bowl produces a unique vibration that works on separate parts of the brain, therefore, different sized bowls are used together. Bowls may even elicit a light dream state & can be placed on the body to promote healing. Crystal bowls are tuned to the notes of the 7 Chakras & can be used with Tibetan bowls for a multi-level healing session. Dr. Buathon Thienarrom (Thai wellness practitioner) says “Vibrations move through water in the body. When this happens, it helps stimulate circulation to allow muscle relaxation and improve lymphatic flow.” This particular type of sound healing has been found to reduce stress, anger, depression, & fatigue.
Vocal Toning. This involves using a steady tone to balance cells & open energy pathways. This type of sound healing is very intuitive & is something clients do naturally. It uses 7 tones based on the vowels & each is connected energetically to a certain Chakra. Using a certain tone allows access to a specific point on the body & begin healing. With this healing it is extremely effective & even more powerful than using other instruments. Why? Because it is self-generated healing vibrations that will shift your own energetic channels.
What to Expect
As with most alternative healing modalities & meditative practices, each person’s experience is different, & new things may come up in each session. Many will feel very relaxed & peaceful during a sound healing; some might have visualizations or physical sensations, receive “creative downloads,” or have an emotional breakthrough! Others may dive into a mental state in which you are not quite awake & not quite asleep. It often feels like you are floating through space & space. Each experience will be unique.
What will you try?
