An Introduction to Frequencies: A Beginner's Guide to Sound Healing

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Welcome to the World of Sound Healing

Sound can be a powerful healing force. From the primordial OM of Hindu chant to the thundering drums of Shamanic journeying, indigenous cultures throughout time have known this to be true. Sound frequencies can have a direct influence on the body, brainwaves, emotions, and the health of your cells. With recent scientific advances we are now able to confirm much of what we’ve been taught from ancient sources: that tuning into certain sound vibrations can be profoundly healing. Welcome to the world of sound healing! In this introduction, you will learn about the power of sound as a therapeutic tool. No previous experience or knowledge is necessary to benefit from this work. However, a sense of adventure and an open mind will help! With a bit of guidance you’ll discover the basics of sound healing, gain an understanding of how you can work with sound, and finally be introduced to a variety of sound healing modalities that are available to you.

Introduction to Sound Therapy for Beginners

Sound healing is a non-invasive therapy that is grounded in the principle that everything in the universe, from the smallest subatomic particle to the largest galaxy, is in a state of vibration. This also applies to our physical body, thoughts, and emotions, each of which has its own frequency. At times, our vibration becomes unbalanced due to stress, illness, or emotional disturbance. Sound healing works by using specific, coherent frequencies to entrain our out-of-tune vibrations back to their natural, healthy state.

Sound healing is practiced in many different ways, with many traditions and cultures worldwide. Tibetan singing bowls, crystal bowls, tuning forks, gongs, drums, chimes, and the human voice are just a few examples. Each of these tools has its own unique sound signature, and when we listen to these sounds, they create a sympathetic resonance within our electromagnetic field and physical body. This is the phenomenon of resonance, the physical principle by which one vibrating object causes another to vibrate at the same frequency.

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The impacts of sound healing are often multi-dimensional, affecting the physical, mental, emotional, and energetic bodies simultaneously. On a physical level, the sound waves can massage our tissues, improve circulation, and influence our autonomic nervous system, often inducing the parasympathetic response, also known as the ‘rest and digest’ response, which is often needed to offset the effects of chronic stress. On a mental level, certain frequencies can help move our brainwaves from a a beta (active thinking) to an alpha (relaxed awareness) or theta (meditative) state. On an emotional level, sound can bypass our cognitive filters and release tension or trauma stored in the body. On an energetic level, the vibrations interact with our biofield and chakra system, clearing blockages and restoring energy flow.

As a first-time sound healing experiencer, it can be helpful to have an open and receptive attitude, free from specific expectations. This might mean that you experience a variety of physical sensations (tingling, warmth, pulsation), emotional releases (tears, laughter), visual experiences (colours or patterns with your eyes closed), or perhaps nothing in particular other than a deep relaxation. Your experience will be unique and may differ from session to session as your system responds to different areas of need.

Understanding the Basics of Sound Therapy

Sound Healing Tools and Modalities

Sound healers and sound therapists use a wide range of tools and techniques, each of which has a unique vibrational quality and healing application. Familiarizing yourself with some of these different modalities will allow you to tune into what resonates with you and your intentions the most.

Bowls

Tibetan metal bowls and crystal bowls are two of the most widely used sound tools, each with its own character and sonic range. Metal Tibetan bowls produce complex overtones that quickly lead into a trance state, ideal for meditation and deep relaxation. Traditionally made of seven sacred metals symbolically associated with the planets, Tibetan bowls have a mystical quality and produce a multilayered, shimmering harmonic texture. Crystal singing bowls are made of 99.992% pure quartz crystal and produce a clear, more powerful tone than Tibetan bowls. Crystal singing bowls are said to resonate more directly with the crystalline structure in our bones and connective tissues.

Tuning Forks

Tuning forks are most commonly used to transmit a pure, clear frequency, which can be highly targeted in its intention and placement. Unweighted tuning forks produce sound that travels in the air and vibrates the energy field and the subtle body. Weighted tuning forks can be applied directly to muscles, bones, acupuncture points, or meridians, sending vibrations into the physical body. Sets of tuning forks, such as the Solfeggio tuning forks, are designed to vibrate specific energy centers or emotional/spiritual conditions.

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Gongs

The gong is a larger-than-life instrument that is capable of creating immediate shifts in consciousness and entraining our energy field. The incredibly powerful sound waves are felt all over the body and work to open up stuck energy, facilitate release, and allow for deep surrender. The complex, changing quality of the gong’s overtones is what particularly makes it useful for breaking through limiting thought patterns and expectations. Types of gongs include planetary gongs, symphonic gongs, crystal gongs, and tam-tams, to name a few.

