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Sunday 12 July 2020

The Prescription Is Music 4 by Darlene Koldenhoven



By Darlene Koldenhoven, M.M.V., B.M.Ed., APP, NLP, GRAMMY,® Indie Music Hall of Fame 

Starting off the new decade with something old and new. Previously, I’ve written three articles for In the Key on my relationship with sound healing and sonic therapy in my practice and in my personal life. But there are many aspects to healing with sound and I’m always in search of the latest discoveries and uses as well as traditional ones throughout history. I also promised to introduce you to several of these contemporary proponents of sound healing; so, here’s an interview I had with one of the true pioneers, Jonathan Goldman.

I caught up with Jonathan along with his wife Andi, his partner in the fine art of sound healing, at the International New Age Trade Show in Denver last June where both of us had just won COVR awards. We chatted briefly and he agreed to a short interview which I share with you now.

DK: Jonathan, you’ve been empowering people with using sound for good health for many years now. In a few sentences, describe your work for audiences new to sound healing.

JG: Since around 1980, I have been focused on first undiscovering and then sharing the use of sound and music for healing with as many people as possible.  This included my receiving a Master’s Degree from Lesley University on the subject of sound healing, founding the Sound Healer’s Association, writing a number of books including “Healing Sounds” and “The 7 Secrets of Sound Healing” and releasing nearly 30 award winning, bestselling recordings through Healing Sounds.

From my perspective, my work is to empower people with the ability of sound to heal and transform.  In particular, I like to focus on the use of self-created sounds to do this.  A difficulty is that many people are judgmental about their voice.  They become very self-conscious and don’t want to make sound.  My wife Andi and I searched for the one sound that people made that they were not judgmental about and it was humming.  We recently released “The Humming Effect” which focuses on humming and incorporates scientific information on the physiological benefits of it, as well as spiritual benefits, including its use as an advanced yoga called Brahmari Pranayama.  “The Humming Effect” is the first professionally published book on the subject and won the Visionary Award for “Best Health Book” a couple of years ago.  The more we work with humming, the more powerful it seems to become. And of course, the more it has been manifesting as a sound in the public.  Humming, of course, is just one of the many many aspects of how sound and music can be used to heal and transform. 

 Even just in using the voice, there’s toning (sounding extended vowels and single syllables), and of course, a multitudinous variety of ways to sing.  There’s also using musical instruments, Tibetan Bowls, tuning forks, crystal bowls and so much more!  It’s incredible. 

DK: What is the most meaningful part of your work as sound healer?

There are actually two different aspects—the first is the life changing ability which sound seems to manifest for people.  When you open to the world of sound, you are actually enhancing one of your primary senses.  And when this occurs, this can literally change the way that you perceive reality.  When this occurs, we open to the extraordinary life enhancing properties of sound.  And of course, there are many ways to reduce stress and to heal ourselves, as well as feeling a true resonance with others.  That’s using sound for personal healing.

The second aspect that is truly meaningful is planetary healing. Thus, we have on February 14th of every year, World Sound Healing Day, in which thousands of people throughout our planet sound forth with an “AH” (or whatever sound feels appropriate) in order to send a sonic valentine of love to the Gaia Matrix—our Mother Earth.  The purpose of this is to raise the consciousness of all the sentient beings on our planet.  There’s now scientific data to show that this is real, though this phenomenon has been known about in different spiritual traditions for thousands of years.  Sound coupled with the consciousness of gratitude and love is truly powerful. We heal the planet.  We heal ourselves.  We heal ourselves and we heal our planet.  We can make a difference.  We have a choice.  On Feb. 14, 2020, we’ll be having the 18th annual World Sound Healing Day. 

 

Jonathan Goldman, M.A. is an international authority on sound healing and a pioneer in the field of harmonics.  He is author of numerous books including “Healing Sounds,” “The 7 Secrets of Sound Healing”, and his latest, the best-selling “The Humming Effect,” which won the 2018 Gold Visionary Award for ‘Health Books.’  Jonathan is director of the Sound Healers Association and president of Spirit Music, Inc. in Boulder, Colorado.  A Grammy nominee, he has created over 25 best-selling, award winning recordings including: “Chakra Chants,” “The Divine Name” (with Gregg Braden), and “Reiki Chants.” Jonathan has been named as one of Watkins’ Mind Body Spirit magazine’s “100 Most Spiritually Influential Living People.”  www.healingsounds.com

Darlene Koldenhoven, M.M.V, B.M.Ed, NLP, iLs-APP. Grammy Award Winner and 3-time Nominee, Indie Music Hall of Fame Inductee. Several multi-award winning, #1 New Age albums, some played in hospitals/hospices nationwide. Author, “Tune Your Voice: Singing and Your Mind’s Musical Ear.” International speaker on music education and sonic therapy. Private practice in voice and sonic therapy; in person or remotely. 

More info at: 

www.DarleneKoldenhoven.com www.ListeningMatrix.com www.TuneYourVoice.net 

www.WellnessVoiceWorkshop.com.

©2020 Darlene Koldenhoven. All rights reserved. 


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