Do less, Live More. The science of sound healing.
Sound Healing : ’Do Less, live More’
Cultures all around the world use sound for healing. ‘Sound is our tether to the present, to one another, and to our deep and ancient sense of the world’, sound healer Lisa Trank tells us. Though there seems to be debate about where and when sound was first used for healing, ancient Egyptian, Australian, Tibetan, Hindu, West African and Jewish people have all used sound for healing purposes.
What is sound healing and how does it work?
In short, sound healing is all about using vibrations to relax the mind and body. It is used to cure things like anxiety, stress, insomnia and improve blood circulation. ‘Sound can shift frequencies from low energy of guilt and fear to higher vibrations of love and joy’, says our resident Witch and Energy healer Hannah Rose, ‘sound healing is the use of sacred instruments or voice to release energetic blockages inducing a state of ease and harmony in the body. While there are many types of sound therapy, all of them produce vibrations that alter your brain waves’, she adds. There are a variety of different techniques to sound healing, let’s review a few of them.
Healing with singing bowls
There are two types of bowls for healing: those of the Tibetan lamas made with roughly seven different metals and those that are made of pure quartz. Additionally, it is believed that some of the more genuine bowls are made with minerals from meteorites found in the Himalayas. Singing bowls are sad to emit the sound of the universe and are often used in a sonic massage of the body. There are two different methods of playing a singing bowl. The first way is to strike the side of the bowl with a mallet. Alternatively, you can use the mallet to rub the rim of the bowl. Striking is recommended for newcomers to the practice. Striking the bowl should produce a pleasant, rich tone vibrating throughout your entire body. Singing bowls are ideal for people looking to relieve joint pain, sciatic pain, migraines or digestive issues, among many others.
Gongs
Gong meditation is said to reach the delta and theta brain waves states, our slowest brain waves, for ultimate relaxation. This type of sound healing is also referred to as a gong bath as participants are said to be bathed in the meditative gong sound waves. To participate in a gong bath, the most common practice involves laying down on a meditation mat in a comfortable position, closing your eyes and allowing the instructor to lead you through the therapeutic session. Typically, the gong is struck slowly, allowing the volume to gradually increase as the session progresses. The purpose is for healing, so do not worry the volume will never reach an uncomfortable or stressful level. It is struck at different times to avoid a monotonous rhythm. It is believed that gong meditation specifically can release emotional blockages and certain tones promote vitality, bringing enhanced happiness to patients. Check out our guide by Hannah for a break down on gongs and their healing properties.
Drum Therapy
Drum therapy promotes healing and self-expression. Drumming accelerates physical healing by boosting the immune system and focuses on the release of emotional trauma through the reintegration of self. Drum circles in particular provide an opportunity for patients and participants to alleviate the sense of isolation and alienation that often accompanies our modern lives. Music educator Ed Mikenas finds that drumming provides “an authentic experience of unity and physiological synchronicity. If we put people together who are out of sync with themselves (i.e., diseased, addicted) and help them experience the phenomenon of entrainment, it is possible for them to feel with and through others what it is like to be synchronous in a state of preverbal connectedness.” Drumming is extra inclusive because of the plethora of opportunities to get involved. There are endless instruments and ways to include everyone. Hand clapping, foot-stomping, and even singing or vocalisations can be used in a drum circle.
According to Hannah Rose, above all, sound bathing calms down busy brain wave patterns. We are constantly working in the high functioning, busy beta brain wave pattern, but when we step into a sound healing therapy session, the sound distracts and confuses the brain wave pattern, bringing it down into an alpha brain wave state instead. ‘In this alpha frequency our brains transition into a state of relaxation, dreaming, visualisation and creativity’, says Hannah, ‘it helps us to sleep better, lowers blood pressure, boosts the immune system and puts the body into the parasympathetic nervous system instead of the high functioning nervous system’, she adds. Everything in the universe is made up of energy and vibrates at different rates or frequencies, including the human body. When in a sound bath session the vibration and sonic sound moves through our bodies shifting stuck energy and thought processes that we hold onto but no longer serve us.
To find out more about the power of sound take a look at Hannah’s Ritual and Retreat company Silver Lining Life for advice on sound healing, purchase sound bowls or to book yourself a Sound healing.
Words: Holly Westwood