Sound Healing
Stress is responsible for 80-90% of all illness. It is, literally, killing us. But sound is the secret weapon that neutralizes stress and puts us back in tune with our best lives. Sound good? Oh yes. Sound good.
Does any of this sound familiar?
When we are in harmony with the world around us we feel such a sense of connection, belonging, home. We feel quietly alive, peacefully energized. We enjoy ourselves more; food tastes better, music sounds sweeter, jokes are funnier, and life seems richer in every way.
But so many of us have fallen out of harmony. We feel alienated, irritated, stressed, overwhelmed, angry and alone, and we live in a state of “flight or fight.” We give in to fear before we even think. We let everything ruin our day.
Stress, according to countless medical studies, is the root of 80-90% of all medical disorders. Stress kills–but it’s how most people describe their everyday life. Stressful job, stressful finances, stressful relationships with people, stressful news on the television, stressful love-life because of all the stress . . .
Medication for depression begets medication for acid reflux begets medication for high blood pressure begets medication for insomnia begets medication to combat the side-effects of medications . . . And suddenly we’re so out of tune that we just give up. That’s when things like heart disease, diabetes and cancer set up shop — when we give up.
It doesn’t have to be that way.
Sound healing
Sound has been used for healing longer than we know. Pythagoras made it one of his major areas of study. There’s that story about how David played a chord on his lyre to soothe the emotions of the King. There are also stories about Bards and Witches chanting and singing over someone’s body to remove their illness and restore them to sound health. In numerous places in the world, sound is still used to heal by people we call less advanced than we with our merry-go-rounds of doctors and drugs.
Sound healing is probably the most powerful non-invasive form of healing in existance. It triggers the body’s innate healing powers and responses to facilitate wholeness. It works directly on the body, and yet it is profoundly effective at healing the emotions, the mind and the spirit. It triggers the Relaxation Response, but leaves the client feeling refreshed and energized. It relieves stress, reduces pain, lowers blood pressure and cholesterol, and boosts immunity. Arthritis sufferers report pain relief and increased mobility, strength and functionality. It is a wonderful complement to psychotherapy, chemotherapy, and for gender realignment therapies to help integrate physical changes and mindset for successful transitions. Sound healing is used to treat dementia and Alzheimer’s, addictions, PTSD, fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue. In fact, if you have it, we can probably help you.
Sounds like snake oil? Not even close. Good hard scientific research has been done, and continues to be done, on how and why sound healing is so effective. If you are interested in reading more about that, here’s a link to a book list that can get you started.
Do I wax evangelical? Alright, I wax evangelical, because sound healing is life-changingly positive and incredibly powerful. But you don’t have to just take my word for it. Here are what some of my clients are saying about our work together:
Testimonials
Evolution of a Sound Medicine Woman
According to my parents, I was born a musician. I sang as a baby, sang with the choir on our rare visits to church, sang in my crib to put myself to sleep, sang when I woke up . . . I became obsessed with the guitar at the tender age of three, and started to play at four. When my friends and I would “play house,” I’d never want to be the mommy, I’d want to be “the guitar player.”
Music was my best friend, my lover, my confidante, my partner in crime, my solace, my muse, my protector. I played every day. I listened to music obsessively. I devoured music, it was everything to me. It never even occurred to me that I could be anything other than a musician. And I devoted years and years to being just that, and will continue to be that until they have to pry the guitar out of my cold, dead hands.
But sound healing is the fulfillment of another deep impulse and desire. When I made my first CD back in 1994, more than anything else, I wanted it to be healing for people. That was the intention I held for that project from beginning to end, and it worked. When people would approach me at gigs to tell me that my CD helped them through their divorce, or healed their cousin who was suicidal, or that it was playing in the operating room at the hospital during a very complicated surgery and may have saved someone’s life . . . Well, that felt better than all the other feedback I got about my playing or my singing, or even my songs. And I knew this had to be part of the picture for me, somehow. I had to find a way to combine the music and the healing in a more direct and tangible way.
It took a long time to find that way, but when I discovered sound healing, I knew I was home.
It wasn’t easy. Being good at playing music doesn’t automatically make you good at healing with sound. Having an understanding of how intervals work, having a strong sense of rhythm, having an ear for tone, for being able to draw sound gracefully from an instrument, that’s all incredibly helpful. But the skills it takes to use sound to heal are very different, and very specific. Having the ability to feel subtle differences in the way a bowl or a fork is vibrating when it encounters distortion in someone’s biofield is not something I could have imagined, and it took me a long time to feel it with confidence. Being able to see distorted sound leaving a singing bowl or a tuning fork wasn’t ever a life-goal for me. Hearing the minute difference between physical pain and emotional distress in the way a bowl reacts over a chakra is a skill that takes faith, trust and patience to develop. But that’s what it takes, and so with the help of the experts at Sound Healing Academy in Cornwall, I have turned my musician’s hands and ears to the task of hearing and feeling distortion so I can help ease pain and discomfort, and promote the highest possible state of well-being for all of my clients.
This is the most magical work I have ever done.
I adopted the hashtag #musicequalsmagic a couple of years ago, and the more I learn, the more I practice, the more I witness the deep healing capacity inside people rise up and work miracles, the more I know that equation to be true. Music = Magic. No question. It’s been the journey of a lifetime to come to this realization, and I just bought a new pair of boots for the next leg. I invite you to walk with me and see what miracles sound can trigger for you.
Sounds Good! How do we start?
Glad you asked! The best way to really make transformation happen is to book an appointment a week for four weeks. Forming new habits takes approximately 21 days, so four weeks ensures that you have the best chance of making healing transformations that will last.
