This week I want to introduce to you sound healing.
Some of you may be familiar with the practice, some may have at lease heard of it, and some of you may not know what it is at all. Regardless of the category you find yourself in, this newsletter will bring a greater awareness and understanding of what sound healing is and how it works.
This is a topic that I could talk for days about, but my intention is not to overwhelm you but to just give you a general understanding of the practice and its benefits. Should you choose to dive deeper I’ll provide some resources along the way that will allow you to crawl as far down the rabbit hole of knowledge as your heart desires.
Here is a 30 minute sound healing by yours truly to start your journey into sound.
Please listen in headphones or on good speakers for the best sound experience.
Enjoy!
Everything Vibrates
“ If you want to understand the world,
think in terms of frequency, energy, and vibration.”
~ Nikola Tesla
Everything in our universe, both living and not, is in a constant state of vibration
Think back to grade school science classes when you were taught about matter and the atoms that create it. We were taught that the atoms that create solids are closer together, more compact, and move slower than that of liquids or gas, but that nonetheless, even those atoms were always in a state of motion/vibration. Without that vibration, that frequency which holds all matter together, there would be no shape, no form, no light, no world, no us.
Take a moment and let that sink in.
So what do vibrating atoms have to do with sound?
Well, sound is simply the range of vibration that we as humans can audibly perceive. But as humans, we have an extremely limited hearing range of approximately 20-20,000 Hertz.
Hertz (Hz) is a measurement for vibration or frequency calculated by the number of cycles per second (CPS) at which it vibrates. A cycle is one full oscillation, and 1Hz is equal to 1cps. When picturing. a wave, 1 full cycle would start at the center line, curve up to the apex at the top of the wave, dip down through center to the crest of the bottom of the wave, and end back at center.
But just think of how expansive the range of vibration is that we can’t hear.If vibration causes sound, then how much sound occurs all around us daily that we can’t perceive?
Resonance & Dissonance
What is resonance and dissonance?
Resonance is the natural frequency at which any object naturally vibrates at in its healthy state. Dissonance is what happens when the object falls out of its healthy frequency into a state of disharmony or dis-ease.
Ever think about how sound as an adjective (safe and sound), is another word for health and means “in good condition; not damaged, injured, or diseased?” Well within our bodies, every organ, muscle, bone, ligament, joint, cell, and function has a unique resonance which when kept, maintains health in the body.
How does dissonance arise?
Just as all things we can see, hear, and touch have a certain frequency, so to do do emotions and thoughts. When we live within strong emotions or thought patterns for long periods of time (such as anxiety or depression), or when we experience trauma or prolonged physical, mental, or emotional stress, parts of our body will try to adapt to this new frequency as it is the body’s nature to do so for survival. This part of the body that is affected will then fall “out of tune” and will then begin to seek harmony from other organs, tissues, cells, molecules, etc. in order to return to resonance. So when left unresolved, this one place of imbalance can create disharmony throughout the entire system.
Think of your body like a symphony. If even one player is out of tune or loses their sheet music, it causes chaos and disharmony for the entire orchestra. Give that player another copy of the sheet music or make a quick tune up to heal the situation, and everything else can return to harmony, saving the symphony.
Below are some examples of emotions and their frequency:
- Low Frequency Emotions
- Shame 20Hz
- Guilt 30Hz
- Apathy 50Hz
- Grief 75Hz
- Fear 100Hz
- Anger 150Hz
- High Frequency Emotions
- Courage 200Hz
- Acceptance 350Hz
- Love 500Hz
- Joy 540Hz
- Peace 600Hz
- Enlightenment 700-1000Hz
How Can Sound Heal Us
Cymatics
Before we going into the different aspects and actions of sound and how it affects the body, I want to first solidify the understanding that sound does have the power and capacity to shift and change matter within and around us. I feel when this concept is fully understood, the idea of sound healing becomes a little less ethereal and a little more real. So I’d like to introduce to you the study of Cymatics.
