If you search the internet for the meaning of Sound Therapy, you will come across a multitude of responses and you will learn about a variety of wonderful methods. But basically, Sound Therapy, in the way that I practice it, is the process of using sounds, with music and special instruments, which are played in a therapeutic manner combined with techniques that aid in the ability to bring about a transformational healing of some kind which may then lead to improved health and well-being: physically, emotionally, mentally or spiritually.
Sound Therapy is a form of sensory therapy. Much like massage therapy which delivers healing through touch, Sound Therapy deliveries healing through vibrations working all the way through your skin, muscles, tissues and organs. It is a non-invasive, simple, and a cost-effective therapeutic technique which can be experienced in a variety of ways such as the commonly known practice of a Sound Bath.
The goal of sound therapy is to ultimately bring about balance and restoration. This means that an individual may experience an emotional release of all kinds, such as sadness, crying, excitement, laughter, and even anger. These are all normal experiences for which the body needs to process and work through; especially any unresolved feelings that you have been harboring for a long time. Sound just has a way with being able to bring these emotions to the surface which can show up during a session, just shortly after a session, or it could even take up to a day for you to feel the emotional impact.
Sound Therapy works on the principle that everything in the universe is energy in vibration.
And with the human body generally comprising of 70% water, depending on health and age, it is an excellent conductive medium for sound and vibration.
There are two ways that sound can be used to bring about healing. Some also refer to Sound Therapy as Sound Healing.
- The first way is called Psychoacoustics. This is basically how humans perceive and respond to various sounds. Sound frequencies go into your ears and into your brain affecting your nervous system, your heart rate, and your brainwaves. This is very powerful and effective method. By way of brainwave entrainment, the soothing tones and healing vibrational frequencies created from various instruments help to prepare the nervous system go into the parasympathetic nervous system state. Given the right techniques used, the brainwaves can shift from Gamma or Beta down to Alpha and Theta. This creates the environment for the body to go into its own natural healing state for the ability to relieve stress and reduce pain bringing about restoration and balance.
- The second way is called VibroAcoustics. This is where sound goes into your body at a deep cellular level. This is where your body feels the vibrations either through the sound waves themselves when instruments are played or by placing the vibrating instruments directly on the body such as in the use of Himalayan bowls and tuning forks. This is also a very powerful method where I personally have experienced immense relief from physical knee pain using certain techniques through the application of weighted tuning forks.
What are the different ways Sound Therapy can be experienced?
Sound therapy is only growing in popularity, making it much easier to find than even just a few years ago. The simplest form of access is through the internet, where videos can approximate the sound of Tibetan bowls, crystal bowls, gongs or binaural beats. There are even professional recordings to choose from. However, if you are looking for a more immersive or one-on-one experience, or are interested in using sound therapy for working through stress or traumas, then you are going to want to search for a Certified Sound Therapy Practitioner for whom you resonate with and who can offer techniques that can best meet your needs. You may find that a combination of sound therapy practices (one-to-one sessions and videos) brings about the best results.
As Sound Therapy can be experienced through a multitude of ways; in my practice I offer vibrational sound therapy through:
- “One-to-One Sound Therapy Sessions”.
- These sessions really allow an individual to work through multiple layers to help recalibrate the mind, body, and spirit.
- “Couples Sound Massage” sessions.
- Participants can be a combination of any two people such as spouses, couples, friends and family members such as mother / daughter.
- This is great alternative and relaxing activity to experience with someone you care about.
- Both of the One-to-One and Couples sessions can be given in-person or via Zoom.
- I also offer a couple of group sessions:
- A “Sound Bath Immersion” which is commonly known as a “Sound Bath” among many, as well as through “Sound Journey Workshops” which is another form of a group session.
- And, I offer two additional techniques using sound and vibration called “Bio-Energy Sound Healing Therapy” and “Biofield Tuning”.
- These techniques focus primarily with working with the body’s energy field and chakra system (or otherwise known as the vagus nerve energy centers).
Regardless, EVERY session is unique and tailored to the individual or type of session given.
What benefits can Sound Therapy offer?
