Happy 7th issue! Thank you all for reading through the last 6 issues so far, even if sent out irregularly!
I’m officially now a sound/music healing practitioner! Those last few months in the course got much more intense — up until the final project (an interactive project conceived a week before the deadline utilizing the I-Ching, Chinese 5-element theory, tuning forks and chopsticks).
In the last issue of this newlsetter, the subject was entrainment and how that describes the effect of music and sound on your mind and body. Here’s a quick overview of what went down during the rest of the course:
We went deeper into the study of sound with Joshua Leeds, who specializes in psychoacoustics. Information on resonance and entrainment for brainwave modification, binaural beat frequencies, The Tomatis Method, stress and noise-induced auditory dysfunction and the importance of auditory health were some of the core concepts packed into one weekend. And if that didn’t already make your head spin, check out this study, released by the World Health Organization on the effects of noise pollution on a global scale. This heady read exemplifies why we really should pay more attention to what kind of sounds we allow ourselves to be bathed in on a daily basis.
The following month, we had an amazing class with music therapist,Louise Montello. In a wonderfully eye opening and emotional weekend, Louise helped us all see how music can help heal through Essential Musical Intelligence, using case studies from her therapeutic practice with musicians. On top of that, we had a workshop on toning, by using mantras to initiate health with NY Open Center director Thomas Amelio. I highly recommend listening to his otherworldly tones and chants on this 8 minute intro to mantra video. In February, Dr. John Beaulieau brought his tuning forks and discussed Cymatics (the subject of this issue’s Body Therapy Spotlight), Biosonics and human tuning. With a base in science, he took us into the world of sounds and its effects on consciousness based on geometry, math, and Five Element Theory.This was the class that resonated with me the most. The potentials of use with the sound and vibration that emit from tuning forks and its uses in healing are almost unbelievable.
I’ve started to use them already in my bodywork therapy with their vibrations and specific shiatsu and acupuncture points. If you are interested in experiencing these affects, contact me.
Indigenous Sound Healing with the indelible Pat Moffit Cook — east and western methods of releiving pain, inducing sleep, managing anxiety through ancient chants, guided imagery, and nonverbal communication. Nordoff-Robbins music therapy techniques with NYU professor Dr. Alan Turry — exploration of different modes of music and how they effect emotions as well as amazing case studies of how our innate sense of music can give us tools to face our challenges. Yoga of the Voice with Silvia Nakkach — we were lucky enough to have another expert on shamanistic healing come and teach us, this time about the voice and how its expression can transform consciousness and emotional/physical dysfunction. Last but not least, Layne Redmond shared her research on ancient percussion instruments while teaching us about the healing power of movement and rhythm using the frame drum. Whew! I can’t wait to keep sharing the expansive continual learning experience of sound and music healing with you all.
Bodywork Therapy Spotlight
There are a million modalities, or types of bodywork therapy. This month, the spotlight is on Cymatherapy.
Cymatherapy uses the study of wave phenomena (Cymatics) to bring balance to the body. All living matter has resonance, measured by wave frequency. Cells, tissues, and organs all have individual unique frequencies with which they resonate. In Cymatherapy theory, when organisms are unable to vibrate with their natural frequency, it causes imbalances, creating an optimal environment for disease. Thanks toDr. Hans Jenny, who pioneered the science of Cymatics and Dr. Peter Guy Manners, who studied the effects of sound on individual cells, aspects of Cymatherapy have been in use in the medical field through the practice of ultrasound. Currently, other machines are being developed to deliver even more beneficial frequencies to specific organs and tissues to treat ailments.
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