Healing with Sound (Part 2)

We hear and ingest sounds with more than the auditory mechanism of our ears. The whole body responds to sound and consumes it, whether we consciously hear the sound or not. Consider how the mind tunes out the ticking of a clock or the humming of a refrigerator. But even though the conscious mind can filter out the sound, the body cannot. The human body vibrates too. Each beat of the heart shakes the entire body, and the body responds to this vibration. Its response may be measured by a miniature seismograph.

Steven Halpern with Louis Savary, Sound Health - The Music and Sound that Makes Us Whole

"What is the basis of sound healing? What is resonance? What does it do? How does resonance affect one? What causes the resonance with Crystal Bowls? Does this affect one's health, one's balance of energies, one's level of energy?" you might have asked.

According to Jonathan Goldman's Healing Sounds book, "Resonance is the basis of every sound therapy that I have examined. As you may recall, resonance is the basic vibratory rate of an object. Everything in the universe is in a state of vibration. This includes the human body. Every organ, bone, tissue and other part of the body has a healthy resonant frequency. When that frequency alters, that part of the body vibrates out of harmony and this is what is termed dis-ease. If it were possible to determine the correct resonant frequency for a healthy organ and then project it into that part which is dis-eased, the organ should return to its normal frequency and a healing should occur.

When an organ or another part of the body is in a state of health, it will be creating a natural resonant frequency that is harmonious with the rest of the body. However, when dis-ease sets in, a different sound pattern is established in that part of the body which is not vibrating in harmony. Therefore, it is possible, through use of externally created sound that is projected into the dis-eased area, to reintroduce the correct harmonic pattern .. and effect a curative reaction. Through the principle of resonance, sound can be used to change disharmonius frequencies of the body back to their normal, healthful vibrations.

The different rhythms of the body may also be changed through sound. This is known as "entrainment" and involves the ability of the more powerful rhythmic vibrations of one object to change the less powerful rhythmic vibrations of another object and cause them to synchronize their rhythms with the first object. Through sound it is possible to change the rhythms of our brain waves, as well as our heartbeat and respiration.

It has been verified recently that sound can be used to affect and change our brain waves. These principles of using resonance and entrainment are the fundamental concepts behind the use of sound to heal and transform. They are found in every practice that uses sound, regardless of tradition, belief system or culture. ... Examination of these practices, from the Hindu use of mantras to shamanic use of chanting and drumming, reveals a commonality in these principles of resonance and entrainment as the basis of sonic transformation and healing."

According to John Beauliu's Music and Sound in the Healing Arts: An Energy Approach book, "Resonance occurs when the vibrations of one object reach out and set off vibrations in another object. The word "resonance" comes from the Latin verb resonare, meaning "to return to sound". If the two objects have closely similar frequencies and one is vibrated, the other object will also sound, e.g. if you have two tuning forks of the same pitch and you strike one, the other will also make sound. This is called "sympathetic resonance".

Resonance is the (pitch) intonation of a certain note which resonates, find its level in unison with your pitch or frequency, causing a harmony to take place. It is very healing and is composed of like frequencies meeting each other, being agreeable if you will. You may feel you resonate with someone, as opposed to dissonance (disagreeable) and that is simply the reverse. To resonate with, is to be in harmony with that person, or note or object, and if you are, then your notes are balanced, not jarring in any way, peaceful, full of strength and also joyfulness.

The intervals of the tuning forks create a sympathetic resonance with the quality of Sacred Sound deep within us. The archetype begins to align our thoughts and physical body around its vibration, e.g. when the forks are tapped, it is quite common to observe the head and body move and adjust to the proportions of the sound. If we look at our bodies as actual manifestations of the pattern of the Sacred Sound, we can begin to understand how the sound of the tuning forks can be used for healing". [author:plus Crystal Bowls]

According to Olivia Dewhurst-Maddock's The Book of Sound Therapy book, "The acoustic principle of resonance applies not only to musical instruments, but also to the human body. As the sound waves enter the body, sympathetic vibrations occur in its living cells, which help to restore and reinforce healthy organization. The high water content of the body's tissues helps to conduct sound, and the overall effect is likened to a deep massage at the atomic and molecular level.

The human being is therefore likened to a very complex, unique, and finely-tuned musical instrument. Every atom, molecule, cell, tissue, and organ of the body continually broadcast the frequencies of physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual life. The human voice is an indicator of its body's health on all these levels of existence. It establishes a relationship between the individual and the wondrous network of vibrations that is the cosmos."

According to Deborah Van Dyke's The Soul Garden book, "The knowledge of sound carries with it great power. It allows one to travel without moving. In creation myths all over the world, sound is recognized as the source of all visible and invisible things. Sound is vibration and vibration is music in a three-dimensional form. When sand is placed on a sheet of glass and the sheet is stroked with the bow of a violin, the sand instantly arranges itself into beautiful geometic shapes, like a mandala.

Sound creates and sound arranges. The harmonics created by the playing of singing bowls have an amazing therapeutic effect on people. When you strike a singing bowl, you can feel that the air surrounding the bowl also vibrates. The powerful vibrations spread quickly throught the body which consists of approximately 90% water after all, and this results in a very delicate internal massage of all the cells. The human body is a living entity of vibrations and wavelengths. A healthy organ is well tuned, meaning that it vibrates only at its own frequency, while the frequency of a sick organ is disturbed. Singing bowls recreate the original harmonic frequency, and stimulate the body to rediscover its own harmonic frequency, by making it vibrate to the frequency of the bowl so that when it is synchronized, it can vibrate independently. Stimulated and taken up by the power vibrations of the singing bowl, the body is able to tune into its own undisturbed frequency."

According to Renee Brodie, "This is the aim of sound, for you to resonate with a piece of music, or the tone you sound yourself, or a particular Bowl so that its sound "waves" through you, touches where it is needed, and balances. Then you are healed, your auric field is "in flow" and you will radiate perfect health."