There is a lot of compelling research available that supports sound therapy for relief of both physical and psychological pain and I would encourage you to do your own research. For a place to start, you can check out some of the links that I have posted on my website. You can also perform searches at researchgate.net and elsewhere.
One study by researchers from the University of California set out to examine the potential effects of a singing bowl meditation on mood, tension, anxiety, physical pain, and spiritual well-being. This research revealed that there was a significant difference found in all the endpoints examined in response to the meditation. The participants reported significantly less tension, anger, fatigue, and depressed mood. For those participants who were new to this kind of practice, they found that this group experienced a significantly greater reduction in tension.
Integrative oncologist, Dr. Mitchell L. Gaynor implemented sound and music therapy as a part of his patients’ treatment protocol for over 25 years. He too used crystal bowls. What he found was that music and sound healing made his patients feel more relaxed, and they experienced a new found sense of harmony and inner peace that lasted long after completing cancer treatments. Not only did he focus on curing a patient (fixing a physical symptom) using conventional methods, he also focused on healing his patients, which he described as a complementary union of mind, body and spirit.
With being immersed in a sound bath meditation that resonates well with you, individuals are able to access meditative states through the practice of deep listening. By way of brainwave entrainment, the soothing tones and vibrations created from the various instruments help to prepare the nervous system go into the parasympathetic nervous system state.
When people are relaxed as a result of meditation, toning, chanting, listening to music, conducting breathing exercises, or from other such therapies, their breath deepens and slows and their stress hormones decrease, allowing the immune system to function more efficiently, lowering blood pressure and activating the centers of the brain that release natural opiates. This creates the environment for the body to go into its own natural healing state often relieving stress and reducing pain bringing about restoration and balance.
The benefits of sound therapy are many. It can be deeply transformative with and can be used to facilitate reducing stress and anxiety; calming your nervous system; for bringing about a calm and peaceful state of being; it can be used to facilitate deep relaxation and improved sleep; provide clarity of the mind improving concentration; and can help to remove energy blockages.
How many sessions should I attend to achieve a transformational experience?
It really depends on the individual for how many sessions they might need to attend to realize a transformational experience. Factors include their emotional state of being, lifetime experiences and memories, desired intention and their own commitment. Some individuals might have fantastic results after their first session while it may take others multiple sessions to achieve the same. I generally think that someone who is new to this type of experience, who is committed to taking full advantage of the possibilities, should really notice a difference after 3 sessions. However, the benefits ARE experienced starting with the first session.
WHY 3 Sessions?
I say “3” because with the initial session, you are generally working through getting used to the process and are learning while receiving the sound sessions. So you may not be able to relax as easily. Because of this, I do recommend that with your first session that you just intend to release any stress that you may be feeling and simply relax.
With the second session, you should be feeling more comfortable; with the process, with me as your practitioner, and with your ability to release emotions.
With the third session, you should be able to start diving deeper into working on other emotional layers that can help lead to self-healing. Just understand that this can sometimes be a process.
If you are looking just for a stress-free relaxation experience, certainly that is what you will experience with your first session. However, if you are seeking to work through other subtle energy emotional layers, I do suggest a commitment to 3 sessions and perhaps integrate sound sessions as a general practice.
Much like on-going massage therapy treatments continue to work on the physical body, continued sound sessions will also continue to provide benefits with each session.
And to help with the financial commitment, I do offer a discount if you book three sessions at a time. This also helps to ensure you are able to reserve your desired date and time. All sessions can be booked in advance up to 90 days out via my website.
What kind of Sound Therapy instruments are used and what sounds are best for a relaxing experience?
In my practice, I use a variety of musical instruments but mainly use crystal bowls to integrate and balance the body, heart, mind and soul back into a state of harmony and well-being. It’s not really about using any particular instrument or combination of sounds but rather the importance lies with how they are played, what intentions are set by the practitioner and the client, as well as the client’s receptiveness and participation. The right instrument, tone, and frequency varies with the intent and purpose of each session.
All that said, if you are seeking to experience ‘relaxation and rest’, the most beneficial sounds are those that help to calm the nervous system which include those that are played slowly, have deeper tones and frequencies, (the drowning of the crystal bowls or creation of binaural beats are great), and include a gentle transition of the instruments.
