An Overview of Sound Healing

Eileen McKusick, MA

What is Sound?Vibrations transmitted through an elastic solid or a liquid or gas,

with frequencies in the approximate range of 20 to 20,000 hertz, capable of being detected by human organs of hearing.

Transmitted vibrations of any frequency.

A travelling wave which is an oscillation of pressure transmitted through a solid, liquid, or gas, composed of frequencies within the range of hearing and of a level sufficiently strong to be heard, or the sensation stimulated in organs of hearing by such vibrations

Measured in Hertz (Hz)- one Hz=1 cycle of vibrationAbove 20,000 Hz is called UltrasonicBelow 20Hz is called Infrasonic

More about sound…Sound turns matter and energy into formThe study of sound waves giving rise to form

is called CYMATICSNada Brahma – All is Sound, Sound is God,

God is Sound - Brahma is the creator of the universe or the name for the principle which creates all of the manifest realms

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God and the Word was with God.

Cymatics is the study of the waveforms produced by sound- through different mediums such as water, cornstarch paste, and more

Cymatics VideoIron Filingscornstarchvoice

Cymatics

Each tone has an overtone or a harmonicA harmonic frequency is a multiple of a

fundamental frequency. A fundamental frequency of 500Hz has a first harmonic frequency of 1000Hz(2f), double the fundamental frequency. Its second harmonic is 1500Hz(3f) the third harmonic is 2000Hz(4f)and so on. A musical instrument produces both fundamental and harmonic frequencies.

Overtones/Harmonics

What is Healing?

The natural process by which the body repairs itself

To restore to health or soundness

Unsound: 1.Not dependably strong or solid. 2. Not physically or mentally healthy. 3. Not true or logically valid; fallacious

Why use sound medically?We are wired for sound- hearing is the first sense to

form and the last to depart. Our nervous system is exquisitely tuned to react to sound.

We experience sound both through our ears and also through our bodies. Cells have tuning-fork like antennas on their membranes that “read” and respond to vibrational information

Most of us already self-medicate daily with music- Americans spend more money on music than they do on medicine

Sound and music have been used as medicine by humans for thousands of years

The Aboriginal people of Australia are the first known culture to heal with sound. Their ‘yidaki' (modern name, didgeridoo) has been used as a healing tool for at least 40,000 years. The Aborigines healed broken bones, muscle tears and illnesses of every kind using their enigmatic musical instrument. Interestingly, the sounds emitted by the yidaki are in alignment with modern sound healing technology.

Historical Uses of Therapeutic Sound

Ancient Greece‘Pythagoras considered that

music contributed greatly to health, if used in the right way…He called his method 'musical medicine'…To the accompaniment of Pythagoras' his followers would sing in unison certain chants…At other times his disciples employed music as medicine, with certain melodies composed to cure the passions of the psyche...anger and aggression.’

There is strong evidence that the Egyptians designed their chapels and burial chambers to be reverberant in order to enhance sonic-based ceremonies

‘As for us, we do not use simple words but sounds all filled with power.' a letter from Asklepios to King Amman

Acoustic resonance was deliberately contrived by the Egyptian architects - it very likely that they were aware of the healing properties of sound long before the Greeks

Ancient Egypt

Other Cultures used sound and music therapeuticallyNative Americans MayansCeltsAfrican TribesTibetansChineseEarly ChristiansIndians – Vedas - Om

Sound Applications - ConventionalUltrasound – diagnostic imaging and pain reliefSound surgery: Magnetic resonance (MR)-

guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS)Music Therapy- surgery, post-op, pain

management, Alzheimer's, thanatologyTuning forks for fracture diagnosisLithotripsy- using sound waves to break up

kidney stonesFuture: using sound waves to explode cancer

and other non-beneficial cells

Lithotripsy

Magnetic resonance guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS)

Sound Applications- AlternativeChanting/toning/singingDrumming/rhythmTuning forks, crystal bowls, gongs, didgeridoosBinaural beat frequenciesVoice Spectral Analysis Vibroacoustic chairs and tables and even floorsTomatis methodCyma-1000 acoustic massager, Ondamed,

Skenar, Rife machines, etc.

The difference between Sound Healing and Sound Therapy ?

Sound Healing refers to the more general field of sound work.

Sound Therapy tends to be more clinical. For example, the work being done with children with learning disabilities is Sound Therapy.

