Let’s hear some music first!
Sitting in bed on a rainy day loving everything except the idea of getting up! Perfect day to sit in bed and write. Thinking of my mother as I have my computer sitting on a tray on my lap, the tray I bought for her when she became less and less mobile- her “breakfast in bed” tray. And thinking of my beloved Henry who passed away five and a half years ago- we’d always end up singing that Paul McCartney song together on rainy days.
And thinking a lot about sound… ideas, inspirations and… misconceptions. Someone sent me this post a few days ago and asked if I had any thoughts- and I had a lot of thoughts about it!
So let me say this for starters. My experience, as someone who has been exploring the balancing, healing and harmonizing effect and power of sound and frequency for 35 years, is that this is basically bogus. (I’m being polite.) First of all, look at what it’s saying. Aren’t these almost all the same statements put in slightly different ways? Something that soothes your nerves is going to calm body tension, ease anxiety, release fear, etc., etc. When you have inner peace all the rest of this stuff (overwhelm, social anxiety, etc.) is a non-issue.
In the words of the visionary neuroscientist, musician and brilliant writer Daniel Levitin, referring back to the use of music in ancient Greece as a healing modality, he writes, “For example, there is no scientific evidence that music’s ability to heal, or to cause changes in mood, or any other cellular effects, derives primarily from the specific frequencies of tones used; this has been exhaustively studied [my italics]. The notion also doesn’t make logical sense, for much shamanic healing was conducted by singers who would have had no way to calibrate their precise frequencies from one occasion to the next, or from one tribe to another. The power of music, then, probably comes not from specific frequencies, but from trance-inducing rhythms, or a combination of musical elements as they stand in relation to one another- elements including harmonic structure, melody, tonality (major or minor), rhythm, and tempo. In other words, whatever effect a piece of music or a sequence of sounds has on you, it’s unlikely that it would stop having that effect if it were shifted by a few hertz (Hz, cycles per second) in one direction or the other.” (I Heard There Was A Secret Chord, p. 9)
Sorry, that may not be what you want to hear, especially if you have been taught that you need a certain set of singing bowls or that everything needs to be tuned to 432 hz-or that 528 hz is the “love frequency” or whatever is the latest idea on a frequency for repairing DNA. (And no, there are no notes for the chakras.)
One of my sisters cannot tolerate the sound of a violin- she says that for her it’s like nails on a blackboard. I guarantee that if it were played tuned to 432hz instead of 440hz it wouldn’t make a damn bit of difference. It would NOT bring her inner peace. It would induce extreme anxiety- or at best a significant amount of irritation.
There are many forms of sound therapy. I can speak best from personal experience. My primary modality for private sound healing sessions is vibroacoustic sound therapy. I use a Somatron Body Mat with speakers built into it which lays on top of a massage table. Rather than dialing in specific frequencies, I play prerecorded CDs. Most of those CDs would be tuned to 440Hz since that has been the standard in the US and the UK since 1936. In Europe and other countries it can be slightly higher- 444- 445Hz. (My harmonium, which was made in India, is tuned to 445Hz.) when a person is lying on the Somatron the music, sound and frequencies are broadcast into all of the cells of the body through the vibroacoustic mat. I have a couple of hundred CD’s I choose from and no two sessions are alike. I have witnessed a countless number of people have dramatic, often life-changing experiences, on all levels- physical, mental, emotional and sometimes profound spiritual healings. I have seen relief from physical pain, emotional pain, grief, depression, anxiety, insomnia, clarity on core issues, and profound personal transformation. I could go on and on with stories on how intentionally guided sound healing sessions have changed my life and improved the lives of countless others.
The key lies not in the frequency used. It begins with the joined intention of the practitioner and the client. Sound healing is not “One Size Fits All.” Sound is a carrier wave for intention. We are all unique and respond to different types of sound, music and frequency in our own individual ways, much of which is ever-changing from one moment to the next, from one day to the next and from one situation to the next.
This is a topic I could spend a great deal of time on. Most likely I will write more on it but for now I’m going to call it a day. What I will leave you with is this. If you want to know what frequencies “heal” you, listen. Listen deeply. Notice the sounds that surround you. Notice the sounds that irritate you. And notice the sounds that calm you, that inspire you to stop and take a deep breath. It may be a particular instrument. It may the sound of the wind, the rain, or the ocean. It may be a particular piece or style of music. It may be the voice of a loved one. It may be the vibration of your own voice- humming, singing, chanting.
A message from Henry:
~What is a Healing Sound?~
Making any sound with a loving intention will produce a healing effect.
The sound of the simple little 4-hole flute with vibrato talking to the didgeridoo of love brings a healing.
The sounds of love and healing.
Perfect rhythm or perfect pitch is not necessary. Only the intention of pure love is necessary to produce a healing.
-Henry Steffes Jr-
To be continued…
