FAQ
What is sound healing?
Sound helps to facilitate shifts in our brainwave state by using entrainment. Entrainment synchronizes our fluctuating brainwaves by providing a stable frequency which the brainwave can attune to. By using rhythm and frequency, we can entrain our brainwaves and it then becomes possible to down-shift our normal beta state (normal waking consciousness) to alpha (relaxed consciousness), and even reach theta (meditative state) and delta (sleep; where internal healing can occur).
A sound healing treatment is both a passive and participatory experience. The passive aspect is that you become more relaxed by laying down and slowing your breath. By doing this, you prepare yourself to become the receiver of sound. It's in this place of stillness that you participate by becoming more open and aware of each sound that comes in. Sound helps create the pathway to this place of stillness the same as a mantra helps you to arrive at the still point of meditation.
Is there science to back up sound healing?
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23941101 -Tibetan Singing Bowl study
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4369551/
https://www.binauralbeatsgeek.com/binaural-beat-research/
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1365-2044.2005.04287.x
-Binaural beats & brain entrainment
Russell E. Hilliard, The Effects of Music Therapy on the Quality and Length of Life of People Diagnosed with Terminal Cancer, Journal of Music Therapy, Volume 40, Issue 2, Summer 2003, Pages 113–137, https://doi.org/10.1093/jmt/40.2.113
-Increased quality of life for cancer patients
Lori F Gooding, Diane G Langston, Music Therapy With Military Populations: A Scoping Review, Journal of Music Therapy, Volume 56, Issue 4, Winter 2019, Pages 315–347, https://doi.org/10.1093/jmt/thz010
-Military and Music
"Up to 90% of all visits to primary health care providers are related to stress." says Andrew Weil, P.h.d. We help you to drop the stress you accrue, even that which has been held your hole life and through that healing naturally occurs. Here are some scientific study results on the effects of sound on the body.
"In a meta-analysis of 400 studies...found that music improves the body's immune system function and reduces stress. Listening to music was also found to be more effective than prescription drugs in reducing anxiety before surgery." (Trends in Cognitive Sciences, April, 2013).
"The researchers found that listening to and playing music increase the body's production of the antibody immunoglobulin A and natural killer cells — the cells that attack invading viruses and boost the immune system's effectiveness. Music also reduces levels of the stress hormone cortisol." http://www.apa.org/monitor/2013/11/music.com
Other Studies
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4316550/
Who could benefit from a session?
Honestly, everyone! The reason being that sound therapy alleviate stress which we all experience at different points in our life. Much of our stress has been stuck in our bodies for years. Each session provides the assistance to unplug from the outer world and to peacefully explore your inner world. For this very reason, each healing session can assist anyone who is experiencing depression, anxiety, difficulty meditating, decreased energy levels, addiction etc. Anyone with an open minded and receptive attitude will benefit from a session.
Why do you refer to group sessions as a "sound bath"?
To answer this question, we must think of the essence of what a bath is... It is a time for you alone, almost out of time. There is nowhere you have to be, nothing you have to think about, you're just floating. It is a time that you dedicate to yourself and your wellbeing, physical as well as mental. In both a typical bath and a sound bath this is the goal, put simply relaxation. However instead of floating and being bathed in water, you are being bathed in harmonious sounds and vibration.
I have seen various references to Nichole on your website... Who is this?
Nichole is an incredible person and energy worker. We started this business together years ago. However life has taken different paths for each of us, and I (Tarek) am left to continue what we started! You can still see the lovely Nichole pop in as a guest for an occasional sound bath at the Park City Yoga Studio. You may also contact me if you are interested in receiving distance energy work from her! I highly recommend her and have had amazing experiences from her various modalities of energy work.
What instruments are used?
Didgeridoos, a gong, various world drums, a hand pan, a gudu, flutes and ocarinas, chimes, and other miscellaneous ambient instruments.
What does a session involve?
All sessions are fully clothed and take place on a massage bed. Tarek will create a live musical composition to guide you into deep states of relaxation. Sounds will move around you body and come from various angles creating a surround sound effect. At points instruments will be played over the body while the Tibetan and crystal bowls will be placed directly on the body. This allows for a direct transfer of the energy contained within the vibration which works magic down to the cellular level, eliminating the stress hormones and stimulating production of other beneficial molecular structures. If you would like, you can flip over and lay on your stomach so that your back can also be worked on! This is not always desired however as it can interrupt the deep states that you reach. Many float in the state between waking consciousness and sleep and from there experience what some may call shamanic journeying. For a better picture, this can be as simple as seeing colors to being as complex as a dream.
How long does a session last?
The two options for the length of a session are an hour and an hour and a half.
Where is West Wind Soul Sessions located?
I am currently relocating my studio and until then I primarily focus my efforts and work in the Park City area.
How does the billing process work?
We accept all major credit/debit cards, checks, cash and trade. If you do want to set up a trade, we ask that it is from the heart and that it is sorted out before the session takes place. We suggest purchasing a package, which we are flexible with how we split that payment up into billing cycles. If you don't purchase a package, payment will be collected after the session has taken place.
