Continued from the blog post, Understanding Sound.
Physiological Effects of Sound
Sound produces many effects on the mind and body. Some of which can be capitalized for healing. An important one for this discussion is Entrainment. Entrainment is when a stronger rhythmic pulse such as a constant musical beat at a specific rate, causes other pulsating bodies to match its pace. If you listen to calming music with a tempo of 60 bpm (beats per minute) your heart-rate will slow to 60 bpm as well. As will your breathing rate. Entrainment works no matter what the tempo, or rhythm. It has been shown that Heavy Metal music with certain rhythmic accents actually disrupt the heart-beat and can cause a-fib, or other cardiac problems. Sound is to be taken seriously because it is very powerful, yet somehow still underrated.
Entrainment is the basis for the sound and music healing technology known as Bi-Naural Beats.
Binaural beats only work with stereo when listening on headphones. Two very low frequencies toward the very bottom of the listening range are used, such as 40Hz and 46Hz. Each is panned (one left and one right) to each headphone speaker. The brain perceives the difference (4Hz) and the brainwaves naturally entrain to 4Hz. This is the threshold of he Delta Brainwave State for deep relaxation, meditation, and regeneration.
My sound healing compositions, Cosmic Journey #1 and #2, contain binaural beats. They are available as MP3 downloads at BradfordWTilden.Bandcamp.com.
“It must be imagined that everything is not only flowing, but actually flowing in patterns and rhythms.”
–Hans Jenny, from Cymatics, A Study of Wave Phenomena and Vibration: MACROmedia, Newmarket, NH, 2001
“Sound organizes matter into harmonious geometric patterns, geometry is the language of light, and light is consciousness. When intentionally applied, sound can create physical health, emotional wellbeing, and spiritual awakening.”
–Bradford Tilden
Sound as Healing
A balanced body is a healthy body. A healthy body required balanced nutrition in the form of minerals, vitamins, proteins, etc. but also subtle nourishment from colors (light) and sounds (frequencies). Imbalances arise from lack or excess. Typically there are blockage involved, impeding the flow that would restore balance present in one or more of the physical spiritual, mental, emotional or energy bodies. Sound is unique as a healing tool because of its effect on matter (i.e. our bodies), and its properties discussed above.
The study of the interaction between sound and matter is called cymatics. When you pass a pure tone through a chamber filled with particles, the particles arrange themselves into geometric patterns. Different pitches will produce different shapes. You can see this on the physical level by placing a plate of sand on top of a speaker. The sand will shift into organized patterns. In this way, sound creates (and destroys) energetic structures for light to occupy. This is how matter is formed, sustained, and destroyed. This is also how our bodies atomic, molecular, and cellular structures behave in the presence of sound. In the medical field, sound is used to non-invasively destroy gall and kidney stones, perform ultrasound, and in recent studies has shown to destroy cancerous cells while leaving healthy cells intact. We are just starting to grasp the incredible power of sound.
This concept is important when we consider the fluids, organs, cells, and molecules and atoms in our bodies. As Dr. Emoto discovered, water can be influenced by sound, music and even thoughts. Positive, healthy vibrations produce beautiful geometric patterns like snowflakes, while disruptive negative vibrations produce chaotic imbalanced molecules. Our bodies are 95% water. It goes without says that positive music and sound with strong nurturing intentions can have a huge impact on healing the body and maintaining balance and wellbeing.
Utilizing sound’s waveform dynamics intentionally is one very powerful way to create balance in the body and energy field. Amplification in sound healing can be used to balance the chakras, among other things. For example, if you produce a frequency that matches that of a target Chakra, the Chakra will open and increase its energy. Strong sustained sounds, drums, Tibetan Metal Bowls and Sonic Dissonance literally break apart and/or scatter energetic blockages in the body and energy-field.
Overtone singings creates sounds that are out of the range of our capable vocal production. For this reason they have a mystical/spiritual quality by invoking Higher Energies, connecting with higher dimensions, and higher beings.
Meditation with Sound
Sound Meditations, Sound Journeys, Meditation Concerts, and Sound Baths are all synonymous titles for the same experience. Typically people lay down in a group while a Sound Healer produces sound and/or music on various sound healing instruments. The audience “listens” passively, but experiences the sound vibrations in their physical bodies as well. Sound is able to bring people to a relaxed meditative state much more quickly than other forms of meditation. Even people whose minds can’t quite find sound meditation pleasing and rewarding.
Intention
There are notes, pitches, and tones. A note is written on a page of sheet music. A pitch is the sound frequency produced when playing or singing a note. A tone is a pitch that is imbued with intent and communicates psychic information. The difference between pitches and tones can be pointed out in the difference in how amateur musicians and the great ones perform. You can sing a pitch, or tone a tone. Tones have power to heal. To turn a pitch into a tone, add an intention, or pure thought when producing the pitch. This holds true for when playing sound on an instrument and especially for when singing.
Quartz Crystal Singing Bowls
Crystal Singing Bowls are made of Quartz. Quartz amplifies thought forms and other energies. It is important to be present and hold a strong intention when playing a crystal bowl to harness its full healing potential. Crystal bowls produce very pure sound that is the closest natural sound to the Sine Wave. There is a dominant Fundamental (its pitch) and a few even harmonics. This strong drone grounds, relaxes, balances and centers energy (in the body and in the environment) that can easily be shaped with intention.
Singing and Toning
Signing or toning with a Crystal Bowl is ideal. In doing so the relationship between the voice and bowl works synergistically and you can consciously direct and control the behavior of the sound, especially when having an understanding of the wave dynamics. When I say understand, a more appropriate word would be feel. You can discern the different effects by expanding your body awareness. The intervalic relationships (octave, 5th, 4th, etc. all of which have esoteric significance and emotional affects) also produce distinctly different physical sensations. The Master Sound Healer manipulates these elements to heal, restore, open, and activate themself and others.
Interested to experience my sound healing work? I invite you to book a sound healing session with me, or attend one of my many sound journey meditation concerts.
Visit www.facebook.com/CrystalMusicHealing to get connected and thank you for reading!