Sound Healing.
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Basics of Sound
Sound is a wave and commonly moves through the Air element. Waves of air take on vibrations and we hear sound when these vibrations travel to and interact with our ears.
An entire chemical process occurs for us to take in this information. It turns into electricity as it moves through our brain wiring, which is the Fire element. We take sound in as a felt sense through the Water element, as water is impacted by vibration. Feeling grounded is a calm vibration and is the Earth element.
The elements work together within us and can come into harmony through our experience of sound.
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Sound Healing
The medicine of the future will continue to be sound. Sound healing is already used in allopathic Western medicine and continues to gain traction as we learn more.
All kinds of modern medicine use frequencies to manipulate cells, cancers, bacteria, and viruses. Molecules can be energized, moved, and rearranged by sound.
Even when we look at the Oxford Dictionary's definition of healing it offers sound as part of being whole:
Noun. “The process of making or becoming sound or healthy again.”
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The Chakras & Sound
Chakra in Sanskrit means “wheel” and refers to energy points along your body. The Chakra system originated in India between 1500 and 500 BC in the oldest texts called the Vedas.
There are seven main chakras located centrally in the front and back of the body going up from the base of the spine to the crown of the head.
They are based on an awareness of energy centers that can be linked to bundles of nerves, major organs, and areas of our body that can impact us physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
Sound healing can support the chakras to come back into or stay in alignment.
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Sound Basics.
Sound waves are measured in cycles per second, called Hertz (Hz.) The measurement of sound is called frequency. Slow waves create deep bass like sounds and fast ones create high treble like sounds.
We have a hearing range from about 16 Hz to 16,000 Hz though this varies based on age as we lose range as we get older. It is amazing what children can hear that is imperceptible to adults!
Sounds below our ability to hear are called infrasound and sounds above our range of hearing are called ultrasound. Ultrasounds used in clinical settings are using sound to create images; we can’t hear the sounds they make but our bodies are responding to them. There can still be sound occurring even if it is not perceptible to us.
The old age question “if a tree falls in a forest and no one is there does it still make a sound?” Yes! Everything around it takes in those vibrations. Perhaps some humans do that are nearby but out of hearing range, they just don’t perceive it with their ears. Sound is not just about hearing, it is a felt experience. People in the Deaf community take in sound, too, and some argue there are a lot of sounds people in that community are aware of that those in the Hearing community miss.
I like to replace the phrase “being too sensitive” with the notion that some human beings are more aware and perceptive. These people are our canaries in the coal mine and we need to respect and celebrate them as such rather than denigrate them. People who are this way are likely taking in the vibrations that others emit from their bodies. We say in popular culture, “That person has good/bad vibes” and vibes are vibrations which is sound. These people can read the energy and sound of others at a faster rate for a variety of reasons and they have wisdom to share about knowing through our senses.
We can all tap into this way of knowing and it isn’t actually that out there. When our blood pressure rises, our body heat increases, and we put out a different vibration. Sitting next to a person with anxiety feels different than sitting next to a person who is calm. Their bodies are vibrating differently and we perceive it even if they are a stranger and we aren’t talking to them or looking at them.
Movement and dance is sound healing as it, too, is vibration and energy being expelled and shifting throughout us and around us. Step inside a dance or yoga studio after a class and you will feel the buzz of what took place moments before. We all have our own rhythm and flow.
Resonance is the frequency at which an object vibrates. Everything has its own unique vibration. There are two types of resonance: free resonance and forced resonance.
Free resonance happens when an object comes into contact with another object that vibrates at the same frequency. If you bring one object near another with the same frequency it will begin to sound just by being near it.
“Sound is not just about hearing, it is a felt experience.”
An example of this happening can be seen with tuning forks. You strike one and it will begin to sound. Put it near another of the same frequency and that one will begin to sing without being struck.
The magic happens when you think about what free resonance is like when you meet a new person and it immediately feels like you are on the same wavelength. We feel in resonance and in harmony in their presence.
Forced resonance happens when one source of vibration initiates vibration in another object, even if they don’t share the same frequency. Water responds to forced resonance and will begin to vibrate to all kinds of different frequencies because it is receptive and fluid.
