User:Simonheather/Sound Healing

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Sound Healing

Sound healing is probably the oldest form of healing known to man. Sound healing was used in the ancient civilisations of China, Egypt, Greece and India. Most indigenous peoples use sound for healing.

In the Bible we are told that David played his harp to lift King Saul's depression. Handel wrote his ‘Water Music’ to help King George’s problems of memory loss and depression.

What does it involve?

Vocal Expression - Toning, Singing, Chanting, Laughing.

Using Instruments - Crystal Bowls, Drums, Gongs, Tibetan Bowls, Tuning Forks and other Musical Instruments.

Sound Healing Therapy - Where a person receives a sound healing treatment from a sound healer.

Self Healing - Using sound healing exercises for self healing.

Music - The use of music to relax, to reduce pain or assist before surgery.

How does it work?

Sound healing works due to the principles of resonance, entrainment, harmonics and musical intervals: -

Resonance Each organism has its own vibratory rate. Every object in the universe has its own unique resonant frequency. Tap a wineglass and it will emit a ringing sound determined by its size, shape and the thickness.

When an opera singer vibrates a glass with her voice the singer has matched her voice to the resonant frequency of the glass and set it into vibration. As the singer increases the volume of her sound the resonance becomes too great for the forces that hold the glass together and it shatters.

Modern medicine now uses sound waves to break up kidney and gallstones in the body. The machine used is called a Lithotripter. This machine bombards the stones with a specific sound frequency for one to two hours. The patient is admitted in the morning and discharged in the evening. Generally no anaesthetic is needed. With most patients only one treatment is necessary to break down the stones. The pulverised stone is passed out of the body through the urine.

Every organ, every bone, every cell in the body has its own resonant frequency. Together they make up a composite frequency like the instruments of an orchestra. When one organ in the body is out of tune it will affect the whole body.

If a part of our body is out of balance we can retune it like tuning a piano. If a piano is out of tune, do we drug the offending key or rip out the offending piano wire? This is precisely what we do to the human body.

Through the principle of resonance it is possible to use sound to bring the body back into harmony hence avoiding the need for drugs or surgery.

Entrainment In 1665 a Dutch scientist Christian Huygens, 'discovered' the principle of 'entrainment'. This principle states that whenever two or more oscillators in the same field are pulsing at nearly the same rate, they tend to ‘lock in’ and begin pulsing at exactly the same rate. The powerful rhythmic vibrations from one source will cause less powerful vibrations of another source to lock into the vibration of the first source.

Itzhak Bentov illustrates this phenomenon in his book 'Stalking the Wild Pendulum'. If you place a number of grandfather clocks on a wall with pendulums all swinging at different rates within a few hours all the pendulums will be swinging at the same speed!

The principle of entrainment can be experienced when one sings in a choir. If you are singing next to someone with a strong voice it is easy to sing your part. If the person with the strong voice is singing a different part to you it becomes much harder to hold your part.

Recent scientific research has identified specific sound frequencies, which relate to different parts of the body. Therapeutic application of the appropriate sound frequencies can help disorders in those parts of the body.

Intention Every action we perform has a conscious or unconscious intention behind it. We can see the principle of intention at work when a mother sings her baby to sleep. In a Sound Healing treatment, the sound carries our healing intention to the person receiving treatment.

Harmonics Pythagoras found that when a stringed instrument is plucked, higher sounds are created at the same time as the fundamental note. These higher sounds or 'harmonics' are mathematically related in frequency to the fundamental note through whole number ratios of 2:1, 3:1, 4:1. These harmonics were related to each other in ratios of 2:3, 4:3, 5:8. Pythagoras discovered that these ratios were found in nature. When used in art and architecture they created a feeling of balance and harmony.

All natural sounds contain harmonics, as does all music (except electronic music). When we hear music that is rich in harmonics, like Gregorian Chant, Indian classical music or “a cappella” singing it induces in us an altered state of consciousness. Listening to music rich in harmonics changes our brain patterns. We feel more relaxed, more connected with the music we are listening to.

Musical Intervals Music is filled with musical intervals. If we sing or play two different notes, one after the other or at the same time, we create a musical interval. Each musical interval will have a different effect on our body, our emotions, and our mind. This explains why we choose different types of music at different times.

Generally, simple intervals like the third (e.g. C/E) and the fifth (eg. C/G) are uplifting and sound pleasing to the ear. Minor intervals can induce tension or feelings of sadness. Some intervals are discordant and can help us to get in touch with darker emotions.

Next time you watch a scary movie try turning down to sound to see that most of the suspense is created by the music!

Scientific Research

Harp Music - Hospitals are now using harpists to calm patients on the operating table after research found that the instrument eased pain. The sound and vibrations have also been shown to lower the heart rate, decrease blood pressure and combat heart disease.

Several private hospices and care homes already employ harpists and the National Health Service is following suit with the Royal Brompton Hospital, in London, and Cardiff's Velindre Cancer Centre looking set to become the first trusts to take on players.

Research in the United States found that the range of vibrations emitted by the plucked strings affect the body's nervous system and some American surgeons employ harpists so that patients need less anaesthetic.

Healing Music - At the Department of Coronary Care at St. Agnes Hospital, Baltimore, music ranks high on the list of modern day management of critical care patients. Its relaxing properties enable patients to get well faster by allowing them to accept their condition and treatment without excess anxiety.

Heart rate, arterial blood pressure, salivation, skin humidity and blood levels of stress hormones, all show a significant decrease with music therapy compared to usual pharmacological pre-medication.

In a study of 59,000 patients 97% of them stated that music was a real help to them to relax in the postoperative situation and during surgery with local anaesthesia.

Sound Healing CDs - Sound healing is now widely used in Germany and Eastern Europe. Doctors prescribe sound healing CDs for use by patients in hospital and at home. Patients report a reduction in headaches, better sleep patterns, improved memory and concentration.

Research found that sound healing increased the body’s production of beta-endorphin, a natural painkiller.