We are used to listening to music, analyzing how it is performed, and occasionally being moved emotionally by what we hear, but research shows that sound affects us more deeply that we realize. It can be used to heal us, but it also can harm us.
Ancient stories from the Old Testament show the dramatic use of sound, like when Joshua commanded the Israelites to shout and blow trumpets to destroy the walls of Jericho, or when King Saul called for David to play his harp, to get the “evil spirit” to leave him in peace.
The father of many disciplines, such as architecture and geometry, Pythagoras, wrote in the 5th Century, B.C.E.-“There is geometry of the strings, there is music in the spacing of the spheres.” Plato insisted that the police of the ideal city needed to study harmonics, “for a mind exposed to the principles of proportion is more likely to have a true appreciation for the nature of justice.”
“What the philosophers wrote about and now scientists are finding is that “the laws of harmony are truly universal principles, of the same order as other universal phenomena, such as light, energy, or gravitation, and that ‘harmony is not invented, it is discovered.’”
We remember from high school physics that matter is highly condensed energy, which to our senses appears solid. Sound and color are both made up of vibrations, and so is what we call “reality.” “The visual spectrum in frequency terms is 400-790 THz, so it’s just under one octave. Humans with great hearing can hear from 20 Hz to 20KHz, which is ten octaves.” So, we while we can see one octave, we can hear ten! Yet, we hardly pay attention to sounds around us and often learn to suppress them.
Resonance is the frequency at which an object most naturally vibrates. Besides the destruction of the walls of Jericho, we’ve all heard about singers that can break a glass by singing loud enough and long enough at the glass’s resonant frequency. What researchers are finding is that every cell, every bone in your body has its own resonant frequency, and to carry it a little further, we can actually think of disease as disharmony, being “out of tune!”
The early Christian writer, Clement, recognized this when he exclaimed, “Humanity is a beautiful breathing instrument of music made after God’s image.” Using music and sound appropriately not only can relax us, but bring us into harmony with others and nature.
Recently, a lot of work has been done to document the measurable effects that sound can have on the heartbeat, respiration, and the ability to concentrate, and some really exciting exploration is looking at its use in healing and supporting the immune system. Just as different tones can affect the walls of Jericho or a glass, different tones and instruments have been found to affect various parts of the body. There are many elements to sound that affect us, for instance repetitive rhythmic patterns affect breathing and the heart rate, much more than lyrics or melody. Think of all the noises and sounds we are bombarded with everyday!
The knowledgeable use of sound can support us physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Technologies of the Self sound sessions will surround you with the healing tones of crystal quartz bowls. One recent client reported that when the bowls were played on her body, she felt like her body was an empty vessel, vibrating as if it were a musical instrument, like a flute.
Socrates said that, “Rhythm and harmony find their way into the inward places of the soul, on which they mightily fasten, imparting grace.”
Contact Victoria (720-460-0758) or [email protected]), to experience an orchestra of healing, restorative sound within your own body.
Sessions: 1 1/2 hours, $95