Voice

Possibly the most familiar sound healing instrument, the human voice is also the most intimate and directly resonant sound tool. Toning (the practice of sustaining single vowel sounds), overtone singing (the production of multiple harmonics simultaneously), and mantra can be used to channel the voice’s natural healing qualities. Vocalization is particularly impactful because the vibrations come from inside the body, which resonates from the inside out, affecting the entire body at a cellular level.

Drums and Percussion

Frame drums, rattles, rainsticks, and other rhythmic instruments connect us with our natural entrainment to pulse and rhythm. Drumming can be particularly grounding and can facilitate a deep feeling of safety by helping to regulate heart rate, breathing, and nervous system activity.

A Beginner's Guide to Healing Frequencies

As a quick primer on sound and frequencies, sound waves are measured in frequency, or how many times per second a wave oscillates between its highest and lowest point. One full oscillation is called a cycle. The unit of frequency is Hertz (Hz). Higher frequencies = higher pitches, or more oscillations per second, and vise versa for lower frequencies. The human body is able to sense frequencies outside of the range that we are aware of with our hearing. We can hear in the range of 20hz to 20,000 hz (this is why the term Hertz is used when determining the frequency of a sound wave). Sounds outside of this range can still be felt by our cells/tissues, which is why sound therapy is helpful to everyone, including those that are hard of hearing.

We also know that different frequencies affect us in different ways. As a helpful reference:

• Delta brain waves 0.5-4hz = deep sleep and unconscious information processing
• Theta brain waves 4-8hz = deep meditation/subconscious
• Alpha brain waves 8-13hz = relaxed state of consciousness/flow
• Beta brain waves 13-30hz = alert state
• Gamma brain waves 30-100hz = full alertness / integrated brain activity

In addition to these more general brainwave classifications, there are certain individual frequencies that have been found to be significant. 432hz (standard music tuning is 440hz) is believed by many to be more mathematically in tune with the natural order of the universe, and thus harmonious to the body. 528hz is a frequency that is commonly used in the Solfeggio scale. It is said to have the power to transform negativity and bring the listener back to their original, intended state. (Some studies also focus on this frequency and its effect on DNA). 174hz has been known as a natural anesthetic for centuries and is said to bring pain relief, and activate the body’s natural healing response. You have also likely heard of binaural beats, another interesting use of frequencies in sound therapy. When one slightly different frequency is placed in each ear (this is why headphones are required for this effect to be created), the brain is able to create a new third tone at the mathematical difference between the two that you actually hear. This can be used to entrain brainwaves to a specific state (relaxation, focus, deep meditation, etc.).

Exploring the Spiritual Aspect of Sound Frequencies

Sound has held a sacred place in spiritual practices around the world, often seen as a direct means of accessing higher states of consciousness and spiritual realities. Many spiritual traditions have stories of the universe being spoken, sung, or sounded into existence, with vibration preceding physical manifestation. Sound is often seen as a primordial creative force that unifies the physical and spiritual realms.

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Sacred sound is experienced in many forms across cultures: the Jewish tradition talks of the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit; Hindu traditions use mantras as sound formulas to embody particular energetic qualities; Sufi mysticism practices zhikr (recitation and chanting of divine names with rhythmic breathing) to reach states of divine ecstasy; and indigenous traditions worldwide use sonic driving with drums or rattles to access shamanic realms of otherworldly travel. The common thread in these practices is that sound, particularly at specific frequencies, can awaken latent spiritual potentialities in us.

The Solfeggio frequencies, for example, are a group of tones used in ancient sacred music believed to support spiritual transformation by activating our energy centers. 528 Hz (the “miracle tone”) is said to support DNA repair and spiritual awakening, while 852 Hz is associated with higher perception and spiritual insight. Quantum physics has interestingly begun to reveal a picture of ourselves as vibrational beings at the most basic level, not solid matter. From this perspective, sound can be a literal means of re-patterning our energetic field and accessing higher states of consciousness. As you explore sound’s spiritual potential, hold an open and receptive attitude without attachment to any particular experience or outcome. You may hear some people talk about spiritual journeys, encounters with spirit guides or archangels, visions, past life memories, or experiences of cosmic consciousness in response to sound. Others may find more subtle shifts in perception or slowly developing intuitive abilities. Trust your experience, however it unfolds, as your true vibrational relationship with sound.