Cymatics (a term coined by Dr. Hans Jenny) is the study of the effect of sound on physical form. Cymatics was explored through experiments using different substances (putty, water, lycopodium dust), and a means by which to apply a specific frequency to that matter (a metal plate and a crystal oscillator) in order to see the results of sound on form. It was found that through vibration at specific frequencies, matter would change shape, sometimes resembling organic or geometric structures that already exist in our world.
This concept is better seen than explained, so below are a few videos you can check out that explain or give a great representation of cymatics.
Ted Talks – Making Sound Visible Through Cymatics
CYMATICS: Science Vs. Music – Nigel Stanford
“Cymatics – Bringing Matter to Life” Film by Dr. Hans Jenny
Secrets of Cymatics
Frequency in the Human Body
Now that you have a better understanding of resonance and dissonance, how disharmony affects the health of a system and how sound affects form, lets take a look at what frequency does in the human body.
Did you know that our bodies usually feel the vibration of sound before we hear it?
We are intrinsically feeling beings, we perceive and process vibrations from everyday sounds, experiences, and encounters through our skin, cells, and tissues in our bodies. And while the hearing aspect is important, sound healing is more about what is felt. But before we dive into how sound interacts with the body, lets deepen our understanding of the resonance within each aspect of the body.
Think back to the previous analogy of solids having closer together, slower moving atoms. Well slower moving means longer wavelengths or oscillations, which translates into lower cycles per second or hertz. So the denser substances will have lower frequencies than more mutable or etheric aspects in our body.
Below is a general list of body parts or aspects from lowest to highest frequency:
- Bones <– lowest frequency
- Joints
- Tendons & Muscles
- Organs
- Blood & Liquid
- Mental body (thoughts)
- Emotional body
- Etheric body (spirit) <– highest frequency
Resonance
The main method of using sound to heal is by way of resonance. Through resonance, if we know our bones resonate at a much lower frequency than other parts of our body, we would use lower frequencies (such as that of a digeridoo) to inspire healing there.
There are two types of resonance, free and forced.
Free resonance is when an object will begin to vibrate only when it comes in contact with a frequency that matches its own. Forced resonance (think plucking strings on a guitar) is when one vibrating source produces vibration in another object, even when they don’t share the same frequency.
I like to think of Free resonance as external or internal sounds or experiences that remind the body of what its healthy state of vibration is and gently encourage it to return to health. Forced resonance, on the other hand, is like the body receiving new external messages (like a massage) that can still move the body toward health, but by way of external factors shifting things into a healthier place. In healing, forced resonance is most commonly seen by way of entrainment and through the pathway of water.
I will mention and explain entrainment and forced resonance’s affect on water in the sections below.
Entrainment
Entrainment is a type of forced resonance in which the vibrations of one object change those of another, causing the second object to “lock in step,” or synchronize with the first. This type of resonance is most commonly seen through brain entrainment.
So what is brain entrainment?
Essentially through the power of sound and this “lock in step” type of resonance, we have the ability alter our brainwave states. The way it is applied is through use of beat frequencies or binaural beats. Binaural beats are created with two different frequencies, one played in each ear. When these two frequencies are a certain number of Hertz apart, our brain does the math and starts resonating at a Hertz equal to the difference between each frequency.
For example, lets say we had a tuning fork that resonated at 100Hz ringing in our right ear, and we struck another fork, ringing at 105Hz and put it beside our left, the difference between those frequencies, 5Hz, is the measure of the brainwave state our mind would sync to (Theta wave).
Below is an explanation of the different brainwave states and their approximate Hertz.
