Making Peace

SOUND HEALING IS ONE OF THE NEWEST ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES OUT THERE, AIMED AT HELPING PEOPLE DEAL WITH EMOTIONAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL ISSUES, WHILE FINDING PEACE. THOUGH ITS EFFECTS AREN'T QUITE VISIBLE, IT'S BACKED BY ENOUGH RESEARCH TO MAKE IT WORTH A TRY

- AMANDA LEO

Whether it's because of the stress from living through a global pandemic or burnout from hustle culture, it's undeniable that more and more people are looking for ways to recalibrate their inner balance. And sound healing is proving to be one of the ways that busy urbanites use to intentionally create calm in their lives, the kind of calm that usually comes from a week-long retreat to an island with no connection.

But leaving the city for a retreat is like putting a plaster over an open wound - it's a temporary measure that doesn't quite get to the root of the issue. Going back to the hustle means gradually accumulating stress again, says Masumi Nelson, sound healer at Altered States.

"What we need to realise is that we have everything we need within us, without having to go look for it elsewhere. Being connected to our true self and having gratitude for our surroundings is the best [way] to live our lives in the city," she says.

Nelson's connection to sound is an intimate one. Growing up in the deep countryside of Japan, she's forged a strong connection to both the natural world and the spiritual one, but it wasn't until her pregnancy in 2012 that she discovered crystal singing bowls.

"I felt my energy shift. Some fundamental part of myself was illuminated and I began to feel a strong sense of gratitude for who I am. From there, my sound healing journey began," she says. And what a journey it has been - she's performed at the Ise Shrine, known as the spiritual home of Japan and the most sacred temple in the country, as well as the Bali Spirit Festival in 2017.

Surrounded by crystal singing bowls in iridescent shades of white, amber and pale green, she creates a harmony by tapping or circling the bowls, and each produces a different tone.