Notes on Sound Healing, from the
innerpeacemusic web site.
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 focused 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
| Steven Halpern -
Accelerating Self-Healing
Price: $14.99
|
 I Chose this CD because of
the subliminal messages, such as:
"Perfect health is your birthright"
"You are at peace with the world"
You cannot hear the messages, but your
subconscious mind can.
|
| |
 |
 |
|
| The Healing Zone |
Listen |
Listen |
|
| |
|
|
|
| Eventide |
Listen |
Listen |
|
| |
|
|
|
| Deep Healing |
Listen |
Listen |
|
| Steven Halpern -
Chakra Suite
Price: $14.99
|
 Well,
this is the biggest selling new age type CD of
all time, selling over 1/2 a million copies,
which for this genre, is phenomenal. It has been
re-mastered and tweaked. The Dalai Lama has
endorsed this CD.
|
| |
|
|
|
| 1st Chakra - C |
Listen |
Listen |
|
| |
|
|
|
| 3rd Chakra - E |
Listen |
Listen |
|
| |
|
|
|
| Chakra Angels |
Listen |
Listen |
|
|
Halpern combines the fabulous
pulsating sound of crystal bowls with some
vocalization (Om). There is some keyboard
wizardry scattered throughout the CD. There is
something inherently magical about the sound of
crystal bowls, especially the large ones. The
Egyptians used these bowls in their "healing
chambers". 5 big stars!
This CD starts out very
gently and then modulates into a space of
greater depth. Good stuff! (Notice the Golden
Mean on the cover).
Oh yes, this one is awesome.
Mr. Halpern uses Pythagorean theory and it will
just take you to a place far, far away or very
deep within. This is a 5 star winner!
Not only is this a great CD
for helping those of us with insomnia, it is
also a great disc for healers to use while
working on clients. This CD also contains
subliminal messages gently suggesting restful
sleep.
Halpern just gets it right
with this type of music. He's made a musical
salad for us with this gem, featuring Tibetian
singing bowls, crystal bowls, vocals of Om. This
is very consciousness alerting musical alchemy.
Superb!
This CD is produced in such a
way as to align his sound with the sound of the
universe. Again, based on Pythagorean theory. An
instrument called the monochorde is used and it
has a particular propensity for gorgeous
harmonic overtones. Beautiful!