ONE

SOUNDING OFF

 

To say vibration is everywhere is very much an understatement. It is the essence of all that is. It is the all of existence. There is nothing in this world that does not vibrate. In fact, the Cosmos itself, vibrates. The focus here is the deliberate use of vibration to create healing sounds―sounds to heal the physical, the mental, and the emotional aspects of the body. Please keep in mind that the use of the word body does not exclusively apply to just the human body. All bodies are included: human, animal, plant, or something from the aether.

The vibration holding central interest here is sound. Eileen Day McKusick defines sound as the transmitted vibration of any frequency[i] Sound as an instrument of healing has been around for thousands of years. Some estimates indicate sound used for healing dates back at least 40,000 years.

Healers of Ancient Egypt used chanting to treat illness. Early Tibetans used ‘singing bowls, and healers of Native American tribes believed certain sounds were good for healing the sick. Yogis in Ancient India used sound to calm the mind, thus lowering stress levels. Pythagoras, the Greek philosopher, prescribed music as medicine. Known as the “father of music,” he used harmonic frequencies to induce healing.

In 1839, Heinrich Wilhelm Dove discovered the neurological effect of binaural beats.  In the mid-twentieth century, Sir Peter Guy Mannes, an English osteopath developed a machine to produce therapeutic sound vibrations to heal cells in the body. In 1977, Fabien Maman shaped the use of tuning forks for sound therapy. In 1996, the use of sound had begun to come into its own with the creation of the UK Sound Healers Association by Simon Heather.

Today, vibration has become a top choice in physical, mental, and emotional healing modalities. Sound baths, gongs, drums, crystal bowls, flutes, bells, tuning forks as well as chanting are now considered standard tools of vibrational treatment. If you stop and listen you will note the natural world is a euphony of vibration.

What is Vibration Therapy? Danielle Dixon has stated “Vibration Therapy is a holistic approach that uses vibration to improve well-being and promote healing. Vibration waves are delivered through the body via a vibration plate or machine.”[ii] Sports medicine and its partner, pain management have advanced the use of vibration as a healing modality. A partial list of medical conditions that respond to vibrational treatment include the following:

Muscle Pain        Knee injury       Muscle atrophy

Sciatica                Back pain         Bone loss

Blood Pressure   Stress               Fibromyalgia

Urinary issues     Circulation      Restless Leg

Vibrational and sound therapy can have negative side effects. These include the following: Dizziness, Headaches, Numbness in the limbs, Injuries caused by the over use of a machine, back pain increased or developed, and conflicts with current or emotional issues.

In the medical field there are generally two types of vibration therapy that receive attention: Whole-body Vibration Therapy during which the client sits or lies on a vibrating platform and Focal Vibration Therapy targets specific areas of the body.

However, a third Vibration Therapy treatment is gaining approval, recognition, and use. This is Vibrational Sound Therapy, a primary focus of this book.

There are other devices besides vibration plates and machines. Sound is the operative word.

The current dominant theory behind sound healing is Brainwave Entrainment. It is also referred to as Brainwave Synchronization and or Neural Entrainment. According to Wikipedia, Brainwave Entrainment is that large-scale electrical oscillations in the brain will naturally synchronize to the rhythm of periodic external stimuli. That’s a mouthful. Simply put, Brainwave Entrainment is a technique that uses rhythmic auditory or visual stimuli to guide the brainwaves into a desired state.

There are several types of Brainwave Entrainment stimuli available. Three sound-based stimuli include the following:

Monaural beats which are two different tones played at slightly different frequencies. A pulsing sound is perceived and are good for bringing about relaxation and sleep.

Binaural beats are two identical tones played at slightly different frequencies. But, one tone is played louder in one ear than in both. This creates the impression that beat frequency is coming from the center of the head. Binaural beats are often used to create specific brainwave states, such as alpha or beta waves.

Isochronic tones are pure tones that are pulsed on and off at a specific frequency. They are used to induce meditation and creativity.

Despite the fact the current use of Brainwave Entrainment is relatively new to modern medical healing techniques, there is evidence suggesting it may be beneficial in treating the following conditions: Anxiety, Depression, Pain, Sleep Issues, Focus and Concentration.

Brainwave Entrainment is not a cure-all nor is it a substitute for modern medical treatment. It is not a game. It can cause seizures, dizziness, headaches, and nausea. Women who are pregnant should mostly likely avoid using Brainwave Entrainment

It is important to start Brainwave Entrainment with short periods of time―five to ten minutes for several session. Gradually increase the length of time.

To get accustomed to using sound to heal try the following activity.