The Beauty And The Tragedy Of Sound Healing

By Marilee Wintz

It is wonderful that more and more people are learning about Sound Healing or Sound Baths.  Sound has a wonderful way of cleansing the body, mind, and soul without speaking. 

The tragedy is that there is no regulation of Sound Healing.

A sound bath could be a very gentle crystal bowl session from a trained professional who is fully aware of all participants, the volume, intensity and notes to play. 

Or it could be a very abrasive loud mix of instruments from an untrained sound provider that leaves participants shaken.  What they are told is “healing”, can in fact be jarring people into an unwanted re-traumatization of an adverse childhood experience, or leaving them with head ache and ear damage.  Many people come away from such an event believing that sound healing is a bad experience and will stay away from it.

I believe it is of upmost importance that people providing sound be educated and practiced in all the elements and power of sound.

In so many events, the sound provider tells us “sound cannot hurt anyone” it is all healing. Well, I know that to be incorrect. 

There are a number of contraindications which are detailed below, as well as the volume which can sound deafening to one person or may be appreciated by another. 

There have been numerous accounts of people with nerve damage or metal implants who felt very uncomfortable during an event, only to find out they should not have necessarily attended for safety reasons.

Proper certification would expect a sound provider to be clear about the types of people who would be benefit, and those who would not. The real benefit comes from knowing the sequences and triads of notes to play for specific healing sessions. I do believe many of the untrained sound providers have good intentions but are not at all aware of the true magnitude of the healing benefits that can be learned in certification programs.  

If someone buys a set of crystal bowls and just plays them randomly,  it can sound nice however it would be like buying a nice car but only having the ability to drive in the driveway. 

The true healing power of sound is realized on the road of calming, lifting emotions, cleansing down to the cellular level, and then gently bringing it all together in a healing session. 

Random playing does not have the depth match these clear benefits provided by professional training. There is a value to intuitive playing, however training the ear and mind to read these cues is also part of education.  

I propose, that like yoga classes, sound events be classified per categories, for example:
 
Gentle Crystal Bowl and Chime Tones with Suzy Level 11 Certified Sound Healer – a class where gentle sound with no loud volume is played for sensitive ears.

Medium tone multi instrument sound with Joe Level 111 Certified Sound Healer – a class where crystal bowls, Tibetan Bowls and Gong are used at a bit higher volume in cleansing the senses.

Massive Metal with Debbie Level 111 Certified Sound Healer – a class with a large portion of gongs and higher vibration for people who can handle louder sounds.

I also propose that in any session private or group that the participants are advised to RAISE THEIR HAND if the sound is too loud or uncomfortable.  I truly believe the person laying in a resting pose during a sound session should have a way to communicate with the sound provider if they are in pain or disturbed by the sound. 

I have always used this practice and have often been surprised when someone raised their hand when I felt the sound was relatively low. Clearly each set of ears is different!!!

In a group where the provider has no prior knowledge of who would prefer low or high volume, raising a hand is an alarm to the provider.  It helps to stop people feeling like they are getting ear damage.  Good communication is the key to success.

Many leaders of sound events NEVER alert people of safety considerations of the participants. Perhaps the providers are not aware of it or have parroted the idea that sound cannot hurt. 

The beauty and the tragedy of sound is that not all sound is equal.  With unclear class descriptions and untrained sound healers, there is a big concern that many people will get the wrong impression of the benefits of sound.

Here is a list of the contraindications as well as healing applications from this article: https://colourofsound.org/science-of-sound-healing/

CONTRAINDICATIONS  

• Do not use sound healing instruments on the body during pregnancy, especially during the first 12 weeks.
• Do not use if you suffer from sound induced epilepsy. Please consult your doctor to ensure you receive the right anti-epileptic medication and are in no danger of seizure from sound vibrations.
• Keep a minimum distance of 20 cm from any implanted heart pacemaker, stent or shunt.
• Do not use directly on or anywhere near a metal implant
• Do not use near near open wounds or scar that is not yet healed
• Do not use with any prior nerve damage

So, do your homework on who is providing the sound and investigate their focus on healing versus entertainment.

Know the true depth and beauty of how to provide healing sound versus randomly banging the gong and making people run away from sound healing. 

Sound treatment, whether it is called a Sound Bath or Sound Healing should be a beautiful experience where all layers of your luminous energy field: body, mind, soul, spirit are awakened in a gentle and loving way.

Marilee Wintz lives in Reno, Nevada.  She is currently taking our online Level 2 Diploma in Integral Sound Healing.

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