Some Principals of Sound Therapy

I drafted this article which is drawn mostly from the Fabien Maman radio interview with Jonathan Goldman last year and his Tama-Do Academy books. In a nutshell, it describes the science and reasoning behind his pioneering sound therapy treatment system. 


According to those in the sound healing world, music is the universal language. Fabien Maman experienced what he calls his first “meditative concert”—when touring Japan as a musician. He was first confused because Japanese audiences did not clap after each song like most Western audiences. It was this experience that helped Maman discover that music has a cosmic vibration that can travel through the field, become absorbed by the listener and then can return to the musician; and that clapping hands can get in the way of this feedback.

CELLULAR RESEARCH
Fabien’s most famous book, “The Role of Music in the 21st Century” contains the story of Maman’s research. At that time he was testing the effects of musical instruments and tones on human cells. His experiments evaluated the double bass, human voice, vibraphone, flute, gong, and guitar, among others, and were conducted from 1 a.m.-5 a.m., between the hours when the Paris subway was closed. He played musical notes on a scale with different instruments, one note at a time and each time examined how blood cells changed shape and appearance. Maman discovered through this process that sound was changing the cells' shape and color; “doing something around people and cells; and around the aura of people.” To Maman, this was proof positive on the power of sound and its ability to help the body on a cellular level-- not just internally but externally.

Maman believes that sound travels first through the layers of the “subtle bodies” surrounding the cells and then it travels through to the physical body. On one hand, his results showed that different notes enabled healthy cells to expand, change shape or change color. On the other hand, cancer cells responded negatively to dissonant tones, which they could not handle in vitro, according to Maman. "With enough time, these cells would explode." Certain cells responded well to a frequency of a certain instrument, while others did not. But The human voice, he concluded, was the most powerful timbre of sound of all the instruments he tested. "The human voice carries something in its vibration that makes it more powerful than any musical instrument: consciousness."

Consistently, around the middle of the scale, there would form what Maman calls “a mandala, which represented what might be described as a sonic sweet-spot particular to an individual, or what Maman calls the "fundamental sound" of the person. To Fabien, these results confirmed that sound is a more powerful healing agent than we think.

THE “AURA OF SOUND”
Maman believes that the healing force of sound is not primarily in the striking of a note, it lies in the overtones and the harmonics that occur when the tone starts to fade, even when the tone can no longer be heard or is out of the range of human hearing. He believes that these can penetrate the aura and the body when it is naturally struck and acoustically shaped. Having to contend with the loud volumes and harsh modern urban sounds can expose people to detrimental sound waves that deplete the subtle field and shoot energy out of the body. People are often unaware of how sound can bombard their space. If the healing part of sound is primarily in the overtone, as Maman suggests, and the power of the harmonics is in the shape of the sound then most healing sounds "must be very subtle. Bigger and louder is not always better."

TAMA-DO ACADEMY--THE WAY OF THE SOUL
Maman was taught early on about the Kototama, which is an ancient science of vocalization and sound. After putting on hold his musical career, he was given the inspiration to start an academy for the development of human beings while he was in Egypt. His academy combines sound, color and movement and much of the science is based on acupuncture and the Chinese Medicine system. Maman's aim has been to marry music and acupuncture through this system, and he has developed 30 techniques that involve healing with sound over the years.

Why Acupuncture?—Maman found that this historic and precise practice provided an excellent established structure and preestablished body of knowledge for the application of Fabien’s research. Seven years after gaining his license to practice acupuncture in Paris and experimenting with tuning forks, Maman found connections and correspondences between tuning fork notes and each organ in the body. He finished the research in 1989 and started the Tama-Do Academy at that point. “The body is like a Swiss clock, every thing is precise; is in tune. So we have to apply sound in a precise way.”

Maman presented his work and findings at the World Research Foundation in 1988 and is considered the founding father of tuning fork therapy. When he returned to the US, he discovered a series of new tuning fork schools and theories. He was critical of the development of the massive wave of tuning fork therapists, and considers a lot of the work behind them as “incoherent”. “People who use tuning forks today, it is such a mess.”

For more information, visit the Tama-Do Academy site.

