Good, Good, Good, Good Vibrations…“Sound” Advice on Healing.
“A person does not hear sound only through the ears; he hears sound through every pore of his body.” ~ Hazrat Inayat Khan, Mysticism of Sound
“To enter into the initiation of sound, of vibration and mindfulness, is to take a giant step toward consciously knowing the soul. But we need the courage to enter into ourselves with the great respect and mystery that combines the faith of a child, the abandon of a mystic, and the true wisdom of an old shaman.” ~ Don G. Campbell, The Roar of Silence
Sound Healing
Sound Healing is in essence vibrational energy therapy. Music or sound is received not just with the ears but is also felt by every cell of the entire body. This vibrational energy can affect the nervous system and either speed things up or slow things down, thereby producing either an energizing or a calming effect. Think of the various movements of a symphony that may be calm and soothing, ethereal, chaotic or slowly build in intensity like a storm until it reaches a crashing crescendo. We have all experienced certain songs or tones that get us all-revved-up and others that make us feel mellow. For healing typically it is the calming effects that we are seeking as a relief from stress.
Nature’s Music
Music in any form can heal. Think of its natural occurrence, the rustle and whisper of wind blowing through the leaves of a tree, the trickle of running water in a stream, the rhythmic swish and pulse of waves at the beach. The song of a bird, the crack of lightning the roar of thunder, the purr of a contented cat or the song of whales and chirp of dolphins. These soothing nature sounds are what people have recorded for meditation CDs. This is just one of the ways that Nature heals us.
How does it work?
Sound therapy can alter consciousness from the normal waking-state brain wave frequency called Beta, to the deeper Alpha and Theta brain wave frequencies. These frequencies induce deep meditative, peaceful states, clarity of mind, a sense of well-being and better health.
What instruments?
Nearly every shamanic tradition has utilized sound as a part of their healing modality. Here is a very basic overview of some of these instruments and their uses.
Singing Bowls
The native peoples of the Himalayas and specifically the Tibetans used Singing Bowls, traditionally made out of a 7 metal alloy and consecrated with prayers and chanted mantras during the process of their creation intended to imbue with the power of healing or transforming consciousness.
It is believed that their vibrations work on all levels (spiritual, physical and emotional) so they treat the whole being rather than just one chakra or part of the body. Tibetans also used gongs, bells and chanting as part of their sound healing.
Today we also find Singing Bowls fashioned from pulverized quartz crystal. These are thought to stimulate and align with the crystalline matrix found within the human body. These bowls are usually tuned to a specific chakra.
Vocal Toning and Chanting
The Bon people of Tibet utilized a series of 5 seed syllables that they call the 5 Warrior Syllables. Each syllable corresponds to a chakra, which is activated while chanting the sound. They are A, OM, HUNG, RAM, DZA. The A corresponds to the third eye; OM to the throat chakra and HUNG to the heart chakra. RAM, is located in the naval chakra, and DZA corresponds to the “secret chakra.” located at the groin or reproductive organs.
In the Buddhist tradition originating in India it is believed that chanting OM (ohm) MA (mah) NI (nee) PAD (pahd) ME (may) HUM (hum) you are calling upon the Buddha of Compassion. It is thought that by repeatedly reciting these 6 syllables you can transform your impure body, speech and mind into the pure body, speech, and mind of a Buddha. it It is also believed that specific healing can be manifested by chanting a mantra that evokes the healing power of the Medicine Buddha.
In Taoism we find the 6 Healings Sounds that work to transform the negative energy stored within the organs into healing light. The Lung Sound is “SSSSSSSSSSSS”. The Kidneys Sound is “WOOOOOOOO.” The Liver Sound is “SHHHHHHHHHH.” The Heart Sound is “HAWWWWWWWW.” The Spleen Sound is “WHOOOOOOOO” The Triple Warmer Sound is “HEEEEEEEE.”
Shake, Rattle and Roll
The Siberian, Native North and South American shamanic traditions all used used drumming, flutes, and rattles as tools to bring about healing.
Drumming effects us on a primal level. It’s as innate to us as our own heartbeat. Drumming probably dates back to some caveman banging on a hollow log with the thigh bone of a buffalo and feeling the reverberations off the walls in his very core. The vibration gets us energized and urges us to move hence it was used to set the pace of rowers on slave galleys or think of the throbbing bass of dance music. I studied Taiko drumming for a while and as well as being a full body workout the vibes that filled the room were festive, intense and healing. Think of the drum circles and singers at a Native American Pow Wow waking the Great Spirit to hear their plea/prayers.
On top of the deep resonate pounding of the drum Peruvian shamans layer the whispered hiss of the rattle and the birdsong chirps and tweets of the flute. There are a variety of specific healing songs to take their patients to higher levels of consciousness where they could find help in a spiritual dimension that would bring a restoration of health.
As you can see there many forms of sound healing. I have experimented with all of them.
If you are interested in learning more about Sound Healing or want to schedule a session send me an email. Mark@LuminiousAndHealthy.com
Mark Gerardi 