Listen! Healing A Heart From Trauma

“Lay in the middle of the circular room and close your eyes” the monk whispered in Chinese.

I laid on the uneven stone floor in the most famous temple in China with a sack of rice husks under my head for a pillow. From the past, the voices, experiences and energy of a thousand Buddhist monks reverberated within those walls. The monk shouted out, “red” and what happened next seemed almost miraculous.

Let’s rewind a bit.

Hi! I’m Thomas, aka TBone. I have been on my lifetime healing journey for 47 years. At times it’s been a lonely journey filled with hurt, disappointment and uncertainty. Although a certified resiliency trauma coach and licensed massage therapist today, what lead me to that temple thirty years ago were suppressed  memories deeply embedded in my brain. Horrific violations of childhood sexual abuse and torture that manifested in dysfunctional habits and behaviors. As strange as it sounds, I could not touch them or retrieve them, the memories. There I laid in the middle of the floor in a Buddhist monastery, probably considered an infidel in my religious circle for dabbling in eastern philosophy. I didn’t care, I was hurting.

The first wave of sound frequency energy bombarded my body. Then the monk shouted, “orange”. A different set of vibrational frequencies smashed into my body. My mind floated in an ethereal state as memories were conjured. Memories long hidden and entrenched in the recess of my mind, soul and body. He called out a few other colors and the sound frequencies continually changed. It’s not often that I share this experience.

The sound frequencies transported me lifting my body, mind and spirit to times, places long lost to me. He called out the last color, “diamond”.  That frequency felt safe, complete and somewhat angelic. A smile formed on my face while joy radiated through my body, mind and soul. I still cannot express what completely transpired. I could not find words at first. He instructed me to say nothing for one whole day, only to rest and drink tea. Later, I found myself in China at monk Shi’s feet for three months experiencing and learning sound frequency as he patiently attempted to understand my butchered broken Chinese language skills.

What is sound frequency shifting?

I purposely used the word “shifting” because that’s how monk Shi referred to it. Today, sound therapist would call it “healing or therapy”. Monk Shi was reluctant to name it “healing” as he believed that using such a word denoted a sense of finality or definitiveness in an indefinite ever vibrating and shifting universe. I agree with him. The vibrational frequencies needed and used at that moment and point in time were what I needed then to shift, vibrate and resonate. I remember asking teacher Shi the impatient Western or American question, “So how does it work?” He smiled and said in Chinese, “It does.” Today, I feel embarrassed sharing that naivety. Falling into the western mindset that everything needs a scientific metric, explanation, certification or the person be degreed to be considered or seen as valid.

Sound frequency shifting, vibrationally moves the body, mind and spirit through various states where emotional pain, wounds, fears, scars are released making transitioning a bit easier. It’s similar to acupuncture where one uses the needles to disperses the blockage so the energy can continue to flow through the meridians unhindered. My intrigue with sound frequencies stems from their ability to simply do what is needed, whether physical, emotional or psychological or all. They are similar to the way medicinal foods and herbs work in the body. How do those herbs know to ease the gastrointestinal membrane lining? As monk Shi would probably say, “They do!”

It was the last month of massage clinic before completing my certification,  taking the state exam, and massage boards for licensure. The client walked into the clinic room. He was a middle-aged corporate executive. We completed the intake form and discussed his current physical issues, needs and possible contraindications. As I began the session, I could hear monk Shi’s voice in my head from our time together “Stop blocking your intuition!” I asked the client if he objected to me using my singing bowls instead of the intercom massage music playing. He consented.

As I massaged, I began playing the singing bowls at various intervals while whispering the names of the chakra colors. At times, the client smiled. Towards the end he began to softly cry. I thought, “Oh great! I messed up this one!” He probably interpreted my face signals and reassured me. “I don’t know what you did, but that was the best massage ever. Let me be open. I am a male survivor of sexual abuse. Therefore, being vulnerable and being touched can be quite disconcerting. However, this is the first time ever where I felt like someone not only cared but could feel and relate to me. It’s you and those bowls. Thank you for using them.”

Still, today in my resiliency coaching with male survivors when allowed, I use those singing bowls in collaboration with the client’s needs. Practically each time the client exclaims, “Wow! How does it do that?” Instead of trying to explain about all the frequencies, hertz, binaural beats, chakra, vibrations and other stuff, I simple smile while saying, “It does!”

What can you do to start the journey to enhance your life via sound frequency shifting?

1. Purchase a singing bowl. When shopping for a singing bowl don’t purchase the first bowl you encounter. Standing in front of the bowl and cause the bowl to sing. See if that sound frequency resonates with you. Don’t feel embarrassed. Check out as many shops as needed.

2. Find a nice quiet spot. Sit in chair, lotus position, whatever feels comfortable for you.

3. Start with deep diaphragmatic breathing. If you aren’t a singer that’s okay. There are tons of YouTube videos on diaphragmatic or belly breathing.

4. Play your singing bowl.

5. Close your eyes and focus on hearing the sound as long as possible.

6. Then integrate your deep belly breathing with the length of the sound.

7. Give yourself about 15 minutes with this exercise. Arise refreshed and relaxed.