The Integral Sound Healing method was developed by Anthony Nec, a practitioner based in Cornwall, UK. His background in ‘Integral Transformative Practice’ evolved out of the ‘Human Potential Movement’ of the 1960s. Integral Practice treats the body, mind, emotions and soul as equally important for ‘wholeness’. This corresponds with the literal meaning of the word ‘healing’, which comes from the old English word ‘haelan’, meaning ‘to make whole’.
Healing in this sense has the potential to be a complete transformation, in which we can transcend suffering and create new meanings. Healing is not the same as ‘curing’, which focuses on just eradicating disease. Healing is about ‘salutogenesis’ – the origins (genesis) of health (salus) – focusing on factors that support health, rather than on factors that cause disease (‘pathogenesis’).
Integral Sound Healing has positive effects on all aspects of our being, including: relaxing the body, reducing physical pain, and improving mental clarity and emotional wellbeing.
How does it work?
Those who practice sound healing understand it to be a form of ‘energy work’, in which we are ‘surrendering’ to ‘wisdom’ which our mental processes don’t understand, but which our ‘deeper self’ already knows. This distinguishes ‘energy work’ from therapies which focus on mentally understanding the root causes of suffering/illness. That can certainly be helpful, but mental processing alone doesn’t reach the body’s nervous systems, through which energy is processed.
‘Energy work’ comprises both scientifically measurable processes, and the wisdom of experience gained through practice.
Electromagnetism and ‘Subtle Energy’
Modern science tells us that we live in invisible ‘fields’ of influence that impact us but of which we have no conscious awareness. They are accounted for by the four ‘known forces’ of physics – strong and weak nuclear forces, gravity and electromagnetism. In sound healing we are particularly concerned with electromagnetism.
Electromagnetism begins with the attraction of positively charged protons to negatively charged electrons within atoms. The resulting charge governs how particles interact with electric and magnetic ‘fields’, leading to electromagnetic waveforms including light energy and radio waves.
Before the scientific community could measure electromagnetism, they knew it existed because they could detect its effects on other objects. The same can be said of ‘subtle energy’ – energy too subtle to be directly detected by electromagnetic instruments, but which produces measurable effects in plant and human biology. Some scientists are now considering whether ‘subtle energy could be modern physics’ “fifth force”.
The subject of subtle energy has has an interesting counterpart in ancient spiritual traditions. “Qi,” “prana” and “kundalini” are terms used in Eastern traditions to refer to subtle energy. It is thought to be closely related to human consciousness itself.
What does this have to do with sound healing?
When we suffer injury, trauma, or loss, we experience stress, during which electrical energy is generated in the brain which moves into the body via the nervous systems.
If stress-related energy doesn’t move freely through the system to be released in a healthy way – maybe because there is too much of it incoming over a long time – it can cause illness, sometimes in unexpected ways. Also, during stress, the body produces chemicals – cortisol and adrenaline – which, while beneficial in short bursts, over a long time can damage the body.
Disorders associated with stress are diverse and include: anxiety, depression, addictions, PTSD, fibromyalgia, arthritis, heart disease, immune system disorders, migraines, insomnia, menstrual disorders, and high blood pressure. ‘Negative feedback loops’ can develop whereby the illness itself causes stress, which then exacerbates the illness.
As well as the electrical energy generated by stress, there may be effects on our ‘subtle energy’ states. In Sound Healing, we promote a ‘self-healing’ response to begin via the ‘subtle energy’ flowing through us. Science offers a partial explanation for this:
We know that complex interactions involving transfer of energy, happen constantly in all living beings. Some can be explained by biochemistry and physics. For example, plants use light energy to make their own food, via photosynthesis (light from the sun to help convert carbon dioxide and water into carbohydrate and oxygen).
Other energy interactions are less easy to explain, ie. they involve ‘subtle energy’. The actions of other people can impact us negatively – for example, seeing a doctor who is very stressed or distracted. We tend to feel better in the presence of a compassionate person who listens. There are other interactions which are impossible to explain scientifically, such as: love that grows between two people; feeling connected to strangers following a group meditation; or spiritual experiences with a ‘divine force’. We can explain some of these via psychology and neuroscience, but much more remains to be explained. There may be forces at work yet to be discovered. One such is ‘Biofield Theory’.