Now think about how much of our body is made up of water and how easily we can be swayed to vibrate at different frequencies around us. There is a reason certain music speaks to you when you are sad or can get you in a positive mood if it is upbeat even if you are not. There is a reason being around someone who is speaking negatively when you are brings you down, too.
Entrainment is a subcategory of resonance. The power of vibrations from one system change that of a weaker second system, making the second system synchronize with the stronger first system’s motion and frequency. Our biological systems can react to each other: take deep belly breaths and you will find that your other organs start to slow and match this rhythm. It can even move you from the sympathetic “fight or flight” nervous system to the parasympathetic “rest and digest” nervous system.
Amplitude is measured in Decibels (dB) and is the strength of sound, the sound pressure level, or intensity. If a sound is amplified enough, it will shatter glass as glass has its own level of resonance. Architects have to understand resonance and amplitude so buildings don’t fall apart like Jenga when the wind picks up.
Sound health is when we are in balance and harmony. Some say that disease is when we are not vibrating and existing in a state of ease and therefore we are in dis-ease. Since everything is in a state of vibration, that includes our human body.
Sound is a powerful healer and can shift our energy state rapidly. We can be left shaken when someone uses amplitude and yells at us. When we receive a hug from someone we love whom we resonant with or who exudes quiet solitude we can feel recharged and be brought back into health.
Sound is a felt experience we are constantly having and increasing our awareness of these concepts can serve us all in creating an environment around us that supports our well-being.
“Sound health is when we are in balance and harmony.”
Brain Waves.
Delta (below 3 Hz)
Present during deep sleep or when we are unconscious.
Theta (4-7 Hz)
Found during times of high creativity with access to the unconscious mind. Can occur during deeper meditation and sleep or when doing shamanic work. Dreaming, auto-pilot, insight.
Alpha (8-13 Hz)
Happen when we daydream and can occur during meditation. Stronger when eyes are closed. Relaxing and recharging.
Beta (14-20 Hz)
Present in our normal waking state. Occur when we focus our attention on things in our external environment. Problem-solving and engaging, sustained attention.
High Beta (20-35 Hz)
Associated with hyperactivity, fight or flight, and anxiety.
Gamma (35-80+ Hz)
These are the fastest brain waves. Can link info from all parts of the brain to allow for high-level processing and integration. Higher memory recall, sensory perception, focus, happiness, and creativity.
Binaural beats: putting one frequency in one ear and another in the other ear and your body will take on the difference. For example: playing 100 Hz in one ear and 110 Hz in the other ear and you will experience the frequency of 10 Hz, or Alpha waves. This is how you can create any of the brain waves types by listening to binaural music.
During a Sound Bath the goal is to move the brain from Beta Waves to Alpha and Theta Waves. You may notice some people fall asleep or may even go into a trance state and experience deep Delta Waves.
Sound healing.
Everything has its own unique vibration. What is healing to me may not be healing to you. If my nephew eats peanut butter he will struggle to breathe but as a pescatarian nuts are vital to my survival. Some people are allergic to certain medicines while others are healed by them. All of us respond differently to sound and this should be taken into consideration when taking in how you will invite it into your life. So, not every sound in a sound healing session will speak to you. Sometimes you might feel agitated by a sound. It is good to notice what comes up for you in those times where you are out of resonance because there is a lot of good information there. In the moments when emotions arise we have an opportunity to lean in and listen. Often we won’t need to “figure out” what is happening but rather bring it presence and allow it to move through us. Give yourself permission to nurture the part of yourself having a reaction and send it love and care. This in and of itself is healing and there is no need to shift out of the emotion. Bringing presence to deepen hearing, feeling, and taking in of the sounds around us can help us tune into the frequencies of our environment and if you come with sadness lean in to the collective spirit of wellness in the shared space.
What we believe and intend impacts our healing process. We can heal without intention but it amplifies the ease of healing. Sound is no different. When we speak to others in love, they take that in through our tone. When we speak to others in anger even if the “right words” are given, they can become upset with us as we have transmuted our energy to them and created a vibration between us. Many a fight has begun over the use of tone, “It’s not what you are saying but how you are saying it.” I invite you to arrive with an intention for the energy you would like to both move and receive.