In addition to crystal bowls, I also use other common sound therapy instruments such as Tibetan or Himalayan bowls; gongs; Koshi and Zaphier chimes, as well as other bar chimes; an Ocean Wave Drum and hand drum; a crystal pyramid; a variety of tuning forks; rain sticks, a number of rattles, tingshas and bells; and, the voice. If interested, you can read more about my instruments on my website.
What is a Sound Bath?
A Sound Bath is a form of meditation where you lie in a relaxed position and allow for healing frequencies from acoustic instruments to be washed over your physical and subtle energy body. By doing to, you bring your mind and body into alignment, creating a synergy that has a powerful cumulative effect over time.
You can enjoy a Sound Bath during group events, or you can experience an individualized session by yourself.
Sound Baths can be engaged in actively, passively, or by combining a little of both.
Active meditation during a Sound Bath involves turning inward to the mind itself. With or without chanting mantras or using guided meditations, it can be a means of relaxation, a technique for cultivating mental discipline, a way to gain psychological insight or a method of communication with God or a higher power.
During passive participation, you simply relax, and the sound frequencies do all the work shifting you into a state of relaxation through brainwave entrainment coupled with vibratory sensations.
The ultimate purpose of a Sound Bath meditation is to help you overcome the limitations of ordinary consciousness and expand your mind to higher levels of awareness. And of course, to help you set aside any daily stressors helping you to relax.
When people are relaxed, their breath deepens and slows and their stress hormones decrease, allowing the immune system to function more efficiently, lowering blood pressure, and activating the centers of the brain that release natural opiates. This creates the environment for the body to go into its own natural healing state often relieving stress and reducing pain bringing about restoration and balance.
During a Sound Bath Meditation, you will be immersed in an expansive soundscape of Crystal Singing Bowls, Chimes, Gongs and more! Some of the best instruments to use for Sound Baths are those that have shown to offer additional benefits such as the Didgeridoo, Gong, Harp and Crystal Bowls.
All these different instruments provide frequencies which are penetrating into our body, and therefore causing the oxygen binding mechanism to give a boost of red and white blood cell viability. Oxygen is the key molecule for virtually every healing mechanism in our body. When we have more oxygen availability, it’s not just repairing the red and white blood cells, it is also therefore powering virtually every healing mechanism in the body.
The Didgeridoo, Gong, Harp and Crystal Bowls have shown to increase red blood cell viability (in vitro) in laboratory tests typically around 20%. Current studies are being conducted on white blood cells which are also showing promising results for about a 3% viability increase. Still, it is an extraordinary thought that just by immersing ourselves in beautiful music, we are not only getting a boost of red blood cells, but also, we are boosting our immune system efficiency as well.
Nevertheless, a variety of instruments played in a therapeutic manner, combined with an open mind, can help integrate and balance the body, mind, and spirit leaving you feeling refreshed and harmonized.
Come and discover for yourself the transformative healing of sound!
What makes Kimberly V. Dunn of Rays of Life different from other practitioners?
As a subtle energy sound therapy practitioner, I specialize in using innovative energy-based techniques to help my clients experience a sense of well-being, and feel more positive, balanced, and peaceful.
There are a lot of great experienced practitioners to choose from and the list is growing exponentially. I suggest that you find a practitioner with whom you resonate well with and feel comfortable working through any experiences that may arise. Every practitioner is different and brings their own unique vibe and gifts to a sound therapy experience. While many may use the same sound instruments, not every practitioner utilizes the exact same technique and that is what I love about this field; we are all different in some way.
What might make me a little different from other practitioners is that I have the ability to energetically listen, tune in and sense what is needed in the moment, and getting a person to feel at ease and easily relax. I was told once by one of my mentors that I have the unique ability to take a person really deep really quickly. That was an awesome compliment because getting a person to relax is so vitally important for one’s own self-healing process to begin from within.
Disclaimer:
While I am able to hold space for you to work through any emotional, mental or spiritual feelings, please note that I am not a counselor, psychologist or psychiatrist. I will serve to be your witness if you decide to share any feelings but please note that I am not a medical doctor.
