How Does It Work? – Harmonic Balance

Vibrational sound therapy is based on the premise that all matter, including our bodies, vibrate at specific frequencies. As our bodies are made of about 70% water, studies have revealed that sound vibrations travelling through our body (the connective tissue, blood, cartilage, muscle tissue, bones, glands and lymph & spinal fluids, etc), have the power to affect our state of mind and our body’s natural ability to heal.

Here is some of the research that explains why this may be.

Cymatics

On a physical level, sound has the ability to rearrange molecular structure. We can see this in action through the study of Cymatics. Experiments in Cymatics show how sound can create order from disorder.

“Dr. Hans Jenny, a Swiss scientist, spent ten years of his life observing and photographing the effects of sound upon inorganic matter. He would put water and other liquids, plastics, paste and dust on steel plates and then vibrate these plates with different frequencies. Much of this work was originally inspired by the work of Ernst Chaldni, an eighteenth-century scientist who put grains of sand on glass and vibrated them with a violin bow. The sand would take on the most beautiful and symmetrical shapes. The experiments of Jenny took this understanding of the relationship between sound and form a quantum leap ahead. Dr. Jenny spent thousands of hours experimenting with the effects of different frequencies upon the different substances he was using. Within the hundreds of photo- graphs which he and his staff took are pictures that look like starfish, human organs, microscopic bacteria and underwater life.”

Cymatics is the name Dr. Jenny gave to his work. Once they are exposed to sound waves, the materials in Dr. Jenny’s experiments begin to undulate and move. As the sound continues to affect them, they begin to create coherent patterns. The higher the frequency of the sound, the more complex the patterns become. They assume the shapes and features of life through the extraordinary power of sound. Click here for a sample of this beautiful phenomenon: Amazing Example of Cymatics, Another Amazing Example of Cymatics

Some of the scientific data on the beneficial physiological effects of sound include:

• increased oxygen in the cells
• lowered blood pressure and heart rate
• increased levels of nitric oxide
• increased lymphatic circulation
• increased levels of melatonin
• reduced levels of stress related hormones
• release of endorphins
• boosted production of interleukin-l, a protein associated with blood and planet production

{credit: Dr. Jeffrey D. Thompson, D.C., B.F.A. — Center for NeuroacousticResearch}

Dr. Jeffrey Thompson is an internationally recognized expert in the field of Neuroacoustic Sound Therapy. His pioneering work is built upon a foundation of over two decades of scientific research and clinical trials dealing with the bonds between the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual bodies. Healthcare professionals, clinics, hospitals, “Fortune 500” companies, meditation centers and individuals worldwide use and benefit from Dr. Thompson’s revolutionary programs.

“It’s my belief that we can all learn to use sound, our own self-created sounds as well as sounds that we listen to and hear, to reduce heartbeat, respiration and brain waves to help us relax and to lead a more balanced, harmonious life. Everybody can do this. I urge everyone to contemplate using sound in conjunction with whatever else they’re doing to heal themselves and others.”

For more on cymatics check out these links: Explorations in Cymatics Research Making Sound Visible Through Cymatics – TED talk with Evan Grant

Brain-wave Entrainment & Binaural Beats

The presentation of binaural beats in the delta and theta brain frequency ranges is said to be associated with enhanced creativity and improved sleep. Studies suggest that binaural beats in the EEG alpha frequency range can promote relaxation, and in the beta frequency range can enhance attention and memory task performance.

Biophysicist Gerald Oster showed that when a tone is played in one ear and a slightly different tone is played in the other ear, the difference causes the brain to create a third, internal tone, called a binaural beat. The theory is that this syncs the brain waves in both hemispheres, a process dubbed “brain-wave entrainment”. {The Science Behind Healing With Sound, Kathryn Drury Wagner, January 2017}.

A binaural beat or pulse is created when two different tones with less than a 40 Hz difference between them are presented to a listener dichotically (one through each ear). For example, if a 530 Hz tone is presented to a subject’s right ear, while a 520 Hz pure tone is presented to the subject’s left ear, the listener will perceive a third tone called a binaural beat which, in this example, would have a pitch correlating to a frequency of 10 Hz (the difference between the 530 Hz and 520 Hz). Binaural beat perception originates in the inferior colliculus of the midbrain and the superior olivary complex of the brainstem, where auditory signals from each ear are integrated. Binaural beats provide a mechanism for stimulating the brain at very low frequencies, below the frequency threshold of hearing. These frequencies can elicit an entrainment response of brain EEG frequencies. The vibrational frequency of two objects in contact will frequently fall into sync. When the frequencies are the same, it is called ‘resonance’. But when a vibrational body of a stronger resonance influences another, leading the beat or pulse, it is called entrainment.

Observed benefits include:
• reduced stress
• reduced anxiety
• increased focus and concentration
• improved psychomotor performance
• Improved mood and patience level
• increased motivation
• increased confidence
• deeper meditation
{Lori Smith, for Medical News Today, November 2017}

Further, a study conducted by Dr. Vincent Giampapa supported the theory that the use of binaural beats therapy in the alpha, theta, and delta range had distinctly positive effects on the human body. Dr. Giampapa found that these binaural beats improved the production of the hormones *cortisol, *DHEA, and *melatonin. Binaural Beats – Dr. Giampapa

Here are some interesting bits on binaural beats: Binaural Auditory Beats Affect Vigilance Performance and Mood Binaural Beats Geek Acoustic Brainwave Entrainment with Binaural Beats The Science Behind Healing With Sound

Increase in nitric oxide levels

The release of nitric oxide sets off a cascade of physiological events that directly influences our health, well-being, state of mind, and consciousness.

