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on a l For centuries, philosophers, healers, and historians have documented music's ability to influence our mood and emotion. Today, scientists, physicians, and psychologists are using technology to measure how specific music and sound frequencies affect us somatically too. While studies show that certain music has the power to reduce stress and anxiety, improve mood, and help with focus and concentration, 1 other research shows that music can also reduce the quantity of anesthesia needed during surgery, help speed recovery afterward, and even reduce pain. 2 In fact, patients who listen to soothing music after surgery often need less pain medication and discontinue its use sooner than those who do not listen to relaxing music. 3 Some hospitals and clinics, like the Mayo Clinic, are using sound frequencies to address specific cancers. In a minimally invasive procedure called radiofrequency ablation (RFA), doctors expose cancer cells to the same frequency at which they naturally vibrate. 4 Cancer cells vibrate at a different frequency than healthy cells, and when exposed to their own frequency, they literally explode—the same thing that happens when an opera singer hits a high note and shatters a wine glass. Sound Therapy: Vibrational Sound Massage Sound therapy is an energy healing modality that distills the essence of music into harmonic tones that promote deep healing and cellular regeneration. Sound therapy uses a specific range of physically audible sound frequencies to subtly entrain the physical and energetic bodies to their prime resonant frequency (PRF). PRF is the frequency at which physical cells vibrate when they are in their healthiest state. Vibrational sound massage (VSM) embraces that energetic premise and creates observable changes on the physiological, mental, and emotional states of clients. It incorporates both tangible and etheric mechanisms to soothe and balance clients' physical bodies and mental and emotional states. A typical VSM session begins with the client lying facedown, fully clothed, usually on a massage table, but any flat, comfortable surface will do. A bolster can be placed beneath the shins for more comfort. The practitioner will begin the session by ringing a bell, tingsha, or gong three times to open space. The sound massage usually begins with a Tibetan or Himalayan bowl placed on the right foot. The practitioner strikes the bowl with the padded felt head of a wooden mallet. As the mallet strikes the bowl, vibrations travel into the foot and up the leg into the hip. The vibrations can be made stronger or gentler according to the client's comfort level. After a minute or two, the bowl is removed from the right foot and the process is repeated on the left foot. Bowls are placed on primary pressure points along the rest of the body, singly or in pairs. The practitioner may also place bowls around the body. If the receiver has an injury or surgical site, bowls will be placed in a triangular pattern around it, rather than directly on it. After about 20 minutes, the practitioner will quietly ask the client to turn onto their back and the bowls will be applied to the front of the body. A complete session usually lasts between 45 minutes and one hour, depending on the intensity requested by the client. By Lisabeth Fauble Ta k e 5 a n d t r y A B M P F i v e - M i n u t e M u s c l e s a t w w w. a b m p . c o m / f i v e - m i n u t e - m u s c l e s . 55 Sound Therapy