GOOD WORKS ENCORE
Good Vibrations
Sound therapists aim to ease stress and help bodies heal JORDAN BRADLEY
Brian Powers
by
M
any of us may be unaware that during the past year of living through the Covid-19 pandemic we have all been employing sound therapy to keep us sane and healthy. When you call a friend or family member, you’re using sound therapy, says sound therapist Julie Chase, president of Wind Willow Consortium. “When you talk or hum and put your hand on your upper chest or diaphragm, you feel the vibration and naturally relax,” Chase explains. “Tuning-fork vibration uses a calibrated frequency that also brings about 28 | ENCORE APRIL 2021
stress relief in a much deeper way, but what people don't realize is that their voice, like tuning forks, can elicit a relaxation response to stress-compromised individuals, even over the phone. Their voice becomes the instrument. That's why virtual sound therapy works.” While many people are aware of the positive impacts of music therapy, sound therapy is a newer practice in this country. Using instruments like Tibetan singing bowls, medical-grade tuning forks, gongs and RAV Vast drums, a sound therapist plays tones
with the intention of slowing down a client’s brainwaves to create calm in the mind, encourage stress reduction and facilitate healing within the body. Chase, who teaches sound therapy and certifies sound therapists, founded Wind Willow Consortium with five of her former students in late 2018. The purpose of the nonprofit organization is to create opportunities for sound therapists to spread the word about their practices through workshops, events and other educational happenings.
