Sound Therapy

Years ago, I was using EFT to treat a sexual trauma. The emotional processing stalled, and a thought kept popping into my head "use the singing bowls" (previously, I had only used sound therapy to teach mindfulness and relaxation). I talked back to myself and said, "she will think you’re weird - you will drop out of rapport." The thought to try the bowls was persistent, so I finally gave into my intuition. 

I played my large singing bowl and quickly shifts began to happen and repressed memories began to emerge. This allowed us to work at a deeper level, allowing the client to experience more relief. Integrating therapeutic sound while using tapping never occurred to me before. Since that day twelve years ago, my use of sound therapy has shifted from reducing emotional dysregulations to going deeper and working with core issues. 

My workshop "Enrich & Expand Your Results through Sound Therapy: Simple and In Depth Techniques" is designed for counselors, coaches and energy practitioners seeking to use sound to enhance their effectiveness and therapeutic results with their clients as well as self-care. We will also cover the “how to” of integrating sound work into your therapy practice. We will review simple ways to get started using Sound Therapy, followed by models for Sound Therapy to treat core issues. The workshop will conclude with a group sound meditation/experience and discussion. 

My model of Sound Therapy builds on my training and work with EMDR, Brainspotting, EFT and Steve Wells Intention-based Energy Process (Intention Tapping). Sound Therapy can be used alongside tapping and intention work which provides the therapist with a method for using sound to work with core issues. 

Sound therapy is an important addition to energy psychology because of its power to increase energy flow, balance the brain, create calmer emotional states and enrich the therapy hour. The harmonic resonance creates a wave of sound that is very relaxing. This state activates the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest) which counters the revved up sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight). The sonic stimulation helps to cut through the mental chatter and facilitates a meditative state of deep relaxation. Physical, mental, emotion and spiritual layers of the mind/body systems are impacted in a centering manner by sound therapy. 

People often have no idea what deeper levels of relaxation can be experienced until they have received a 15-minute immersion in the harmonics of Himalayan Singing Bowls (or other instruments). This deeper experience of centeredness and reduced physical restlessness and monkey mind often leads clients to an increased motivation to intervene more quickly to mitigate the physiological reactions to stress. Over time, this increases their Window of Tolerance and makes changes in the way their mind/body responds to stress. 

One pastor/psychologist stated after his sound experience, “…often you go through Spirit/Psyche to get release in the body – but the singing bowls relaxes the body and permits the deeper spiritual experience and enlightenment.” Sound Therapy also helps clients to experience deeper states of consciousness. Using sound therapy can relax the nervous system which helps open the doors to the subconscious. It also helps shift and move energy through the biofield, chakras and meridians. This deeper place of centeredness helps clients to address and process core negative beliefs, blocked emotions, and feelings. 

“Going Deeper” refers to a process of Sound Therapy that moves beyond emotional regulation and creating experiences of relaxation. Sound therapy can contribute to a reduction in defensive thoughts and behaviors, thereby creating greater access to core issues. Sound work can easily be integrated with other energy psychology modalities. 

Sound modalities have helped to facilitate personal transformation, shifts in consciousness and states of flow with more effective and efficient results when used in combination with other energy techniques like EFT, SET or IEP. The process of transformation that is enhanced with sound therapy extends beyond an impact on our nervous system. It also clears and moves blocked energy through several energy systems.