We set a strong, positive intention for our work together, for example, “I sleep soundly and deeply each night and wake fully rested,” or “I am healthy and sober,” or “I am calm and confident,” or “I enjoy long, invigorating walks with ease and comfort.” After a brief guided meditation to help you hold your intention through the process, I will use enchanting sounds, like Tibetan singing bowls, or Harmonic Spectrum tuning forks, to ease you into deep relaxation, slowing your breathing and heartbeat, and lowering your brainwaves into low-Alpha or Theta, where deep healing begins. Accessing this deep state triggers your body’s innate healing abilities, which over the course of our work together I’ll teach you to harness, direct and focus like a laser beam on your desired outcome. Then I’ll release stuck energy from your biofield that is keeping you stuck, release excess energy from your chakras that is interfering with your highest well-being, and nourish your energy bodies with beautiful healing sounds and rhythms to enhance the healing process.
Once we have had a few moments in silence at the end of the sound session, we will reflect on what I found; what you felt, heard, saw, or remembered; how you are feeling; and what’s next. I’ll make some recommendations for you to continue doing a few minutes of soundwork every day so you can keep the momentum going. I’ll even help you find creative ways to incorporate five-to-ten minutes of self-created intentional sound in your busy life.
When you hold an intention and visualize the outcome you desire while chanting, playing a singing bowl, or drumming, it becomes like a juggernaut of healing power. And it’s you engaging with your body’s own healing power that does the trick. Learning to heal yourself and stay healthy is a priceless gift that your body, your mind, and your soul deserve to receive.
Why Choose a Certified Sound Healing Practitioner?
Sound healing is in its infancy in the United States, even though there have been some remarkable practitioners working here for many years — Jonathan Goldman, John Beaulieu, Eileen McKusick and Wayne Perry, and a few others. The system that I practice, called Integral Sound Healing, combines singing bowls, tuning forks, drumming, vocalizing, gongs, and other sounds, to weave a tapestry of healing sound around a client. It’s the creation of Tony Nec and the Sound Healing Academy in Cornwall, England, and they have been teaching this system for over 25 years. It’s new to the States, and I’m excited to be among the first practitioners of Integral Sound Healing to be trained here.
Sound healing isn’t regulated, much like many other complementary therapies, so pretty much anybody could call themselves a sound healer and start clanging away. And though we’re really unlikely to kill anyone from an overdose of sound, there are some contraindications that a certified sound healer will definitely be aware of. And even though we work with sound, we are no less protective of your hearing than we are proactive about resolving your pain.
Our training with the Sound Healing Academy was incredibly rigorous, and the school continues to update their materials and send us more information on an amazingly regular and frequent basis. It’s data-driven and scientific. We learned about how specific tones and intervals affect cells and systems in the body. There are numerous modules to get through, each with a comprehensive workbook and several hours of video instruction, combined with one-on-one instruction with our local instructor, and a 5-day immersion workshop that gives us both classroom and practice time with classmates. The training is intense, the workbooks challenging, and the amount of reading and writing that is required is, frankly, daunting, even for somebody who writes as much as I do. By the time our training is complete, we have internalized the lessons, understand the data — and the responsibility we have to deliver that data to the body in an appropriate way — and have total confidence in our skills and knowledge.
Sound practice
Four weekly visits is a great way to start our work together, in order to create some healing momentum. Compare it to an alchemical process, like being in a healing crucible of transformation. Together, we’ll set a strong intention for our work together, and we’ll track your progress closely, to know exactly how we’re doing. I’ll be triggering your innate healing powers, so it’s you and me, together as a team all the way.
There will be homework – you wouldn’t go to the dentist and then not brush your teeth after you eat, would you? The stresses of life will still be going on around you, so it will be important to do a little daily soundwork to keep making progress. Just ten minutes a day of focused, intentional, self-created sound can make all the difference in your success. I’ll keep you accountable. We’re in this together.
Four weekly sessions: $300
Sound deal
Most people find that monthly sessions keep them feeling lighter, brighter and less anxious. Sessions are approximately 90 minutes, with 45-50 minutes of concentrated sound. We’ll check in first so we can set a strong intention, and after the sound therapy we’ll visit about what I found, and how you can maintain your good vibes on your own at home.
Individual sessions are $85 each.
Click the button below to get started!
Sound Bites: Custom sound therapy recordings
Sometimes we need ongoing support for healing or change. Sound Bites are approximately 20-minute digital recordings that you can put on your phone, your computer, or any music player device, so you can listen anytime, anywhere*, just when you need it. We’ll talk about what you need, whether it’s easing a panic attack, calming anxiety, relieving pain, or pulling you our of the Pit of Despair, sound can and does work miracles to heal. If you’re trying to lose weight or stop smoking, a little boost for your energy and your mood can help you make right choices when you’re under stress.
During the pandemic, Sound Bites have been a great way to keep the sound healing flowing to clients, to help them stay balanced and in tune. Here’ s a short example of a Sound Bite to help calm anxiety and bring focus back when you really need it. Feel free to download and take with you wherever you go.
*Except maybe in your car, please don’t listen while you’re driving.
Sound Bite session includes phone (or Zoom) consultation to determine the need and the approach, and a 20-30 minute custom downloadable sound therapy recording for $50.
Additionally, if you are needing some emergency sound healing on the go, check out Sound Relief NOW, six five-minute sound recordings that you can load on your phone and listen to when you just need to get through. Choose from Anxiety, Cravings, Depression, Fatigue, Insomnia, or Stress.
Holiday gifting just got easier!
Want to share more magic of sound healing with your nearest and dearest? eGift cards now available!