Sound Therapy is a subgroup of Sound HealingMusic Therapy falls into the category of Sound

TherapyAlso called Sound Medicine, Harmonic

Medicine, Vibrational Medicine, and Acoustic Medicine

Music TherapyPain controlRelaxation and stress reliefMeditationSleepAccelerated learningAlzheimer's/Stroke victimsEnhanced productivityConnecting to spiritBirth and Death (thanatology - music to help with

dying)Surgeries and Post –Op

Studies have shown that music therapy that works most effectively with the principles of resonance and entrainment.

For example, if a person is initially agitated, music selected will match that agitation initially, and then move slowly into a melodic piece that can lead to anxiety reduction. This technique has been used successfully in reduction of both pain and anxiety.

More on Music Therapy

Resonance occurs when one vibration is in tune with another

Entrainment (in music therapy) is defined as “any stimuli that matches or models the current mood state of the individual and then moves the person in the direction of a more positive or pleasant mood state”

Resonance and Entrainment

Binaural Beat FrequenciesBinaural beats are created when two tones are detuned from

each other by a small amount. The resulting third oscillation, which is the difference between the two frequencies, will automatically entrain the brain into different brainwave frequencies

315 Hz is played into the right ear 325 Hz played into the left earBrain becomes entrained towards the

beat frequency 10 Hz, in the alpha range. Since alpha range is associated with relaxation, this has a relaxing effect

Embedded in music, or simply as repeated tones, listened to through headphones.

A standing wave of 7.83 Hz and its higher harmonics that is produced by the continual lighting and thunder strikes around the globe at any given moment

Consistent frequencyFrequency of Brain in Theta or

meditative stateProduced by Chi Gong masters

from their hands during healing – body becomes antenna and channel for ambient beneficial frequencies

Schumann Resonance

“All cells emit sound as a consequence of their metabolic processes. There is an interaction between the cells own sounds and those imposed by the environment, including those applied by sound healing devices. The resonance principle relates to the cellular absorption of the healing sounds and/or their harmonics. In sound healing, resonance principles are employed to re-harmonize cells that have been (hypothetically) imprinted with disruptive frequencies. Such troublesome imprints may have been a result of toxic substances, emotional traumas, pathogens, or long-term exposure to noise pollution”.

Resonance in Sound Healing

Vocal AnalysisBioAcoustics Vocal Analysis computer

software program can pinpoint individual frequencies related to various disorders and provide a mix of balancing tones to the client, who listens to them on a daily basis.

A variety of voice analysis programs now correlate frequencies with specific disorders such as 54 Hz for kidney stones and 72.5 Hz for chronic melancholy

Vibroacoustic Sound Chairs and TablesFrequencies fill your body as you relax on a

special sound table equipped with low frequency transducers.

30 - 120 Hz sound pressure waves, blended with music, transfer sound waves directly into the body through a vibroacoustic table.

Results in muscle relaxation, increased circulation and pain reduction.

Accesses and frees areas where we carry tension or stress

Cyma-1000Developed by Dr. Peter Guy Manners, a

British Osteopath beginning in the 1960’sDevice emits over 500 different frequencies

and 50 years of research has determined which frequencies and combinations of frequencies treat which ailments

Used and accepted in Europe, not so much in the USSimilar to a tuning fork

Tuning Forks, Crystal Bowls, GongsUsed both on and around the bodySound waves pass through body and energy

field, breaking up stagnant energy, lowering blood pressure and relaxing muscles

Tones from forks and bowls stimulate the production of nitric oxide

Drumming and RhythmDrumming and rhythm are now used by corporations to release stress

and build team consciousness. Group drumming breaks down social barriers, promotes freedom of expression, non-verbal communication, unity and cooperation. It decreases depression, anxiety, and stress, boosts immune system functioning and benefits physical health

Studies have shown that repetitive drumming changes brain wave activity, inducing a state of calm and focused awareness.

Shamanic drumming takes people into altered states of consciousness.

"Rhythm is the soul of life. The whole universe revolves in rhythm.

