Notes on Sound Healing
by Steven Halpern
For thousands of years, cultures throughout the
world have used the powers of music to heal the body, mind and spirit.
Five hundred years ago, the therapeutic role of music was eclipsed
by its role as entertainment. Only recently has the field of sound
healing emerged into full-scale public awareness. For the first
time, books and recordings promoting the healing potential of music
are best-sellers.
Studies have shown that music can reduce stress, enhance immune
system function, slow down and balance brain wave activity, reduce
muscle tension, increase endorphin levels, and evoke feelings of
love and inner peace.
There is so much conflicting information, however, that many people
are more confused than ever. How can you make sense of it all? Even
more importantly:
How can you harness the healing powers of sound and music for yourself?
This overview will help you tune into information and resources
that can make a wonderful contribution to your life, Here are several
basic considerations to get started:
1. Your
body is a self-healing instrument -- if you give it a chance. It
is genetically pre-programmed to heal itself. In my opinion, certain
music heals by assisting the body to come into its natural state
of balance and harmony. At this stage of research and development,
it is both politically incorrect and legally irresponsible to state
that a specific selection of music will heal a specific physical
disease.
2. Although
there are many paths to healing, the common denominator in the vast
majority of approaches acknowledges that the body heals itself most
effectively in a state of deep relaxation.
3. Using music to evoke "the relaxation
response" is one of the simplest and most effective ways of
all — but you must choose the right music. (Most music was
not composed for this purpose.)
Although we are all individuals, we also share certain vibrational
and structural factors. Two concepts are paramount in the ways that
we respond to sound (by the way, they are not contingent on your
personal taste or favorite style of music):
Rhythm Entrainment
1. The most powerful effect of
music is our physical response to "the beat." The phenomenon
known as "rhythm entrainment" describes how an external
rhythmic stimulus, such as a ticking clock, drum or pulse in a musical
composition, involuntarily causes your heartbeat to match its speed.
For example, a fast rhythm inexorably produces a fast heartbeat
and pulse — the complete antithesis of relaxation.
For most people, trying to relax while listening to fast music is
like driving a car with one foot on the brake and the other on the
gas pedal — you will not get satisfactory results and will
waste a lot of energy trying!
"The Anticipation Response"
2. The second factor relates to our mental response:
We have been culturally conditioned to follow melodic, harmonic
and rhythmic patterns in music. When we listen to most compositions,
we are unconsciously hooked into following the structure —
and projecting that structure into the future.
There is a basic principle in life that states: "Energy follows
thought." If you are paying attention to something outside
of you, less energy will be available for internal healing purposes.
In my workshops, I demonstrate this "paralysis of analysis"
by singing the first seven notes of the scale: Do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-
… and then I pause. I do not finish the scale! It is a delight
to watch people holding their breath, or hear them actually singing
the note aloud. They feel "too stressed" to leave the
pattern of notes unfulfilled. This approach to tension and resolution
is the basis for most Western classical compositions — precisely
why it is unsuitable in most cases for evoking relaxation.
In my own compositions, the listener is not manipulated in this
fashion. Rather, as the mind’s analytical mode shuts down,
you are free to be in the "hear and now" with the music.
How Does Music Heal?
We are only now getting closer to a full understanding. Music affects
us physically, psychologically, emotionally and spiritually. All
we can say with certainty is that our responses to music are far
more complex, subtle and far-reaching than we imagined.
Recall the parable about the blind men and the elephant: Each is
sure they know the "truth" about an elephant’s nature,
based on their perception of the trunk, the leg, or the tail. None
of them sees the big picture.
Until recently, researchers have generally focussed on easily observable
physical effects, such as changes in blood flow through the fingertips
or the speed of muscle reactions. We are now opening new vistas
in the understanding of blood chemistry, the release of endorphins,
and the connections between neuropeptides and emotions. The work
of Dr. Gordon Shaw and associates has progressed far beyond their
initial investigations into the apocryphal "Mozart Effect."
The new branches of science and medicine, such as electromedicine
and magnetotherapy, build upon the insights of Einstein, Planck
and Eisenberg. Many experts now recognize the existence of the "energy
anatomy" which underlies the physical anatomy and is every
bit as real.
Research into the finer subtle energies is progressing on many fronts.
Dr. William Tiller, Dr. Hiroshi Montoyama, Dr. Glen Rein, Dr. Ellen
Kamhi and many others are leading the way into the future. They
represent a major paradigm shift that will radically change the
fields of science and medicine — as well as music. Caroline
Myss has brought a greater awareness of "energy anatomy"
to the general population with her best-selling book and appearance
on Oprah.
As "The X-Files" remind us, "The Truth is out there."
Dr. Valerie Hunt, U.C.L.A. Professor Emeritus and author of Infinite
Mind, is able to measure changes in the human energy field using
her highly sophisticated instrumentation. Her work heralds a bold
new era of understanding. Dr. Hunt told me that Chakra Suite affects
the human energy field by helping it self-organize and shift into
a higher order of functioning, which most music does not do.
It is my hope that leading edge research such as Dr. Hunt’s
and Dr. Shaw’s will receive the funding it deserves.
The Relaxation/Healing Connection
In several landmark books, including The Relaxation Response, Dr.