Observations as a Healer

There are many aspects of training in the healing arts that came up for me lately. They have allowed me to reflect more deeply about what it means to fill the role of a healer. I have only had a limited number of years experience as a trainee, but I already can feel that the value of the healer is in raising consciousness by knowing, managing, and balancing what lies inside the entire human experience. It starts with the healer’s own consciousness, so here are a few observations and challenges in relation to my in-progress Tama-Do Academy training:


Set a Boundary—“Being open to receive” is a message that is consistent with practitioner and receiver and there is a fine art to trusting your intuition, knowing your protocols, inviting your guides in to your space to support you, and opening another person to receive your gifts. This work may involve opening your field to a person’s trauma and wounds and it will inevitably take some awareness to avoid getting caught in someone’s story or “stuff.” This has been a common theme in all the trainings I have received, and it sounds perfectly clear enough on paper. What I hadn’t noticed was that even when I consciously set the intention of not becoming involved that inevitably part of me could get unstuck if I was not careful, especially if there was a detection of what might be described as stagnant or heavy energy.

At Tama Do, we are advised to shower after each session, to remain physically clean and mentally present and to keep the conversation light. I would add that taking the time at the end of the day to check in with your body, your energy centers, and your guides to “feel” if there is anything unwanted that has unnecessarily stayed with you for release is worthwhile. Grounding through daily Chi Gong practice and sounding are methods used by Tama-Do trainees to help with this.

Beware of Doing Too Much—The feeling of being too involved can lead to feeling the need to do too much or to produce a miracle on demand with each healing given. This is the biggest impediment to remaining present with the person seeking help and remaining aligned—both are needed if I am to be effective. If a practitioner isn’t careful I believe they can get stuck in the idea of fixing a person and will burn themselves out on the healing work. The fact remains that no matter how well or poorly trained you are, some people may not respond or be open to the treatment—especially when it is more rooted in raising vibrations and not routine hands-on bodywork.

I have tried to close my eyes and go deeper within to find stillness during moments of doubt when I question my skills; when I need to impress the receiver or when I have an urge to do more unnecessarily. Daily affirmations/prayers in a ritualistic setting help me flow more freely, faithfully and effortlessly into my role.

Remaining Detached—The power of the work being done can be easy to get lost in. I have felt the receiver experience emotional reactions to the treatments and some of the places you take the receiver of the treatment can be quite intense or overwhelming for them. The Tama-Do practice is meant to remain light and let the waves come and go on their own, making sure that the practitioner doesn’t get overcooked.

Checking in—This is related to remaining present, although it is more along the lines of opening and maintaining the energy field to whatever may be happening. There can be a tendency to zone out while working on someone and getting lost in thought or surroundings. Sometimes I get too narrowly stuck in my head about the protocols or the way I am holding a tuning fork. I have to have faith in the training and just do what I can in the moment. One way to remain present is to open a window and just call in the energy of any outdoor natural setting into the room (even a plant’s chi will do). Or send any tension out through your feet into the core of the earth with an exhale.

Creativity—There is usually space for creative work within protocols and structure you are given in your field, after all we are dealing with the healing arts. Once you have begun to master the underlying work, try developing your own healer’s signature and consider what you look and feel like as a healer. I believe I am developing an individual expression based on what my personal field creates and how it interacts with others.

Developing relationships with my guides (see below) is part of establishing a stronger capacity to be creative in my own right without giving up the given structure and guidelines. It might be compared to delivering a solo during a jazz performance. This takes time and practice, of course. Once you can tune in to your healer’s energetic signature, you can invite this special unique energy in and let it flow into the practice.

Check Your Energy Levels—If you’re working other jobs to make money or are living in a challenging or unhealthy environment, there is a danger that your work will be impeded. The healer does not function with a working professional’s mindset. Further, toxicity on any level can have a negative impact on the ability to reach and read others. The added sensitivity from my daily training improve my energy and heighten my perception. I am reminded to honor my body first and to make sure that I am being nourished physically, nutritionally, and spiritually. Meditation and Chi Gong are great for improving energy levels. Still, I may feel like I need a solid chunk of time prior to any session to shift into the space of a healer and to further ground my energy levels. Jumping from one activity (or receiver) to the next is not optimal.