Biofields
The idea that ‘subtle energy’ can guide our wellbeing, has been central to many cultures for thousands of years. In 1992, scientists trying to apply structure to the diverse healing practices evolving from this concept, coined the term ‘Biofield‘. At first it was defined as a ‘massless field, not necessarily electromagnetic, that surrounds, permeates, and affects the body‘ …this definition later evolved into ‘a multi-scale concept…for understanding biological regulation and information flow‘ (Kreitzer & Saper, 2015).
Many attempts have been made to prove the existence of biofields. The ‘biophoton field’ is believed to be the chief means of communication between DNA molecules across the entire body of a living being. In the 1980s the German physicist Dr Fritz Popp, used a ‘biophoton camera’ that measured light particles, and found that when a leaf or branch was cut off, an entire plant exhibited a change in the light energy surrounding and within it.
We also know that the brain and the heart produce EMFs (electromagnetic fields), and a weak EMF can be detected around the whole body. It is thought to be influenced by sound energy entering the field, via a property called ‘spin’ affecting both the electrons in the magnetic field, and the cells inside the human body. ‘Spin’ is the name given to the recent discovery that electrons have a ‘quantum’ property (i.e. the smallest measurable amount).
Biofield theory may eventually become accepted as that which unifies the physical, emotional, social, and spiritual factors that constitute health.
Entrainment and Vibrational Medicine
All the time, our brains are generating electrical impulses. Neurotransmitters – chemical ‘messengers’ – carry electrical signals between nerve cells in the brain and target cells in the body. This process manages our body’s physical functions – like breathing and heartbeat – and psychological states, like fear, pleasure, or joy.
Our brain activity can be measured, in terms of the frequency of oscillations of the wave-forms produced. The speed of the waves varies, depending on what the brain is doing and what its environment is like. The various brainwave states (from slowest to fastest) are:
Delta 0.5 – 3 Hertz (deep sleep)
Theta 4 – 7 Hz ( deep meditation or ‘trance’ states)
Alpha 8 – 12 Hz (relaxation or light meditation)
Beta 13 – 24 Hz (while busy doing daily work)
High Beta 25 – 40Hz (while we’re under intense pressure/stress – not a healthy state to be in for long)
Gamma 41 – 100Hz (‘highest states’ of consciousness – achievable only in very specific circumstances – experienced meditators can reach this state during prolonged meditation).
Research shows that sound can affect brain states positively or negatively. Just as the brain’s energy travels in waves, so does sound energy. Your brainwaves will adjust in response to the specific frequency of incoming soundwaves. This is called ‘entrainment’. For example, when listening to a sound with a frequency of 10 Hz (Alpha), cells in the lower brain stem will adjust their vibratory frequency to that frequency. Research has shown that the body can do deep physical healing when the brain is in Alpha and Theta states.
Other measurable effects of incoming sound include slowing down heart rate, breathing and blood pressure, releasing feel-good chemicals (endorphins and nitric oxide), and reducing levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
It is of particular interest that sound tuned to the frequency of A=432Hz, has been shown to reduce heart rate & blood pressure. Often referred to as the ‘natural tuning’, 432Hz is believed to resonate with the human body and the earth’s electromagnetic field frequency of almost 8z. Very low frequencies, by contrast, can have harmful effects on the body, mind & emotions. ‘Infrasound’, which is too low a frequency to even be heard, is known to cause people to feel depressed, anxious and unsettled. There are reports from people living near power stations, industrial plants or busy railway stations, for example, of these negative effects.
The Autonomic Nervous System
Electrical signals travel between brain and body via the Central, Peripheral & Autonomic Nervous Systems (ANS). The ANS manages adrenal, thyroid & pituitary glands, and controls how we respond to stress. It directly changes our physiological states during each day, to manage risk, keep us safe, and stimulate social connection. It does this by shifting between two sub-systems – the Sympathetic Nervous System (which triggers our fight/flight response to stress) and the Parasympathetic Nervous System (which triggers the relaxation response). The Parasympathetic is of particular interest as it contains the Vagus nerve, a large wandering nerve which travels down the body.
When there is chronic stress or trauma, there can be interruption to the functioning of the ANS. There can be extreme autonomic responses which affect the ability to feel safe and to regulate emotions. Long-term, there can be damage to the immune system and energy levels.
These disrupted states are called ‘dominant’ states, involving either Sympathetic or Parasympathetic dominance. In Sympathetic dominance, your fight/flight response is always ‘on’. You might have high anxiety, inflammation in the body, and disturbed sleep. Conversely, if your Parasympathetic nervous system is dominant, you may be struggling with depressive or passive states of being.
