Restoring Balance

Our body has an incredible ability to heal and regenerate itself, but a myriad factors can block its recovery. We talk to healing practitioners who use the power of sound and elemental energy to bring harmony and balance within

- Elizabeth Soong

THE HEALING ENERGY OF SOUND Sound healing dates back to ancient times. In Greece, music from a flute or harp was used in an attempt to treat physical ailments like gout and cure mental disorders. To relieve chronic pain and restore harmony in a patient’s body, Egyptians used sound energy by composing vowel chants and built chambers to amplify sound and evoke catharsis. Music therapy was offered to wounded soldiers in the Second World War.

Of all forms of energy, sound is one of the more powerful modalities. It’s because the vibration of sound is not only heard through our ears but also through every cell in our bodies. Scientist Itzhak Bentov explains in his book Stalking the Wild Pendulum that when a cell is stressed or diseased, its frequency changes and it starts vibrating discordantly. He hypothesises that when a strong harmonising rhythm is applied, the malfunctioning cell might start beating in tune again.

In her book Earth: Pleiadian Keys to the Living Library, Barbara Marciniak concurs, “Sounds that are harmonious activate the body and create healing.”

Previously seen as an alternative therapy, sound healing is increasingly becoming mainstream. Hospitals are even integrating it into their treatment programmes to treat hyperactive children or help older people with neurological problems retrieve their memory. In fact, for Dr Kulreet Chaudhary, a leading neurologist and neuroscientist who is also a practitioner of Ayurvedic medicine, she implements the use of sound therapy into the treatment of chronic neurological conditions like multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s and migraine headaches.