To complement the MASSAGE Magazine article, “Vibrational Healing: The Therapeutic Use of Sound and Music,” by Ellen F. Franklin, in the July 2012 issue. Article summary: The perception that sound vibration and music have specific benefits is supported by a growing body of research that supports the beneficial effects of sound and music to facilitate healthy functioning, boost immune function, reduce pain, combat stress, facilitate relaxation and promote well-being.
by Ellen F. Franklin
Laura Anniebelle Berdette practices massage in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. She is a former professional snowboarder and works primarily with athletes. She believes music and sound help create an energetic space that supports her clients to access their innate healing potential.
“I see a lot of knee injuries and left-right structural imbalances,” Berdette said. “The best results have come from deep-tissue therapeutic massage, and because I work so deeply, it is really important for my clients to relax and surrender to my hands.
“The selection of music for my treatment space is extremely important, especially since my technique is to go very slow and deep,” she added.
Judy Bernard’s Planetary Lullaby recording of gongs and David Hickey’s Sacred Journey are the types of music that provide a doorway where healing can begin, Berdette said. In addition to careful selections of music, she recently began training in the therapeutic use of tuning forks and has begun to use them in conjunction with massage.
“Tuning forks are the ultimate, because I can open up the blood flow, relax the muscle, and get in deeply with so much less effort,” she said.
For the past 20 years writing and teaching about the integration of sound vibration with Oriental medicine, I have documented excellent clinical results. The application of tuning forks to acupressure points, trigger points and points of pain results in a deeper level of internal and external harmony, a true sense of coherence and a renewed sense of balance.
Currently, as I work on my doctorate in psychology, I am engaged in research investigating the use of a self-care protocol with tuning forks applied to specific acupressure points selected for their believed efficacy in reducing severe stress. I have run a pilot study with care providers who self-identify with symptoms of severe stress, and the results are extremely promising.
Ellen F. Franklin is CEO of the Kairos Institute of Sound Healing, creators of the Acutonics® System of Healing and Education (www.acutonics.com). She is a co-author of Acutonics From Galaxies to Cells: Planetary, Science, Harmony and Medicine, as well as a certified practitioner and teacher of Acutonics.