Becoming a Sound Healer
By Amy Martin, P.T.
 
Becoming a Sound Healer has been for me more about remembering who I am then about learning something new.  We are all sound makers and have our best instruments born into us through our voice.  The human voice is a miracle in itself and when it is combined with intention becomes a tool for healing and transformation for ourselves and others.
 
I spent five days being at an intensive for sound healing with Tom Kenyon in early September.  Tom Kenyon is a Puget Sound local, living on Orcas Island.  The 225 participants in the class were far from local.  Coming from 38 states and 18 countries, they ranged from MD’s and psychotherapists to those that have “office jobs” and a passion for sound and healing. Tom Kenyon himself was a practicing psychotherapist for years and then became a brain researcher studying the affects of sound on the brain.  He founded Acoustic Brain Research in 1983 to scientifically document the effects of sound and music on consciousness. His presentations were full of science that has documented the profound changes in our brains and our physiology with sound. 
 
The brain emits electrical potentials or patterns throughout its entire structure, caused by the passage of information between brain cells.  These electrical patterns or brainwaves correlate with various mental and emotional states.  Two of the most important brainwaves for sound healing are the alpha and theta states.   Theta brainwave is 4-8 HZ and is associated with deep relaxation, internal awareness, and profound imaging experiences such as dreams, visions, etc.  Moving up from theta is alpha, which is associated with a state of relaxed attention.  During alpha activity there is a calm-awareness of the external world.  It is significant due to one of its side effects – a decrease in stress related hormones.  Together, alpha and theta are referred to by Tom Kenyon as a “magic window”.
 
The “magic window” is a portal into our innate genius and intuitive powers.  While in the theta state, internal experiences are vividly real.  These imaginary events during theta activity can produce powerful transformational experiences that can affect not only our mental awareness but our neurophysiology as well.  Alpha state is profound in decreasing the negative effects of stress.  Sound healing can affect many brain states, and is very useful when emphasizing those in the “magic window” of the alpha/theta range to increase our brain’s ability to enter resourceful altered states of awareness.
 
Using your voice as a healing instrument often brings the practitioner into an alpha/theta state as well and requires no special training.  It does however require specific intention on the part of the practitioner.  In a very simple “how to do it?” Tom Kenyon said, “Hear the call and respond with authenticity, letting the Mystery move through your voice.”  It seems that in sound healing, the specific note is not what ‘causes’ the healing; it is the intention behind the sound that assists in the healing.  The sound is the vehicle that carries the intention. 

The intention in sound healing has affects on emotion, which Tom Kenyon refers to as energy in motion in our bodies, as well as the mental, physical, and spiritual aspects of our beings.  Sound healing, especially overtone chanting (two or more notes made at the same time), works at the quantum level of our beings.
 
The quantum level is anything smaller than 1/1000 of an inch and not affected by gravity.  This small measurement happens to be the size of the space between our nerve cells in our bodies where the end of one nerve cell (axon) meets the beginning of the next (dendrite), to put it very simply.  This is the space where our neurotransmitters work to send messages throughout our bodies from our toughs and feelings.   So thoughts and feelings are at the Quantum level.   Quantum physics for the most part is beyond this article.  However, I’ll mention Bell’s theorem, which shows that at the Quantum level, there is no such thing as an objective observer.  Witnessing with intention has an affect on what is witnessed.
 
As a Sound Healer, what I think, observe, judge…will have an affect on a session.  My intention affects my client.  Because of this it is my responsibility to hold a space of the highest potential, and to do this for myself first.
 
At this intensive, I felt all that I had done previously with my life’s work, on my spiritual path, and my way of being in the world had been leading me to this time.   I have used sound in my practice for some time from tuning forks and Tibetan bowls to vocal toning with my voice.  However, during this week of being surrounded with sound and enthusiastic healers, I felt a true blossoming as a Sound Healer.  Using my voice, I am in my element and knowing that I am at the beginning of a grand adventure. 
 
For more information on sound healing go to www.tomkenyon.com
 
Amy Martin is a Holistic practitioner of Physical Therapy and Sound Healing in Port Townsend.