I was recently invited to attend a sound healing session, which then turned into three sessions.
At first, the question I asked myself, can sound therapy heal? And what is it? Am I not already overburdened by sounds that abound? What can I listen to, that would expedite the healing of an open wound, make that many wounds? Who isn’t wounded, and if you aren’t, I salute you; you’ve not needed wounds inflicted by life- by family, by friends, by lovers, and by any human that has entered your sphere, and to whom you have opened your heart. You are blessed, because it simply signifies that you are at a stage where you’ve learnt what there was to learn and are in a safe and sound place.
We are sound, I was told. Our breath, our heartbeat, our flowing blood, our pulse, our vocal chords- all of these form US. We are water, and we are flesh and bones.
I read: “The frequency of the sound synchronizes with the brainwaves and activates destress responses in the body. Sound healing can help you clear energetic blockages and thus facilitate healing on a physical and mental level.”
I listened: the morning session : a number of instruments lay on the floor, and our facilitator, a gentle soul named Santiago, asked us to close our eyes and choose one instrument to play. None of these were familiar, so we were free to play with the sounds emitted by the instrument of choice. I chose a prayer bowl. A prayer bowl speaks to me, and the stick strikes the bowl at different angles, emitting different frequencies of sounds that strike my heart. It was fun. It was miraculous too. I felt my body react in an entirely different way to earlier, since I was enclosed in an arena which held a mere four participants and the healer. All we heard were the instruments, and birdsongs. An occasional mobike passing by, we barely took notice of.
Santiago told us that not all sounds work for each individual, and vibrations emanating from certain will either resonate with one’s being, or not.
Turned out to be true. Some instruments weren’t for me. The long, hanging ‘xylophone’ that another participant played with, was soothing for a bit, but then seemed to clash with something within, disturbing the resonance of what my prayer bowl offered me. .
It is like Ayurved- medicines prescribed must be customized to the individual, so is it with sound.
I remember a friend telling me that she heard strains of music from a neighbouring car, at a crossroad, and yes, it was music that was playing. She was horrified by her bodily reaction to it. She told me her body rejected those sounds immediately, and she raced ahead, frightened. I was shocked by her reaction to music, no less! But there are certain vibrations, and frequencies that can be dissonant for an individual persona. I now understand that only too well.
The sounds we were made to hear, felt as if they were being played for me alone. They entered my sphere, my body, and enveloped my being in a gentle halo-like bubble. I turned into a fetus, allowing myself to bathe in its amniotic fluid. I turned bodiless, floating in the sound.
It was not easy to emerge, but when I did, I was fresh, rejuvenated and emptied of negative thoughts. The experience itself needs to be lived, but words are, at the moment, all I have.
I absorbed: At dusk, I listened to sounds that our facilitator Ali used as therapy- Crystal bowls. I had a similar experience, yet a lot stronger, fiercer and unrelenting. I absorbed all sounds, and wept and wept copiously. So much cleansing was happening- and my way has always been to cry and sometimes cry out.
At a certain point of this particular experience of sound healing, I wanted to get out, run away, because the strength of the sounds that were piercing their way into my being, began to feel like hundreds of hands pressing upon me, albeit gentle, and they were squeezing and expressing the hurt I was holding tightly knotted within. I finally let go, and when I did, it was all quiet and I fell asleep with the crystalline sounds cradling me.
When I awoke, I felt far lighter, renewed as it were. I’ve never slept better than that night.
I had wept, and I had understood why.
I heard: healing with sound happens and it can be made to occur both consciously and unconsciously. One can improvise musical acts, meditate, chant, and play musical instruments. There are other sounds one can focus on, and allow oneself to flow in it, go with it, and consciously listen- it is not easy, because our life is full of the noises we have created in our heads, and outside, we are taken with it all.
I recalled: a trip to a village in Germany. I became a bit dazed, and was rendered speechless by an unfamiliar sentiment – I call it freedom. It overpowered me quite suddenly, the very absence of familiar noises. I asked our host, “Where are the noises, and the people?”
He laughed sweetly, and said, “Welcome to the world of positive sounds.”
His beautiful smile left me wondering, why was it that we must surround ourselves with so much noise?
I now look for sounds: I hear them, I listen, I absorb, and I heal.
Even as I sit at my desk, I hear the humming of the table fan, which has a musical note that reaches me, and I hum along. I hear nothing else. I’m quiet. Then I hear someone working at a building site- far, far away, and it joins the orchestral harmony that I’m creating.
