​November 6-12, 2016 is National Pain Awareness Week, sponsored by the National Pain Coalition of Canada (CPC).  Royal Jubilee Pain Clinic is sponsoring a therapeutic crystal bowl concert by Kaasay on November 4th, 1:30-3:00 pm.  All are welcome to experience this beautiful new and effective healing modality. It’s open to the public by donation. 
 
The CPC says, "Approximately 20% of Canadians suffer from chronic pain, creating a substantial burden on the individual and their family, health care system, and economy. Chronic pain conditions vary considerably in their etiology but it is generally agreed they all involve a complex combination of biological, psychological, social, and cultural factors. Due to this complexity, pain clinics that offer a wide array of interventions targeting multiple dimensions of pain are considered to be "the gold standard" for treating chronic pain." 
 
Options at the Victoria Pain Clinic include mindfulness meditation, Tai Chi, yoga, pool therapy, body tuning, art, Qi Gong, headache support groups, a pain education series, and three webinars by Neil Pearson.
 
How does sound therapy ease pain?  Briefly, sound is a physical vibration that penetrates the body.  It's used in ultrasound imaging, for example. Sound travels through the fluid parts of your body 4.5 times faster than it moves through the air and 12 times faster through your bones.  People are surprised at how much sensation they feel from crystal singing bowls.
 
When pure, calming sounds penetrate the body, the nervous system synchronizes to those soothing vibrations and generates less pain. Brain waves, heart rate and breathing also entrain to the calming frequencies.  In this way, sound quickly induces a hypnotic, meditative state. One young woman reported that it was the first time since she was traumatized as a little girl that she had been able to feel fully relaxed and safe.
 
Linda Cundiff, OT, Pain Clinic Coordinator said, "30 people gathered and were delighted at the strength of the bowls to vibrate their bodies and induce profound sense of relaxation and healing.  Many people said it was the first time that they truly calmed in a relaxation exercise. Your presence was warm and inviting and our audience appreciated your stories of healing and various directions and journeys the bowls had provided for you." 
 
Kaasay (Nancy Watters) has been doing sound healing sessions with crystal singing bowls for 6 years. She sees consistent results.  For example, BH whose knee pain had been bothering her for years was rid of it in one session.  As we began her session, she didn't even tell me was an issue, because she had assumed it would never go away. She is a masseuse and acupuncture therapist, and had tried everything.
 
BH reported, "I 'saw' energy and 'felt' pain being drawn out of my left knee (the knee had recently been 'stiff' and giving me difficulty when going down stairs). The release of pain was simultaneous with a crescendo of bowls and Nancy suddenly bursting into song... At that moment all the etheric energy around me (that had been moving longitudinally along my left side) was suddenly 'pulled' into an arrow shape toward and above Nancy, thus facilitating the release of pain and blocked chi from my knee."

How does crystal sonic therapy work, and is it the solution for you? Watch as Dr. Oz interviews oncologist, Dr. Mitch Gaynor, who reveals how this ancient form of healing can help you curb cravings, improve your memory, sleep better and tame migraines. 

http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/sonic-therapy-future-medicine-pt-1

Mitchell L. Gaynor, M.D. is Founder and President of Gaynor Integrative Oncology  and Clinical Assistant, Professor of Medicine at Weill Medical College, affiliated with Cornell University and New York Hospital. He has held the position of Director of Medical Oncology at The Strang Cancer Prevention Center where he still serves as a consultant. Dr. Gaynor is constantly sought after as an expert practitioner of sound therapy. 

He has lectured widely, both to medical institutions and lay conferences, seminars and spiritual institutions. Recent appearances include the United Nations, New York"s 92nd Street Y, Marble Collegiate Church and Unity Village, Unity Church, Missouri. He conducts on-going healing sessions using meditation and chanting with Tibetan  and crystal singing bowls for patients and families.

For additional information about Dr. Gaynor, his book and recordings, visit www.gaynoroncology.com

As many people have discovered, some sounds help us relax, sleep, relieve pain, and reduce depression. The right sounds can also energize us, help us concentrate and accelerate learning.  Alternatively, noise pollution can drive us to despair, promote anxiety, elevate blood pressure, accelerate heart rate and hinder learning.

Ancient cultures knew about the healing power of sound.  There are sound healing chambers in the Egyptian pyramids, for example.  They knew that every function of our mind, body and spirit is affected by sound.  Nada Yoga is another example.  It’s a 2,000-year-old system of wellness that includes the science of vibration, musical intervals, harmonics, meditation, deep listening and sophisticated use of ragas—musical modes that are used at specific times of day to create specific emotional and physical effects.

Currently, the principles of sound healing are being rediscovered and affirmed by modern medicine.   Physicians are acknowledging what ancient mystics knew--that the right sounds promote healthy functioning of the immune, endocrine, autonomic and energetic systems.

Sound therapy is based on psychoacoustics--the study of how sound affects our nervous system.  The physical vibrations of sound travel through our bodies four times faster than through the air. Through entrainment, sound alters our heart rate, breath, brain waves, and overall Chi (energy).  Alfred Tomatis, a French medical doctor known as the “Einstein of the ear”, described sound as a “nutrient for the nervous system”.  Higher pitch sounds charge our nervous system and brain, while lower frequencies discharge (relax) the system. 

Psychoacoustics also explores how we actively listen to sound, as opposed to passively hearing it. Hearing is an automatic physical process that is never turned off, even when we are asleep or under anesthesia.  Listening is how we pay attention to and interpret sound, what our psychological reaction is.  A sound or song that is pleasing to one person may have negative associations for another.  Listening also involves the impression of how loud a sound is. This varies from person to person, even if audiology shows they are receiving the same decibels through their ear.  If we decide a sound is unwanted, i.e. it is “noise”, we may decide to “tune out” people or sounds that irritate us. Even so, the vibrations continue to penetrate our body. 

Music therapy primarily uses the emotional experience of music to promote wellbeing. Songs that a client likes have more beneficial effects, physically and emotionally.  One music therapy technique is to choose music that matches the mood of the client, and gradually elevate their mood by playing more uplifting music.

Sound therapy represents a convergence of modern physics, neuroscience, energy psychology, brain biology, music and spirituality.  Sound is now being used to help people with cancer, learning disabilities, depression, pain management, high blood pressure and almost every condition you can think of.  It’s an exciting, leading-edge field of healing to be involved in!

What is a typical sound therapy session like? 

Each session is as unique as each client.  A well-trained sound therapist will assess your condition and utilize treatments that are appropriate for you.  Sound therapy may include live or recorded music, as well as vocalizing, drumming, chanting, various musical instruments, crystal bowls, tuning forks, Tibetan bowls and other sounds designed by the therapist to produce the desired effects. The client may sometimes actively participate, or may simply relax and let the sound wash over them.  I often incorporate Reiki and clinical counselling with sound therapy treatments, as needed.  Book a sound therapy session here. . . 

NEXT TIME on the “Stay Tuned” blog:  
Which sounds are harmful and which sounds heal?