Landmark research is shedding new light on the effects of sound in relationship to healing. In 2002, Dr. George Stefano, John Beaulieu, et. al., made an exciting discovery: specific vibrations transferred to cells using tuning forks causes the spiking of nitric oxide levels in the body.

In 1998, Robert F Furchgott, Louis J Ingnarro, and Ferid Murad made a discovery that changed medicine. They discovered that our cells produce and release nitric oxide. Their discovery was so important that they won the Nobel Prize in Medicine and so significant that the U.S. government and the pharmaceutical medical complex has spent over two hundred million dollars investigating this gas.

Nitric oxide is a molecule created by a nitrogen atom bound to an oxygen atom. It is made in our cells and released into the surrounding tissues as a gas. The release of nitric oxide by our cells is termed “puffing” by scientists to describe the rising and falling of this gas. The puffing cycle is like a wave that takes three minutes to rise and three minutes to fall. The rising phase of the wave is the release of nitric oxide that sends a signal to our cells to relax. During the falling phase of the wave nitric oxide dissipates and our cells become more active. The calm between the rising and falling we call still point.

When cells are puffing nitric oxide in natural rhythmic cycles, we experience these benefits:

• enhanced cell vitality, vascular flow and heart healing
• bacteria and viruses destroyed at a micro level, which naturally enhances our immune system and increases our ability to prevent & fight infections
• increased resistance to stress
• greater levels of energy and stamina
• sharpened mental clarity and diminished states of depression due to the balancing of the autonomic nervous system
• improved digestion

The research conducted by Dr. Stefano and Beaulieu demonstrates that when tuning forks are placed on bone or connective tissue they resonate throughout our whole body in wave like patterns causing the cells to spike nitric oxide, which results in our cells rhythmically “puffing” again. Research further suggests that listening to tuning forks played around the body can also spike nitric oxide. The puffing of nitric oxide in our cells is a universal source of health and well-being. The implications of this research in both the medical and energy paradigms are profound. See: Nitric Oxide and Tuning Forks for more on this topic.

Cellular/molecular entrainment

Cellular entrainment re-aligns and harmonizes body and mind. It releases stress and anxiety, increases focus, clarity and insight. It is a very relaxing and refreshing experience.

Inspired by both contemporary scientific research, as well as ancient and mystic wisdom regarding the power of sound and its therapeutical effects, Avishai Barnatan began to understand that we are by nature vibrational beings and are constantly affected by our environment.

He understands further that the principle of cellular/molecular entrainment is one of the main components in the sound healing process. The idea is that if you project a steady harmonious sound at a disharmonious one, it will eventually bring it into resonance with the harmonious sound. Our atoms, molecules, cells, glands and organs all have a natural resonant frequency that can get ‘out of tune’. Applying the appropriate frequency outside our body can stimulate sympathetic vibration (entrainment) inside us and bring us back in tune. This is done by providing pure-tone frequencies which shift and release stagnant energy and tension that has accumulated in the body.

In 1990, Avishai started exploring different aspects of sound and its uses for physical & emotional transformation and healing. He now facilitates group and individual sound healing sessions – applying different techniques of voice work and vibrational therapy to help inspire, alleviate pain, stress and anxiety. Through the years he has worked with people with cancer, various addictions, anxiety and stress related conditions. Avishai shares his thoughts below:

“Sound healing is a fast-growing modality used to alleviate many stress-related conditions (such as anxiety, insomnia, high blood pressure to name only a few). As stress is a major cause for suffering and disease, sound is rapidly becoming known as a very versatile and powerful healing medium. Using sound for therapy and healing has been shown to relax our nervous system, improve our state of mind and improve the function of our immune system. It helps with sleep, pain relief, brings us in tune with ourselves and uplifts our vibration and state of being”.

To learn more about sound healing and Avishai Barnatan’s work visit: Avishai Barnatan

Biofield Tuning

Areas of our body and biofield that store our history of trauma are generally energetically charged and stuck. Just as lithotripsy uses sound waves to break up kidney and gall stones, the sound produced by tuning forks breaks up energy knots and facilitates movement of the subtle energy in the biofield as well as the body.

Eileen McKusick M.A is a sound therapist, researcher, author and international lecturer. Eileen’s research spans academic, scientific and esoteric approaches to understanding health and consciousness which allows her to present a new, comprehensive model of the human body. Eileen’s 25+ years of researching the effects of sound on the body has given rise to the creation of a therapeutic sound modality called Biofield Tuning. She has trained over 1000 students worldwide in this modality and recently began training teachers as well.

Eileen McKusick describes Biofield Tuning as a process that uses tuning forks both diagnostically and therapeutically to locate and correct distortions in the body’s energy field, or biofield. The terrain of the biofield appears to contain a compartmentalized record of an individual’s life history, with different areas of the field storing information related to different events, emotions, relationships and time periods. Some pockets contain very non-beneficial frequency compositions, or ‘pathological oscillations’, and may be related to unprocessed trauma from an earlier time. Over time, these areas of the biofield can create a breakdown of the physical body in that region. Check out these videos on Biofield Tuning: Biofield Tuning example, IllumTV interview part 1. How To Tune Your Body

Tuning forks work therapeutically through the physics principles of resonance and entrainment. Initially they resonate with whatever dissonance they encounter in the field to reveal its location, then after a few moments the orderly sine wave produced by the pure-tone fork entrains the dissonance into a more balanced state. The Center for Disease Control estimates that 85% of all diseases are caused by emotional stress. This modality is based on the assumption that patterns of this stress show up as imbalances in energy distribution throughout the human biofield. Biofield tuning provides the body and the mind with the opportunity to return to an energetically balanced center; an energetic frequency more aligned with the body’s standard operating state, that will facilitate emotional and physical healing.
{Linda Rutledge, Reiki Master Practitioner, Integrated Energy Practitioner}.