It’s a process, and an ongoing one. Lookout for the sign that says, “Sound and Safe!”
Chiang Mai holistic healing centre
©kamalininatesan 10thJuly2020
Nice… sounds definitely have a therapeutic effect on people. I like being surrounded by sounds
Well constructed piece on a complicated subject. Sound. What could be more appealing yet more mysterious than how sound affect us. I rely on my singing bowl, but now Crystal bowls promise a new journey according to Kay. I’m ready when Kay is to journey back to Chiang Mai and go deep. Thanks for the inspiration!
Thank you Amanda, for appreciating and understanding. It was not something I’d ever imagined doing, and I’m grateful for the experience and happy to repeat it anytime. There’s still so much left to learn and imbibe, and sounds, well that’s everywhere for the taking. Distilling and absorbing – that’s our being’s response to what’s out there, right?
You are right! You have used words to beautifully describe the sounds of our body.
It’s fascinating how sound speaks to us. It’s not just the soothing clink of the prayer bowl or crystal bowl or anything else, chants too probably have the same effect because I have found some chants working for me and some not. I guess when they are in harmony with the sounds within, we have stillness in chaos !
You have used words to beautifully describe the sounds of our body
Chants are particularly endowed with vibrations that work in layers, so true. We do have stillness in chaos, well put Soma. Thank you for reading and liking. For me, this has been quite a revelation indeed.
So true
I am extremely perceptive to sound And memories associated
Loved your write up
I’m glad you enjoyed my experience Sonia, and yes, sound- truly, we are surrounded and submerged, aren’t we! It’s good to be conscious of what brings joy to our beings.
As I sat and read this in the quiet evening of my home, I absorbed the small sounds all around me.. we are surrounded by so much
Wonderfully written. May you continue to find the sounds tuned to you.
May I indeed, and may you too. Thank you for reading.
I find my connect with your writings . I generally have an extremely short memory and I mostly forget what I read , but Your writing moves me in a certain positive way ! So deep , poignant and effective ❣️❣️And yes I too connect with sounds , mostly I find them intrusive and jarring right from the sound of a fan to sounds of the daily humdrum at home 🙃. Silence heals me , inspired to explore ‘sound’ as therapy 🤞🏻😘
Thank you for your generous comments Manisha. Yes, I know that sounds can be interpreted as intrusive noises by us, and therein lies the rub- how to distill that which resonates and ignore those ‘sounds’ that do nothing for us, apart from disturbing our equilibrium. Good luck with that. I’m glad you are now ready to explore this new interpretation to sound. Thanks for reading and appreciating.
A very well constructed piece on a very unknown subject ! I have heard of therapeutic sounds, but you’ve described your own experience in such a vivid manner. I would love to try sound therapy and to enjoy the feeling of being submersed in my quota of positive sounds.
As always, your power of the language and usage of words are par excellence Kay darling !! Kudos to you once again .
Xoxox
Thanks for reading and commenting Suman. Yes, it was a surprise to me too, how much it affected me overall. I’m still reeling under its impact.
I’m glad you resonated with it too. Please do come along and give it a shot!
Your generous praise is always a treat for me.
I’m thoroughly intrigued … would definitely like to try this. Inshallah 🤞
I hope you do some day. If nothing else, you would have experienced something special and become aware of the effects of sounds that are always present in our ambience, one way or another. It can only be beneficial in my mind. Thank you for reading and commenting Anuradha.
Sounds like a fascinating experience. Would love to try it some day. I had visited a sound museum /park in Auroville a few years back and that was fascinating too. Not as immersive though, as your experience seems to have been.
Thanks Manjul, for reading and appreciating this ‘sound’ experience. I’d love to visit this museum place you mention in Auroville too. How interesting! I’m a regular visitor and am surprised I haven’t heard of it yet. Well, well…..Yes, do give it a shot!
I think it’s well written. Sound healing has impact. Each of us needs to know which form of healing we connect to the most and then gravitate in that direction.
Thanks Preeti, for reading and appreciating this form of healing and its impact upon me. True, one can only know what form of healing one’s being connects with upon trying all sorts. First of all, to acknowledge that we need healing from all sorts. I hope you get to try it too.
Songs can make me cry on a good day – I would absolutely love to do this. We all need healing of some sort. Your post is inspiring me to try this out. Thank you.
I’m so glad you appreciated this outing, and I hope you’re going to undertake this experience yourself. Much love and luck