The Sound of Healing
Digital Content
Standing in the doorway of his studio, I felt as much as heard the rich blend of harmonic overtones. Charles sat on a terracotta rug, surrounded by an array of metal bowls and people seated on oversized, textured pillows. Candlelight reflected off the brass and bronze bowls, illuminating his serene face as he began the singing bowl meditation. He nodded toward an open pillow, and I slipped in to take a seat.
Charles rotated a padded mallet around the rims of the Tibetan singing bowls, producing a sonorous wave of sound. The deep bass tones of the larger bowls rolled over the higher tones of the smaller ones, creating a presence of mind in which all thought was possible but none necessary. In this restorative state, skin and bone resonated with the thrum of an ancient vibration.
Sound Vibrations
Tibetan singing bowls are traditional Buddhist meditation tools dating back to the Buddha, Shakyamuni (560–480 B.C.). According to Tibetan master Bodhisattva Gwalwa Karmapa, they emit the “Sound of the Void,” the sound of the universe manifesting. This reverberation is traditionally recognized as the frequency of perfection—the Sanskrit mantra AUM.
Rhythmic tones like those emitted from singing bowls initiate healing through brainwave entrainment— the synchronization of the brain's electrical cycles with sound frequency vibrations. Clinical studies using brainwave mapping equipment (EEG), blood tests, and other sophisticated procedures have shown that sound frequency patterns embedded in music can create positive changes in body and brainwave functions.
Harmonic Frequencies
Now that science can measure and confirm the profound effects of harmonic frequencies on healing, sound therapy is gaining recognition as a valid treatment modality for many conditions. It has proven effective in relieving stress and anxiety-related afflictions such as fibromyalgia and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Dr. Michael Grodin, co-director of the Boston Center for Refugee Health and Human Rights, treats Tibetan monks who have survived imprisonment and torture, leaving them with PTSD. Dr. Grodin’s cross-cultural treatment combines elements of Western and Tibetan medicine and therapy. He uses Tibetan singing bowls “to resonate, calm the monks ... [and] bring them back to the sacred space of the monastery.”
Music Therapies
There are countless new and internationally recognized programs using music therapy to assist in healing a wide range of conditions, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, stroke, dementia, and cancer. Sound therapy pioneer Dr. Mitchell Gaynor, an integrative oncologist, uses Tibetan singing bowls and other music therapies to treat cancer patients.
Dr. Gaynor’s work inspired Charles to become a sound healer and therapist. Charles has developed a powerful method of sound meditation that left me feeling calm, centered, and in significantly less pain. Everyone should experience the sound of healing at least once in their life.
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Written and designed to showcase EILEEN FISHER's Wellness Program and company culture, this piece is part of a series exploring health, psychology, and brain science.
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