Everything and every human action revolves in rhythm.” - Babatunde Olatunji

Chanting/toningChanting, toning and overtone singing are

some of the most powerful methods for resonating sound throughout the body

Used for thousands of years by virtually every culture

Sanskrit mantras, Gregorian chants, Chakra Vowels, Overtone chanting

Some Sound Therapy PioneersThese next slides show a few of the pioneers

of sound therapyThere are many others who are exploring this

new frontier with a variety of methods and technologies

Sound healing has been called “The most dynamic and promising frontier of Alternative Medicine”

Alfred Tomatis 1920-2001He came up with the theory that many of the voice problems were

really hearing problems. He called his theory that "The voice does not produce what the ear does not hear," the "Tomatis effect" and was the hallmark of his career and his method

When our ears cannot hear certain frequencies, our voice does not contain them either

Developed a process for improving the way one hears through an “electronic ear”

The Tomatis Listening Therapy has helped children and adults with auditory processing problems, dyslexia, learning disabilities, attention deficit disorders, autism, and those with sensory integration and motor-skill difficulties. It has also helped adults fight depression, learn foreign languages faster, develop better communication skills, and improve both creativity and on-the-job performance. Many musicians, singers and actors also found it helpful in fine-tuning their artistic skills.

Sharry EdwardsFounder of BioAcoustics

Vocal Spectrum Analysis technique for examining the human voice to determine a persons state of health

Looks at the body as a musical instrument. When even one note is out of tune, the result is often discordant. Tune the instrument and the sounds become consonant.

The body is capable of being self-evaluating, but not so capable of self-generating the frequencies that are required for restoration.

John Beaulieu, ND, PhDEarly work with tuning forksCreated BioSonic RepatterningHas done a lot of scientific researchDiscovered tuning forks stimulate production

of nitric oxideDiscovered tuning forks work directly on

nervous systemOffers tuning fork instruction

Jonathan Goldman

Director of Sound Healers AssociationComposer, writer, lecturer – one of the best

known teachers on the circuitToning, chanting, use of the voice and musicAuthor of book 7 Secrets of Sound Healing Many sound healing, chakra balancing CD’sSound + Intention = Healing

What is intention?Sound + Intention= Healing Jonathan

Goldman

A course of action that one intends to follow. An aim that guides action; an objective. An act or instance of determining mentally

upon some action or result

Don CampbellTrademarked name The Mozart EffectListening to Mozart (and other energetic and

positive emotional music) can improve IQ scores, improve spatial reasoning, and provide other benefits for health and well-being

Somewhat controversial –benefits have been proven and disproven in scientific studies

Opened The Therapeutic Sound Schools - first integrated study of soundwork in USA in 1992

Dr. Jeffery ThompsonStarted as a chiropractor, discovered certain tones

would cause spinal subluxations to spontaneously self correct

Has done a lot of work and compositions with binaural beats

Creator of Bio-TuningUses physical vibrations of your own voice split into

binaural beats played back through a sound tableBalances central nervous system, enhances

creativity, promotes physical, emotional and cognitive health

Joshua LeedsExecutive director of new Sound and Music

Alliance organizationWriter, composer, organizerCollaborates with Dr.Andrew Weil in music

therapy cd’sRecognized as having a comprehensive

overview of the field of Sound TherapyPhD in Pyschoacoustics

Daniel LevitinAuthor of “This is Your Brain on Music”Head of Laboratory for Music

Perception, Cognition, and Expertise at McGill University in Montreal

Doing a lot of brain imaging while people listen to music

Writing such papers as

“Current Advances in the Cognitive Neuroscience of Music”

Fabien MamanFounder of Tama-Do Academy of Sound,

Color and Movement – first school of soundwork in the country

Tuning fork techniques with color lights that balance acupuncture command points as well as the spine.

Fabien was the first to use tuning forks on the body, a He created the now famous system which uses tuning forks instead of needles on acupuncture command points in 1977.

Sometimes called the Father of Sound Medicine

Eileen McKusickUse tuning forks diagnostically and

therapeutically, working with the body’s energy field/biofield.

Has mapped the biofieldHas successfully treated pain, anxiety, head

injuries, vertigo, depression (not severe), restless leg syndrome and numerous other disorders.

Once the body becomes aware of its patterns of imbalance, it spontaneously begins to heal itself.

Other tuning fork teachers/schoolsAcutonics – Kairos School of Sound Healing uses tuning forks tuned to “planetary

frequencies” on acupuncture points – most mainstream of all sound work techniques

SomaEnergetics – David Hulse – Solfeggio Frequencies

Tuning Fork Therapy – Francine MilfordGlobe Institute for Sound Healing and

Consciousness – David Gibson, founderRandy Masters – Universal Song

California Institute for Integral Studies (CIIS), San Francisco

http://www.ciis.edu/about_ciis/public_programs/certificate_programs/sound_certificate.html

California Institute of Human Science (CIHS), Encinitas