In a sound healing session, sound can be used to stimulate the ‘relaxation response’ of the Parasympathetic nervous system, and can be a safe way of re-patterning the ANS, helping you reach the ‘ventral vagal’ state of social engagement, feeling calm and relaxed but also alert and capable.
In sound healing we can also use techniques to stimulate the Sympathetic nervous system; this can be of benefit when energy levels are low.
‘Emotional Allowing’ in integral sound healing
Integral sound healing is concerned with our emotional wellbeing as well as physical. The ’emotional components’ of illness don’t respond to logical analysis (such telling yourself that you have no need to feel a certain way). They respond to a ‘felt sense’ of safety in the body and a sense of ‘connection’ with a ‘greater whole’. Until your body feels safe and connected enough, no amount of mental insight will shift stuck emotional energy. Sound healing generates a sense of safety and connection. Emotions and sensations related to them, are ‘allowed’ rather than resisted. Empowered by mental focus and compassion, the self-healing response is triggered. Sound healing can sometimes even transform core negative beliefs or thought processes which may lie at the root of some illness.
The role of Silence in sound healing
Silence plays a fundamental role in sound healing. In the space between sounds, we encounter deep emotional or spiritual ‘residue’ from past events which, if listened to, can lead us to the ‘core’ of our being. By bringing self-compassion and surrender to the silence, it’s possible to ‘disentangle’ dense spiritual energy and allow it to be released (this has happened to me personally through sound healing). Some people have described this as their soul or spirit being ‘able to soar free’. This is an experience unique to the individual and impossible to define. Each sound ritual is a safe place in which to go inward with your awareness to allow such energy shifts to happen.
It’s important to emphasise that the role of a healing practitioner is not to ‘fix’, cure, or control outcomes. The healer is you – each one of us contains a self-healing capacity – part of the evolutionary goal we are naturally inclined towards.
How Sound Healing differs from Brain Retraining
Brain Retraining methods, to ‘re-wire’ the brain towards more healthy processes, are increasingly popular and can be very useful. Examples include NLP, CBT, mindfulness meditation, physical exercise, positive thinking, visualisation, and positive affirmations. They often work for a while, but on their own they usually don’t meet the emotional components of pain, at their source. Symptoms are reduced, emotional pain is temporarily silenced, but the energy itself usually doesn’t disappear. It re-emerges, or moves into new symptoms or body areas. We see this in chronic pain conditions like Fibromyalgia.
Brain Retraining practices can even sometimes contribute to dissociation and be a form of distraction, taking you further away from the goal of complete, integrated wellness.
‘But music helps me relax and feel good – how is sound healing different?‘
Sound healing is an opportunity to meet the emotional components of pain in a safe way, creating ‘sacred space’ to allow symptoms (which illness is presenting as) to be ‘heard’. Just as you hear music via your ears, in sound healing you hear sounds, but you also hear yourself, specifically the deepest parts of yourself, via the silent space from which the sounds emerge and then return. There is a ‘resonance’ which occurs berween you, the space, the sounds, and the healing practitioner, in one unified energy field. It isn’t entertainment or relaxation in the way that listening to music is.* We are meeting our inner self with ‘presence’, holding it in the safe ‘container’ of our awareness, so that the body’s own intelligence can complete what has been left incomplete.
[*This is not to say that music as entertainment can’t be healing on any level – it certainly can – but sound healing is a dedicated practice which doesn’t involve trying to change or fix our mental/emotional state and doesn’t please, soothe or distract the ego in the way that music often tends to.]
So it’s valuable to able to ‘hear’ and ‘meet’ our deepest selves in sound healing, because it is in these deep layers that pain, physical and emotional, is held, as the body’s attempt to contain undischarged energy which originated in past events (recent or distant). These experiences become ‘encoded’ in the nervous system. Unless we make sure to ‘meet’ this deeply held energy, feel it fully and allow it to move unimpeded through the body, we can tend to develop a pattern of suppressing or over-riding incoming emotions* , such as fear, grief, anger or shame.
[*Sometimes, we can’t name our emotions – they can be complex and layered – but we nearly always feel a ‘sensation’ that’s in front of an emotion, which, during the healing process in time will move through you and reveal the emotion underneath it.]
Note: you don’t need to have experienced severe trauma or stress to benefit from this process of allowing and releasing – almost everyone has some degree of ‘stuck’ energy in the body.