There is a phenomenon of sound that I was reminded about at our recent 19th Healing Sounds Intensive this July 2014. It is a factor that seems to involve nearly early aspect of using sound as a healing modality when it is projected at another for the purpose of aligning and healing an imbalance. It is one that I have known about since very early in my investigation into the use of vibration for healing. Yet, outside of briefly describing it in HEALING SOUNDS, my first book, I have done little to write about it. And I have read very little from others describing it. Yet it is real.
As noted, during our once a year Healing Sounds Intensive, I do demonstrate this factor a couple of times when I show different techniques of using sound. But that’s about it. This year, while I was talking about some of the principals and practices of using sound as a healing modality, a student during a break (which incidentally is a time I normally never have any interaction with anyone) asked about this phenomenon. I was actually amazed that he had observed this and was asking about it.
It wasn’t that this phenomenon was that unobservable. That was, in fact, how I’d first become aware of it. That and it being pointed out to me by my extraordinary teacher and friend Sarah Benson. Many years later, this phenomenon was also demonstrated to me by Dr. Peter Guy Manners, pioneering sound healer and inventor of the Cymatic Instrument, which is a device uses direct application of sound on the body for healing. It was simply that most people who claimed to be “sound healers” seemed to be unaware of it. To such a degree that if I hadn’t been about to demonstrate it as an important aspect of one of the techniques we were learning, it quite possible that I would have forgotten to talk about it.
What is this phenomenon not I’m even naming? Once again, I do describe it in my chapter on “Overtoning”(a technique of using the voice for healing) in HEALING SOUNDS. But I don’t have a name for it. It remains something that is still a mystery for me. I will indeed describe it for you, but I don’t know what to call it. It is a factor that few in this field will openly talk about, though most will acknowledge if they’ve had experience with sound interfacing with the human body and human field. But once again, I don’t know what to call it. And apparently, neither do they.
I’m sure that if I go through my scores of books on the subject of using sound as a healing modality, I may find reference to it (in something other than HEALING SOUNDS), but truthfully, I’m doubtful at this point of finding much. It doesn’t matter. Here it is.
Sound changes. To be more complete, sound changes when it encounters areas of imbalance—places that need healing. I don’t really know how. I don’t really know why. I have my theories, but that’s all they are now—theories. Nevertheless it does. Sound changes.
As an example, at the Intensive, I usually start with an ordinary Tibetan Bowl (although to be truthful, Tibetan Bowls are anything but ordinary). I will strike a bowl (one can also cause it to “sing” by bringing the wooden striker around its edge—a very common practice) and then slowly bring it down a person’s body. The person is usually standing up for demonstration purposes, although they would probably be lying on a massage table or such if this were actually a session. As noted, I hit the bowl and then bring it along the front of the person—about two inches from the actual surface of the body. Often, the bowl will be creating a very clear and pure tone. Then, at some spot, for some unknown and mysterious reason, the sound will change. Most frequently, it will become much softer, as though the sound is being absorbed by some spot in the body. Or the timbre (the tone color) of the sound will differ. Sometimes it will almost seemingly disappear. Regardless, when the sound encounters a “trouble spot”, it changes. Then, simply by striking the bowl again (and sometimes again and again), this sound will again begin to shift and change, coming back to what it normally sounded like before it hit this area. When the sound has returned to normal, it is an indication that whatever was out of balance is now back in balance. It is that simple and that easy and that mysterious.
This same phenomenon holds true when I do the “Overtoning Technique”. This is a technique in which I scan another person using my own self-created sound, first starting with something called “the Siren” (which I learned from Sarah Benson). With the Siren, you either start at the feet sound a low sound and as you direct your voice up the body towards the head, the sound also ascends. Or you reverse this process, starting at the head with a fairly high sound. As described in HEALING SOUNDS, there is no proper direction with regard to this technique—it is what feels most appropriate.
What matters is that when a “problem” or imbalanced area is detected, the sound changes. Usually, in fact, such an area is detected through listening to the sound changing. This change in sound is not created by the person making the sound. It occurs through some sort of phenomenon regarding the ability of changing the timbre of the sound through the interface of the person creating the sound, the person receiving the sound and the sound itself. It may have to do with some sort of feedback loop that occurs between two people and the field that is created through the interface of the sound. I have my thoughts. In fact, recently I’ve written over 10,000 words on the subject.
But in the spirit of higher consciousness, I like to suggest that if you’ve encountered this phenomenon, that you contemplate what it is and why it is and how it is. Feel free to share any of your own comments, insights, or experiences with this phenomenon in the comments section below. I’m most interested in your thoughts on this extraordinary phenomenon and look forward to hearing from you.
I tried a sound sweep over my body..the portions I could reach. Yes indeed there were discrete areas where the sound changed and in several cases disappeared while sweeping into a given area.
First I used my voice, chanting a random note. I had previously done the 7 minute chakra tune up. Very pronounced change in voice energy in several areas.
I tried a brass bowel but did not notice any changes. Difficult to manage. Technique not sufficiently accurate.
Third, I broke out the four lemurian tuning forks. Very significant changes in very small discrete areas at the 6th chakra, the 7th, and the 3rd. Over my liver,and the apex of the head.
The changes could be due to an absorption of the energy or formation of a beat frequency at a very low frequency and volume. I want to try this over specific acupuncture points, and some test subjects with known bangs and bumps.
I’m leaving next week for china to visit 8 daoist temples with Master Tseng (WudangTao.com}. I’ll bring this phenomena up.
Boy would I love to get down to Georgia Tech in a sound room and really investigate this.
Regarding the tuning forks, all of them. I get a low frequency beat below the tone in my right ear but not the left. Is this a personal problem or do I have right handed tuning forks?
Robert Greenberg, BSEE etc.
namaste
sound,frequency, vibration- is all perfect as it is. Although as people live life they create dysfunction/dis at ease- their sound then becomes like an instrument out of tune. The intention/ especially when two gather to use sound/ invites the cellular frequency to resonate back to it’s original perfect pitch. vital- these “off” notes are perfect as they have created a new creation- yet they attract sympathetic resonance with other off chords-‘octaves- creating a brand new sound energetic matrix- but one that does not promote harmony, health. Not wrong, but does not cause effect of well being. Can be rebalanced by using frequencies of human organs, with earth frequency as base sound to reconnect, then sounds of chakras to align energetic frequency of planet, through being, then universal flow. Many ways to achieve this, chanting, favourite music and especially saying/ singing Namaste which links all as honouring divinity namaste, namaste, namaste, namaste.
Hi I know what you mean when I do sound healing the sound to me is dull or as you say disapprears, I call this a ‘dull’ spot, that needs brightening by healing, or sometimes I call it a ‘needy’ spot which means to me it needs some TLC and extra sounds, I do this with either a bowl, crystal bowl or tingsha, they work very well, I know a friend who uses a drum, how amazing sound is….thanks for all the interesting articles, love and many blessings. Wendy.x