My Work with Sound and Healing

I work with several modalities in my work with music, sound and healing. The musical instruments I play and incorporate in my healing work include didgeridoo, Native American flute, Tibetan singing bowls and other ritual instruments, piano, Maori koauau iwi toroa (a special Maori albatross bone side-blown flute), and a range of percussion instruments such as tabla drums, frame drums, udu, rattles, clapsticks, and so on. I also work with toning, chanting and singing, and compose music.

My father was my first healing teacher. He was highly gifted as a clairvoyant and healer, and worked with some hands-on healing. But he did more with distance healing, working with projecting color as a healing medium. He died of cancer in 1995, but before he passed on, I would visit and work on him with my didgeridoo. The didgeridoo has a strongly penetrating quality to the sound, which is very rich in harmonics. I would put the imagery of healing color into the sound, usually a clear turquoise which would incorporate the healing of green with the cooling of blue, but sometimes an opalescent wash of all the rainbow colors. Then I would play into his back where the pain was, saturating his back with the vibration of the sound, the intention of healing, and the healing color. Every time it would take his pain level way down, and greatly increase his energy level. These good effects would last a long time, not just the several minutes I would be playing, and with no ill side-effects whatsoever. My father was very grateful.

Over the years I have worked on many people with my didgeridoo, calming and centering hyperactive children, energizing the fatigued, bringing healing energy and vibration to injuries, also clearing people and spaces. Sometimes I will include Native American flute and perhaps a rattle or vocalizing when working on someone.

Tibetan singing bowls are another incredible instrument in healing. A good singing bowl will open up the harmonics so they can be readily heard, much as a crystal can open sunlight to display the rainbow inherent in light. Singing bowls are very effective to move energy thru someone, or to bring clearing and activation into their energy field. Tingshas, small Tibetan hand cymbals, and gantas, Tibetan bells are also used in healing.

I have also received training in Tama-Do Eight Qi-Mo healing, which works with special stainless steel tuning forks on energy meridians and a rainbow light-pen to shine colored light on chakras. It’s a subtle but potent means of work that helps to clear imbalances in the energy field before the imbalance can concretize in the physical body.

In working with imagery in music and sound, I have composed music as soundtracks for three tactile bas relief panels of art exhibits for the blind of retellings of fairytales, with tactile artist master Ann Cunningham. The music was arranged and performed playing a range of acoustic instruments in collaboration with Ty Burhoe. The fairytales include ‘The Raven,’ ‘Giricoccola’ and ‘The Golden Goose.’ CDs are available in the Offerings section.

There are so many ways, so much magic, power and joy! I am currently exploring sacred breath in voice and indigenous wind instruments, and seeing where that will lead me ...