Sound Works by Delores DeVore

SOUND WORKS!

Sound works! The interest in this ancient modality is just beginning to gain a larger audience. Today we see the interest in sound, music, toning, chanting, dancing, and even the classical music as ways to deal with the stresses of life. We see an interest in sound to help us facilitate changes in our subtle bodies, our emotional bodies, and our physical bodies. The government is even experimenting with sound to determine the effects of very low, even inaudible frequencies. Some of these sounds seem to very beneficial, others very destructive. Those who work with sound have a huge responsibility, in my estimation.

The renewed interest in sound, from the book, The Mozart Effect, really goes back to a book printed in the 1970s called Super Learning. The experiments done at that time found a direct correlation with the rhythm of the music (50-60 beats per minutes) played in the background while reading or listening to information for the purpose of memory recall. Today, Don Campbell has taken the music of Mozart and discusses how the different pieces Mozart wrote (especially in his childhood) have a dramatic effect on altering moods, thereby creating a calm and peaceful mind for learning, for creativity, for meditation, and for healing. Also, Don was able to heal a brain tumor by singing certain tones and sounds while using a visualization.

John Ortiz, author of The Tao of Music, is a therapist who has used music with his clients to help with the emotional body and to effect change. He uses a music menu from the different decades (40s -90s) and different types of music from (jazz, to country, to rock to the classics) to help you personalize your own healing process.

The wonderful new age music, from Halpern, Yanni, Kay Gardner, Georgia Kelly, and many others, gives us a tool to expand our consciousness. Their music seems to wash our cares away and put us in a very relaxed, blissful state of mind. This can be healing after a stressful day in the office or with many of the demands of home life. Taking it a step further, these musical tools are often used to facilitate meditation, movement, visualization, and energy healing.

All of these methods are creations to help us relax or become more centered. Yet there is another technique that requires nothing but our own voice. If you sing in a group, or alone, you have undoubtedly found the joy and release that singing can bring to you. Yet many of us have been told we can’t sing. So we have chosen to close down a part of ourselves. Singing, chanting, or any form of sound expression is a way to keep the throat chakra open. This is the chakra of communication, of will and desire. When this chakra is open, we also begin to activate our ability to be telepathic.

Since there are many people who think they cannot sing, toning is a simple, yet powerful technique. No outside information is needed, only a desire to express what is inside of you. When given the chance, your soul will come alive, glad to make a sound. At first, your soul may only want to let out sounds that seem sad or even angry. Allow that to come forth. After all, it has been many years since you gave it permission to speak.

These sounds can best be made upon rising in the morning - when stretching, yawning, and taking a shower or bath. Let the sounds come from deep within the torso. They might be sighs or groans, they might be a whimper, and they might be short and forceful. The way I work it is to imagine where my body is distressed, and the pain inside of me can be freed by making a sound. I visualize or sense the spot(s) in my body where there is tension. I then begin to make sounds that fit the pain, physical or emotional. They come out usually as sighs, soft and deep. As the time goes by, the sounds will become lighter, higher in pitch - almost matching the tones or sounds associated with the chakras. In the last portion of this exercise will find yourself bringing forth full, rich tones that are very melodic. At no time during this exercise should any sound be forced. You are not here to sing; this exercise is more about freedom—freedom of sound.

When this exercise is comfortable for you to use, try using it to move yourself into a deep state of relaxation for meditation purposes. This will quiet the mind, settle the body, and allow you to receive guidance for your life. Chants or short phrases put to a melody that you make up can also help you find that state of relaxation and inner peace. Robert Gass has a wonderful book and CD’s on chanting from around the world. These chants can be sung, danced to, or used in the background during meditation. We also know that the Gregorian chants made it to the “top of the charts” a few years back. These old songs are haunting and healing. The single tone melodies run from the simple to the complex, but help us make a connection to Spirit that revitalizes and nourishes.

The next step in using this type of toning is to gift that to others. Try this technique. Create a group whose sole purpose it to tone for the healing of others. The intent of the group must be strong and focused. When you meet, you need to know nothing about the person. In fact, that could prevent the healing if you focus on the illness instead of their divine perfection. Take the first name only and sing the name in the key of C. Use a pitch pipe or keyboard, starting with Middle C for women and the octave below Middle C for men. Using the notes C - E – G, sing a different syllable on a different note. Example: Sam - u – el. Do this three times, but on the third and final time, continue up the chord and repeat the “C” to close the chord. Example: Sam - u - el - el. The power of three is important, representing body, mind and soul. The thought is for the body to remember and return to its perfected state. If the group is committed, the work is powerful and results will be seen.

There are many techniques and uses for sound, these being some of my favorites. Be willing to experiment, to play and to test your own ability to create sounds that heal.

These techniques have been taken from the works of Laura Elizabeth Keys, author of Toning: the Creative Power of the Voice.