October 08th, 2023

​Allowing the Silence. Allowing the Authentic Self.

One of the most important aspects of any sound healing session, whether a 1-2-1 therapeutic treatment or a group sound bath, is the SILENCE.
If you have ever had a sound session of any kind, and you have been successfully guided into that lovely alpha or even theta state, where you might experience a deepening of consciousness or perhaps an intense processing of thoughts, depending on how life is for you at that time, you will know that continuous and unrelenting sound is a nightmare! Sound must be balanced with silence to create the bliss.

If you have been guided into that beautiful space of sensitivity, where you feel safe in your surroundings, you trust that your practitioner will ALLOW you to expand and deepen further with periods of silence amongst the sounds. A skilled sound practitioner will even find the silence around the sounds as they play, but at the very least, silence between the sounds offers the opportunity for the body to RECEIVE the vibrations that are no longer audible but can be felt gently rippling through the body. And that's it, in a nutshell. Healing is so often the ability to receive and allow gentle movement, movement of stagnant energy in the body, so that it might ground out through our feet, earth, just like an electric circuit (which of course we are, but I'll leave the Electric Body pioneer, Eillen Day McKusick to explain that in her wonderful books).

However, sometimes it's hard to do this alone, which is why we might seek the assistance of a healing practitioner, someone who can encourage us into a state of allowance, of relaxation, of trust, and then administer sounds with the purest of intention for our wellbeing. A skilled practitioner will work with clear intention to guide a variety of frequencies and tones, moving energy where there is resistance, and balancing energy where there is volatility, but the silence is where the movement occurs, where the shift takes place. Where the person is guided to find their inner sanctuary, often a place where an individual might be afraid to go, for fear of having to face all that has been hidden away. But slowly, when a person can access this inner sanctuary, when they can acknowledge the thoughts that pass through the mind to be processed and released without worry and judgment that they are not doing it right, THEN they can start to come home and RECONNECT WITH THEIR TRUE SELF, with the inner voice, with the authentic self, whatever you want to call it.

The sound guides us to the silence, and there we find and face our true essence in its raw glory, it may be happy, sad, grumpy, angry, tired, desperate, and all the frequencies under the sun, BUT whatever that might look like, that part is free from conditioning, and we can say;

THIS IS ME.
THIS IS WHAT I AM FEELING AND I MAKE NO APOLOGY.
THIS IS WHAT I NEED.
IN THIS PLACE, I AM FREE TO HEAR ME.
FROM THIS PLACE, I CAN BEGIN TO RECONNECT WITH ALL THAT I AM.


Finding that inner sanctuary, facing our raw energy, and listening to OUR SOUND, is healing. Continued healing comes from building strength to live from that place of peaceful authenticity, without entrainment to others and their ideas.

I am often asked what is the 'authentic voice', and other than the most simple hum, free from genre, I would answer that the authentic voice is attained when we are at one with our true self. It's something that comes from regular practice of silence and gentle vocalising.

Try spending some time each day, however small, in silence. Just sit and be. Don't try to meditate or do anything. Notice what you hear externally and then gradually notice what you hear internally. If a plethora of voices and things to do run through your mind, notice them. Whose voice is it? What images are presented? What is really on your mind? What are you afraid of? Spend some time in silence considering what comes up. Ask yourself, who you are trying to please and why. There are no right or wrong answers, just consider.
Bring your attention to your breath. Notice your in and out breaths. Notice every breath. As your breath deepens, on the exhale, gently and VERY QUIETLY begin to hum. Only hum, that's all that's needed. Do this for a minute or so, or longer if you have time. 

Try this every day, even just for a few minutes. Try writing down your experiences. See what happens.