Our relationship to the people and the environment in which we receive sound healing can impact our experience. Just like any other healing modality, we are in co-creation with another. The energy a healer puts into their offering vibrates out to the audience. The openness of the audience impacts their ability to receive. If you have loved ones with you, you take in the energy of that relationship as you receive together and the sound continues as you use your voices afterward to discuss (hopefully) the joy of your experience. Resonance between the people involved is supportive although resonance with the music itself can shine through on its own and tune us as a collective.
A Japanese scientist, Masaru Emoto, has done phenomenal research on photographing water under a microscope and the impact sound and intention have on it. Water is very receptive to vibration (and remember, most of our body is made up of water.) Healthy water looks akin to a snowflake and polluted water looks much like mud. He photographed water before and after saying things to it like, “Thank you” (which resembled a snowflake) or “You make me sick” (which resembled mud.) In one research session, he had a priest chant and pray over the Fujiwara Dam in Japan for an hour. This water is very polluted and looked like mud prior to the priest’s sacred rituals of love and attention and afterward, it looked like a snowflake. The power of positive vibes toward inanimate objects is profound. Imagine what happens to live beings when we send positive energy their way. Entering into sound healing is a gift to your body to bring it back into positive resonance.
Sound is available to us at any moment, all we have to do is use our voice. It is a useful tool and a musical instrument. In sound healing one can use the voice for vocal toning. Our voices speak our truth and our intention and what is more powerful than saying what we want out loud. You name it, you claim it! We take in the vibration of that commitment to ourselves differently than if the thought stays inside our head.
Silence can also be powerful during a sound healing as this is a time of deep integration in any therapy or healing process. In our society, we don’t value pregnant pauses but fertile growth occurs in the in-betweens. This is a time to be honored and revered as this is when transformation and embodiment actually happen. Take some time after a sound bath to be in silence with yourself and the rhythm flowing within you.
“The process of making or becoming sound or healthy again.”
The seven Chakras
Root (Red)
Located at the base of the spine and corresponds to organs that deal with elimination and our sense of security and survival. This area holds the seat of our power, as this is the foundation the rest of the system is held on. All other chakras bow to this one as they cannot fully come into balance without the grounding and stable support of the root. This can be out of alignment when we are in fear around things like money, safety, belonging, and general security.
Sacral (Orange)
Located above the pubic bone and below the navel, it is related to our reproductive organs. This area impacts our sexual energy and creativity as all life is created through sex. This can be out of alignment when we are not in sexual or creative integrity with ourselves and our desires, or if we have unresolved trauma.
Solar Plexus (Yellow)
Located near the diaphragm and deals with our digestive organs. This is the area of empowerment and supports us in taking action with confidence. This can be out of alignment when we are on either end of the extreme from over-working and seeking self-worth through achievement or we have completely let go of taking ownership of our lives, lack self-esteem, and are in victimhood.
Heart (Green)
Located at the heart center in the middle of the chest and controls the functions of the lungs and the heart. This area stores our emotions of love, compassion, and connectedness. This can be out of alignment when we lack trust, have difficulty with forgiveness, or stay in relationship dynamics that don’t serve us.
Throat (Blue)
Located around the throat area and is associated with the neck, throat, thyroid, jaw, mouth, tongue, and ears. This area supports sharing our voice and being heard. It is a tool for verbal expression. This can be out of alignment when we swallow things to keep the peace rather than share our truth or on the other end if we speak from a place of woundedness.
Third Eye (Indigo)
Located in between the eyebrows and is linked to brain activity and thoughts. This area is typically known for being the house of our imagination and intuition. This can be out of alignment when we don’t trust ourselves and our inner wisdom.
Crown (Violet or Clear)
Located just above the top of the head, it is said to control all aspects of our body and mind as our higher selves. Its the place we meet spirit and connection to the divine within and outside of ourselves. This can be out of alignment when we are stressed from day-to-day life, can’t see beyond the here and now, and don’t see a higher purpose on our path.
The Chakras & Sound.
This system of energy is sometimes referred to as your subtle body as it is separate from but interacts with your physical body.
There is a belief that when the chakra channels are clear that our life energy, also called prana, can flow through us without disruption which allows us to feel aligned and in balance with life.
Sound healing can work with subtle energy to identify imbalances before they take hold in the physical body and clear blockages before they become internalized and create deeper physical issues. There are many sound healing modalities that tune to the frequency of each chakra such as tuning forks, crystal singing bowls, vocal toning, and more.