Any technique offered or provided should not be relied upon as health, medical, psychological, or other professional advice of any kind or nature. By receiving or participating in any way, you understand and accept that when partaking in any of the techniques and therapy sessions, I as your sound therapy practitioner, will not “diagnose” or “treat” the physical body, which is the domain of the medical field and other allied healthcare professionals, but instead I am connecting to the energy or subtle “body” of the client that makes it possible to manifest a change or transformation, which may then be experienced directly by the client. No medical claims of any kind are made about the use of any sound therapy tool to replace the need for medical advice. If you experience any health problems you should always consult your regular physician or specialized health care provider, and you are encouraged to do so prior to participating in receiving a sound therapy session.
For potential clients that may be pregnant, wear hearing devices, have a pacemaker, or have experienced a concussion in any 6-month period prior to wanting to schedule a session; I will want to know that you have been cleared by your medical doctor to attend any sound therapy session and may still require a waiver to be signed.
A stressful life and hearing Crystal Alchemy bowls for the first time drove me to become a sound therapy practitioner. The impact the sound of these bowls had on me was magical – it truly amazing! I can’t even imagine my life without them now. As I listened to these tones I felt more at ease and found that I experienced more inner peace with each time I listened to them.
The very moment I heard these crystal alchemy bowls, I felt the compelling need to share the same experience I had with others who needed a few moments of peace and relaxation; especially to help others reduce their stress levels, as I had done, and to help manage a stressful life much easier. Working in the defense industry, I initially felt the need to work with our soldiers and veterans but have come to realize that all of us, regardless of who we are, needs a moment each day to be still, relax the mind and rejuvenate the body.
What is the difference between a Sound Therapy session given in person versus Zoom?
The method of communication is the main difference between in-person and online sessions conducted over Zoom. In-person sessions are helpful for picking up on body language and other nonverbal cues. While video calls make it harder for the practitioner to interpret nonverbal cues.
It is also necessary to adjust how the instruments are played so that the sounds come through the internet or computer system in pleasing manner. Also, some of the very high and very low sound frequencies are difficult for any audio system to process and to be translated correctly. Additionally, the sound quality of the client’s speakers also may not be optimal depending on their sound equipment.
I mentioned in another Q&A segment that there are two ways that sound can be used to bring about healing. Psychoacoustics and VibroAcoustics and obviously the latter is most beneficial with face-to-face sessions.
While I prefer and recommend the in-person experience, I have conducted Zoom sessions where the client does indeed experience a great result. However, I do recommend the client use quality noise cancelling headphones and to adjust the volume as necessary throughout the session. It is simply difficult to understand how all of the sounds are interpreted by the computer algorithms and sound speakers.
There are a lot of variables for sure; however, having the ability to conduct sessions live over Zoom when it is not possible to meet in person is a great tool to use.
Are the Rays of Life YouTube videos examples of what one can expect to experience in person?
Yes and no.
I am not a musical artist, nor an audio engineer, and I do not have a sound studio conducive to excellent recording of playing all of my sound therapy instruments. And, it is not my intent to invest thousands of dollars in this area to make awesome YouTube videos.
My mission is to work with individuals either in-person or over Zoom and to deliver sound therapy sessions that bring about relaxation and restoration and optimally healing at some level.
What you see and hear on my YouTube channel can in no way compare to what you will hear and feel when experiencing these frequencies in person.
The sound for online recordings may be somewhat distorted while this is not a problem at all for experiencing the instruments live and in-person.
The YouTube videos are very short simple bits of me mostly playing the bowls. Some of these videos are my experiments in trying to figure out what does and does not work – recording wise. What I have discovered is that the bowls need to be played differently for recordings and limits what I am able to do in order to achieve a better sound interpretation. While in person, there are no limits and a client will be able to easily experience clear tones; extreme highs, lows, the drowning of the bowls, the deep tones of the gongs, and so forth.
For now, my intent for my YouTube channel is to offer a few short Blissful Bits of simple videos for free and are typically short in duration. All of my sound therapy offerings go into much greater detail and are tailored to focused on the client, larger audiences and type of session being given.
Rays of Life 