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Music Therapy

Use of different musical instruments, voice and song to experience emotions.
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Zero Balancing

Re-alignment of the energy field within and outside of the body.
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Voice Therapy

Exploration of different tones and vocal ranges to release emotions.
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The therapeutic potential of sound was first recognized by doctors in the late 19th century. Sound vibrates in waves at different frequencies and is said to influence both the emotions and certain physiological functions, such as heart rate and breathing. Even sounds at frequencies beyond the range of the human ear can have an impact. Practitioners use various approaches and work with the voice or with electronic or musical instruments to generate sound waves that, they claim, restore balance in the body and promote self-healing. Sound therapies are available throughout the West, and also in Japan.


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HISTORY

Buddhist monks and Indian yogis have a long tradition of chanting to induce an altered physical and mental state, and the use of drumbeats to rouse soldiers before a fight is common to many cultures. Medical interest in sound first arose in 1896, when American doctors found that different types of music could stimulate blood flow and increase mental clarity.  

Machines using sound waves as a form of therapy were developed in the 1950s and 1960s. The UK osteopath Dr. Peter Manners evolved cymatics therapy, which is most commonly used in the US. French ear specialists Drs. Guy Berard and Alfred Tomatis pioneered auditory integration training (AlT) and the Tomatis method respectively, both of which are attracting interest in the UK, US, and Europe. Another technique, physioacoustic methodology (PAM), was developed in Finland in the early 1990s, and is now gaining ground in Europe. Chanting is common to many cultures, and techniques such as Mongolian "overtone" chanting, introduced by practitioner Jill Purce in the UK, are gaining popularity in the West, particularly in New Age circles.
 
EVIDENCE & RESEARCH
 
Pilot studies of AlT and the Tomatis method suggest they may help treat behavioral problems. However, no convincing clinical studies validate claims for the vibration of body cells or the therapeutic effects of sound on organs and body tissues. 
 
MEDICAL OPINION

Various body tissues absorb and reflect sound waves differently - conventional medicine makes use of this in prenatal ultrasound scans. However, most doctors are skeptical about the idea of "tuning in" to cellular vibrations to treat patients.

CONSULTING A PRACTITIONER  
 
Sound travels as waves of pressure, each oscillating at its own frequency, or pitch, transmitted to the brain via the auditory nerve. In theory, auditory messages may also affect the autonomic nervous system, which regulates organs and body functions. Some practitioners claim that, like sound waves, internal organs and cells vibrate at specific frequencies, and any disruption is symptomatic of disease. Sound therapy aims to restore disturbed inner rhythms to their natural state with the use of sound waves. Practitioners use a number of approaches.
 
Cymatics: A machine transmits sound waves through the skin to a specific body area. This is said to cause body cells to vibrate at an optimum, healthy resonance.   
 
AIT and the Tomatis method: The machines aim to retrain patients who may find it hard to process certain sound frequencies, such as autistics and dyslexics, to hear and listen properly. You listen to music that emphasizes particular frequencies, forcing the brain to hear and process them afresh.
 
PAM: Computer-generated sound waves, played through speakers in a special chair in which you sit, are claimed to lower blood pressure and reduce muscle tension.
 
Chanting: You are taught to use tones in your voice to create a pure sound, said to induce a meditational state. Treatment usually involves weekly hour-­long sessions and runs for several months. Chanting may be taught at weekend or evening workshops.
 
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