In the past several years I've really made a massive shift in what I am doing with music and sound. Lately I've been facilitating quite a lot of sound healing workshops...which is a lot different from traveling on tour buses and playing songs in a different city every night.
What does this sound work entail?
Sound allows us to calm our minds and turn inwards with a potency that, for many, no other medium seems to have. This internal depth allows us access to non-ordinary states of consciousness and allows for access to different aspects of ourselves that are less bound by the beliefs that we've formed. When we can get past the part of our mind where our beliefs about this world form our experience of this world, we access other parts of ourselves that are unbound by these belief systems.
We are each powerful creators. In the right state of mind, we each have the ability to take away our own pain, to reduce our stress levels, to heal ourselves physically and emotionally, to intuitively access information about ourselves and the world, to journey to other realms, and countless other extra-ordinary benefits. Sound is a vehicle that has been used for accessing these non-ordinary states of consciousness by many peoples for many millennia.
In my work I currently use mostly voice and crystal singing bowls to create the sound to journey with. The bowls are played as a drone to accompany my voice. (More on drones here: http://www.innerselfsustained.com/…/entraining-to-the-drone…) Working with a drone helps to soften the mind so to say, to release yourself from your ordinary active mind state. The other important sonic aspect of these sound journeys is my voice. What I've found is that I can use my voice to feel energetic blocks and to move stuck energy back into a state of flow. I'm aware that is a bit vague, it's difficult to explain exactly how this works, or how this feels from my own perspective, let alone yours. I've studied reiki for a while, the use of my voice in this sound work (to me) seems similar to reiki, but this work with sound is a far more potent medium for me in my own practice.
I especially enjoy working with groups because in a group situation we utilize the group energy to amplify the effects of this work. This is why I always start Sound Healing Journeywork workshops with some small activities to bring the group together and to activate the the flow of the group's energy into a state that is flowing smoothly together. These group activities generally consist of simple introductions and a bit of group toning. I'm always amazed at how opening it can be to just simply introduce yourself to a group and use your voice to move a bit of air and a bit of energy.
Everyone's experience is different in this work. There is no right or wrong experience that you can have. Some people experience amazing visions, some people experience deep cathartic release and a lot of tears, some people experience visitations from passed loved ones, some people experience lost time and Satchidananda...pure bliss consciousness, while others experience nothing more than a pleasant and relaxing meditation.
One thing is for sure, no two of these journeywork workshops are ever the same, I'm always surprised by what comes up. Experiencing this for yourself is the only way to find out what it will be for you.