Herbert Benson has detailed the broad range of bodily functions
that work more efficiently when the body is in a state of deep relaxation.
Specific relaxation techniques are usually necessary to balance
stress. Doing nothing, or watching television, is not enough. People
may think they are achieving meaningful relaxation, but they are
mistaken.
Unrelieved stress is a contributing factor in a wide range of diseases
such as hypertension, heart attack, stroke, ulcers, migraine, irritability,
inability to concentrate or sleep, and sexual dysfunction. Knowing
that, you can appreciate why it is so important to build into your
daily schedule opportunities for your body, mind and spirit to return
to a state of balance.
One of the easiest ways to restore balance is by listening to music
— but only certain music. Most music is composed for entertainment,
dancing, or emotional release — and literally makes your nervous
system more nervous! There is a time and a place for such soundtracks,
but reducing stress is not one of them.
Early in my career, I was privileged to work with several leading
edge scientists who provided me with a deeper understanding of music
and healing. With these scientists as my mentors, I conducted studies
using brainwave biofeedback, Kirlian photography, and darkfield
microscopy (live blood cell analysis).
Dr. Marcel Vogel, former senior research scientist at IBM, and Irzhak
Bentov, medical inventor and author of Stalking the Wild Pendulum,
allowed me to use their equipment to measure the ways that subtle
energy fields respond to music.
Their pioneering studies revealed that, in a state of deep relaxation
or meditation, the electromagnetic field surrounding our head literally
entrains and attunes to the basic electromagnetic field of the earth
itself! The earth’s harmonic resonance has been measured at
approximately 8 cycles per second, or 8 Hertz (Hz). The frequency
range of the electrical activity of the brain that we access in
stares of deep relaxation is also centered around 8 Hz. Is that
correspondence a coincidence? No, indeed, which is why we feel so
rejuvenated when surrounded by nature, in a forest, in the mountains,
or by the ocean.
I believe this is also a key to understanding how our inner and
outer environments are orchestrated to a higher level of harmony.
Ancient Roots, Modern Sound Technology
Ancient sound technologies, such as Tibetan singing bowls, mantras
and chants, are based on this right-brained, holistic approach.
In 1968, I began a quest to discover what type of music would be
healing in the late 20th century, just as the music of Pythagoras
was healing to ancient Greeks, or the music of Mozart to 18th century
Europeans.
At age twenty-two, I was already a classic Type A individual. Given
my background as an ex-New Yorker, it was not surprising that my
requirement was "I want my relaxation — and I want it
now!"
I needed a solution — something legal, non-addictive, and effective,
available at my convenience and virtually instantaneous. The solution
was to combine my training in music and psychology with insights
ranging from ancient shamanic sound traditions to modern bio-physics
and vibrational medicine.
My discoveries became the basis for my ongoing series of "Inner
Peace Music" recordings. Each of these albums evokes "the
relaxation response" via sound. Some of these recordings produce
lighter levels of relaxation; others produce much deeper levels.
In this music, there are no "hard edges." Particular instruments
are chosen because their tones are easily accepted into the body.
By contrast, the tones of trumpet, oboe and violin are not generally
conducive to relaxation. Many people react to them as if a fingernail
were scratched along a blackboard. If you are one of these individuals,
trying to relax while listening to these instruments is like trying
to relax while sitting on a thumbtack. It can be done, but why bother?
There are so many more effective and pleasurable alternatives!
In the twenty-four years since Spectrum Suite brought this concept
to the public, a number of other recording artists have begun working
in this genre. Currently, you have many choices when choosing music
to support the healing process. However, not all "healing"
music is created equal.
My initial research compared Spectrum Suite to the highest-rated
classical music, which relaxed 72% of listeners — and that
was not a deep relaxation. Mozart rated only 65%. In a number of
studies, Spectrum Suite deeply relaxed over 95% of subjects. These
results were contrary to the prevailing attitude that only classical
music could be of benefit, and the data was largely ignored.
There is now more confusion than ever, as promotional and marketing
departments have jumped on the bandwagon and pre-empted composers
and researchers. To declare that "Mozart makes you smarter"
or is the best for healing is far too simplistic a statement. Which
composition by Mozart? By which performer? These variables make
a huge difference in the effect you experience. Despite the hyperbole
on some recordings’ liner notes, the music itself may not deliver
the desired effect. The most important consideration is whether
a given piece of music works for you! One size does not fit all!
"Be Still and Know"
Many spiritual traditions recommend a variation of "Be Still
and Know."
It is in the stillness that we align and attune to the deeper spiritual
dimensions of life. It is in the stillness that true healing occurs,
as we connect to Source.
There is no need to "do" anything; all you need is to
"be" with the music.
Steven Halpern is the world's leading
composer and recording artist of music for relaxation, wellness
and "sound health". For over 30 years, he has pioneered
and promoted the healing powers of music through his recordings,
books, media appearances and workshops.
Halpern's unique use of musical tone, time and space have helped
millions to enjoy the stillness and peaceful place that lies within
each of us. His music resonates in the key of the heart, and strikes
a chord that we recognize and appreciate intuitively.
The free-floating ambience and luminous sound quality make it easy
to heed the advice of spiritual teachers throughout the ages: "Be
Still…and Know."
Visit his website at www.innerpeacemusic.com
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