- DELTA [ 0.5 – 4 Hz]
- Deep Sleep: Deeply unconscious, sleep, astral travel, dreaming, other dimensions, loss of bodily awareness
- THETA [ 4 – 8 cps]
- Subconscious/meditation: Drowsy, tranquil, unconscious, light sleep, shamanic journeying, high creativity
- ALPHA [ 8 – 13 cps]
- Subconscious/deep relaxation: Deeply relaxed, light hypnosis, meditation, biofeedback, daydreaming, just before & after sleep, mystical state
- BETA [ 13 – 20 cps]
- Waking Conscious: Fully awake, alert, focused
- HIGH BETA [ 20 – 30 cps]
- Hyperactivity & anxiety
- GAMMA [40 – 80 cps]
- Superconscious/insight: Highly attentive state of consciousness and perception. Higher mental activity and high level of information processing (integration
- Superconscious/insight: Highly attentive state of consciousness and perception. Higher mental activity and high level of information processing (integration
But why is this so cool?
When applied, this allows us to shift into a more relaxed state of mind if we are too awake, or wake up and focus when we are feeling drowsy. So instead of being a victim to poor timing of brainwave states, we can gain back a bit of control of our day, all through the use of sound.
Where can you find binaural beats to use?
Lucky for us, there are a number of free music streaming apps that make binaural beats easily available and right at our fingertips. If you search “binaural beats” on Spotify, there is a long list of options you can choose from depending on what state of mind you are needing.
Below, are some additional avenues for you to explore the magic of beat frequencies:
Binaural beats phone apps:
Tuning Forks:
Important: when exploring binaural beats, remember that the way brain entrainment works is through two different frequencies played in opposite ears. So you will not get any benefit when listening from a speaker as it does not allow the brain to “lock in step” and find the resonant difference. So when entraining your brain, always use headphones.
The Importance of Intent
Intention is an important key to healing, and its also just an important thing to be aware of in your everyday life. If you aren’t familiar of just how powerful intention is, check out this short clip (or the extended video) of Dr. Wayne Dyer’s talk on the power of intention.
Just as all matter, mass, and things we can see, touch, or hear hold resonant vibration, so to do emotions, thoughts, and intention. If there is nothing else you take away from this week, at least let this one part stick.
“Our intention creates our reality” – Dr. Dyer
Intent is the energy behind sound that is carried upon its waves to magnify the healing potential. Let your conscious intent be that of healing and you will create healing, whereas if your intent is negative or doubtful, that is the energy and experience you will manifest.
There have been countless studies on the power of intention and how it can manifest physically, but the one, most prominent example I can think of is the work of Dr. Masaru Emoto. Dr. Emoto studied the affect of words on water and captured the crystaline structure of water samples using a dark field microscope.
In his work, samples of water that were given positive messaged through words, written messages, prayer, or music would create beautiful, snowflake-like, geometric structures, whereas when the words were negative, the crystaline structure would fall into disorder and chaos.
With our bodies made up of over 70% of this highly recordable substance (water), these findings put into perspective just how much power and affect our own thoughts, words, and intentions can have on us.
This video explains more about Dr. Emoto’s studies with a visual representation of the crystaline structures recorded.
So as you take this newfound understanding of the power of sound into your world, remember that even your intent carries sound/vibration and that the healing starts with you.
I hope you enjoyed the sound healing for this week and are feeling inspired to explore the healing potential of sound and vibration.
If you want to read more about sound here are some book recommendations:
** The 7 Secrets of Sound Healing by Jonathan Goldman **
Healing Power of Sound by Mitchell L. Gaynor, M.D.
The Humming Effect by Jonathan Goldman
Human Tuning by John Beaulieu
Tuning the Human Biofield by Eileen Day McKusick
Reminders:
The Harmonizing Healthcare clinic has started a weekly broadcast with the mission of supporting you in a deeper way and helping you optimize your well-being physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Dr. Sarica Cernohous, L.Ac., Brittany Petrick, L.Ac., and other guests will come together every Tuesday to cover topics of health and wellness in order to inspire and support you on your journey of holistic health.
The purpose of this service is to help and support you, your family, and our community, so if there is a topic of health or a challenge that you are going through and would like us to cover it, please let us know.
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We are also still offering online herbal consults if you are unable to make it into the clinic but would still like to keep your health as top priority.
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With gratitude,
The Harmonizing Healthcare team