Create Sacred Space—Clearing the work space prior to the start of a session can help with the process of relaxation for the receiver. Sound and burning sage can effectively provide this. Let your space be inviting and allow it to carry your safety and comfort. I would not advise doing too many healings in other people’s spaces, especially if you have not inspected the space first.

Facilitate Openings- Inspiration works best when there is a certain emptiness and freedom involved. This is again where the word arts comes into play. There is more than just physical interaction when a healer and receiver connect, there are hidden energy field subtleties making themselves available to both participants and what some would call guides-- subtle energy entities—that are invited into the circle to facilitate action. In order to make the experience a dance, the practitioner’s energy is best off being drawn to his/her back and all other thoughts that prevent the ability to be present should be sent into the earth.

Build Relationships with Guides –Asking to be guided by your highest guides is not something that can happen overnight. In Tama Do, there are colors and essences involved, as well as personal guides. Each one carries energy and vibration and this energy can be called in more effectively when the practitioner has a deeper and more nuanced understanding of the energy itself. Poems, prayers, blessings, paintings, sketches, visual representations of the energy that is being invoked can all allow you to build a relationship with your guides over time. Call in your highest guides to know more about them and feel how they want to speak/work through you. If you feel a block between you and your guides, try to understand what it is rooted in. What does this energy want?

For more information about Tama-Do practitioner training, visit http://www.tama-do.com/

Interview with Sound Therapy Master Fabien Maman, September 8, 2010

I am training with Fabien Maman, who will be interviewed by Jonathan Goldman, on his Healing Sounds Radio show this Wednesday.  Fabien is a pioneer in vibrational sound therapy--he created the 12 meridian acupuncture point tuning fork system.

Although it is not mentioned in the text below, Fabien also incorporates shamanic soundscapes into his healing practices--using different frequencies, the voice, and acoustic instruments to clear subtle body fields and help realign and balance energy channels.  For more information on Maman, visit the Tama-Do Academy website at:  http://www.tama-do.com/roothtmls/aboutfabien.html

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Healing Sounds Newsletter

HEALING SOUNDS RADIO with Jonathan Goldman & Fabien Maman

http://www.healthylife.net/ --September 2010

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Please tune in September 8th, Wednesday, at 12 noon US Eastern Time, to http://www.healthylife.net/  when I present "The Healing Sounds Show". My guest for this show will be Fabien Maman .

Fabien Maman is a musician, composer, acupuncturist, author, researcher, healer, teacher, "bioenergetician" and martial artist. As a musician/composer, he performed his original compositions in the great concert halls of the world, including Carnegie Hall, the Tokyo Opera, the Paris Olympia and the Berlin Philharmonic. He was the recipient of the Grande Prix de Composition Francaise (Grand prize of French composition). In 1977, Fabien became an acupuncturist, linking music with acupuncture. He created the now famous system which uses tuning forks instead of needles on acupuncture command points. In the early 80's, Fabien conducted his revolutionary biology experiments at the University of Jussieu in Paris, showing the impacts of acoustic sound on human cells and their energy fields. Fabien found that through a series of acoustic sounds, he could explode cancer cells, as well as energize and empower healthy ones. This would become the driving theory behind Fabien's life's work: 'that blockages in our subtle energy fields can result in physical illness if they are allowed to crystallize. Sound, Color and Movement are the most effective tools we can use to dissolve these negative energetic patterns.'

In 1988 Fabien founded Tama-Do ("Way of the Soul"), the Academy of Sound, Color and Movement®, offering a three-year training program for the evolution of consciousness using non-invasive vibrational techniques composed of Sound, Color and Movement® and Seasonal Healing Concerts. For nearly 30 years, Fabien has created research and practical applications to balance the body, mind and spirit through the subtle energy fields. He is the author of numerous books including: The Role of Music in the 21st Century and Raising Human Frequencies. He has also created several music healing CDs. He may be contacted at: http://www.tama-do.com/

Fabien is an extraordinary healer and pioneer in this field. This will be a remarkable radio show. Please join us on September 8th.

If you have a question and would like to be "live" on the air with us on the Healing Sounds show, here's the audience call in telephone number: 800 - 555 - 5453

Please tune in to this Internet Radio Show Wednesday, September 8th, at 12 noon Eastern Time to healthylife.net

Harmonically Yours,

Jonathan Goldman