Harnessing the Power of Sound for Inner Transformation

Sound also presents mechanisms of lasting change in combination with intention. The road to long-term change is not always through the mind. The conscious mind filters so when you bypass it with the resonant frequencies that sound healing or therapy provides you can access the energy of your cellular memory, subconscious programs and energy within your body without interference.

Key Tools for Transformation

The first tool for engaging with sound and effecting change is that of creating space within you. In sound practice this is the ability to witness without judgment the experience of the sensations, feelings, emotions, thoughts and memories that may come up for you during a sound journey. This way you allow the sound vibrations to move things that need moving and bring up any unconscious things that can now be brought into the light and cleared rather than operating in your subconscious and affecting you.

The second tool is intention. Setting your intention before you enter a sound session is helpful as this is how you can draw your focus to which area you want to work on. You might be wanting to work on physical, emotional, mental or spiritual realms in your life or work with a particular part of your being. The intention is your clear vibrational message to the Universe about which areas of your life you are now ready to change. This takes sound and focuses it for you.

Thirdly, regularity. Change is gradual and over time sound will change your energetic patterns. It has been found that when people continue to go within the sound the physical effects of limiting belief patterns will be dissolved over time, as will emotional charge or reactivity, it will heighten intuitive awareness and will result in more synchronicity and alignment between your conscious and unconscious. These results were in those people who maintained a regular practice, this is the key.

The last tool is your body. The body is the vehicle and instrument for change in sound healing. You will experience different tones and pitches resonating in different parts of your body. You might feel the lower sounds resonating in your lower body and base and the higher sounds in your upper chakras and crown. This physical response from your body can also be your guide to any areas that need attention and any areas that are clear.

Guided Meditation and Sound Healing for Beginners

Guided sound meditations or journeys can be a wonderful support for those just beginning to integrate the therapeutic use of sound. The verbal component of a guided journey can help keep the conscious mind on task and grounded, and can also help one to navigate the deeper states which can be quite uncharted and nebulous when working with sound.

A Simple Practice

Set aside time to practice in a distraction-free space. Light candles or incense if you like. Bring a cushion to sit on, a yoga mat to lie down on, and anything else that will support your intention (stones, plants, journals, etc). Good quality headphones can really enhance the experience if you are listening to a guided meditation. A basic practice could follow this outline:

1. Begin by settling into conscious breathing and maintaining awareness in the body and in the present moment.
2. Let awareness expand to sounds in the environment, not naming them, simply listening (qualities of sound, duration, impact on your attention). This will help you to train your receptive listening which is an important skill for deepening the sound healing process.
3. As the sound therapy tones are introduced (via recording or your own practice instruments), be aware of the areas in the physical body which are resonating. Perhaps some tones feel in your chest, and others in your head or abdomen. These can be clues to where the sound is doing its work and what energy centers might need attention.
4. Allow thoughts to come and go without focusing on them or getting attached. Thoughts will arise when your attention wanders, but it’s simply a matter of noticing and returning your attention to the experience of sound—the texture of the vibrations, their movement in the space and in your body, and how they alter your being.
5. Upon completion of your practice, give your self time to integrate before jumping back into the daily grind. Sit quietly for a few minutes, perhaps journaling about your experience or bodily sensations. Drink water to flush out toxins loosened by the sound vibrations from tissues. Observe how different your perceptions are, how your energy levels differ compared to before your practice.

Conclusion: Your Journey with Sound

In this process of immersing and letting your intuition be your guide, check out different sounds, frequencies, and approaches to see what resonates most with you right now. With sound healing, you are meeting yourself where you are. Whether you have knowledge of vibrational medicine or not, and you can be aligned with a frequency that supports you. Some folks are very interested in the spiritual aspect of working with sacred sound, the power of specific frequencies on the nervous system, or something as simple as complete sound immersion and relaxation. The reason you are here reading this and I am writing this is that a part of you is interested in what sound can bring to your life. Your sound journey may begin and end right here, but more than likely it will take you further in and deeper than you can imagine right now. Sound can become more than a practice. It can become a way of life and a way of seeing and being in the world. It is a way of being present and letting your intuition be your guide, for we live in a world of vibration and everything we know about life is musical in nature, including our thoughts, our emotions, and our physical bodies. When we tune into harmony, we sing in the choir that has been singing since the beginning of time.

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