In Part 1 of this series on how to work effectively with the power of intent, I wrote that the more we understand and work with the dynamics of intention, the deeper the healing and the more effective our sound therapy practice will be.
In this post, I explore the work of Jonathan Goldman, one of the early pioneers of sound healing in America.
It was in his first book: ‘Healing Sounds – The Power of Harmonics’ (1992) that Goldman coined the formula:
Frequency + Intent = Healing
Frequency is the sound being created.
Intent is the energy or consciousness behind the sound.
Healing is the desired outcome from the sound.
What Goldman means by this formula is that healing outcomes are not solely related to the frequencies or notes that we create.
He states that “the intention of the person working with the sound is as important as the frequency of the sound that is being projected at a person to create resonant frequency healing.”
In other words, producing the same sounds with different intentions could lead to different healing outcomes. Equally, the same intention plus different sounds could lead to the same or similar healing outcomes.
For example, there are number of musical notation systems relating different frequencies to the same chakra. By holding a strong intent we can tonify, disperse and balance the chakras using any of these different notational systems.
In “The 7 Secrets of Sound Healing” (2008) he defines intent as “the energy behind the sound. It’s the consciousness we have when making the sound, which is then encoded upon it, travels on it, and ultimately is received by the person listening to it”
In his first book, Goldman mentions how he was introduced to the concept of intent by Steven Halpern PhD. Halpern’s graduate research in the early 1970s exploring the connections between sound, consciousness and healing was the first to employ the more subtle and sophisticated new technologies of brainwave biofeedback and Kirlian (aura) photography.
Based on this research and his work as a musician, composer and producer of healing music, Halpern authored two books ‘Tuning the Human Instrument’ (1977) and ‘Sound Health’ (1985). He coined the phrase, quoted by Goldman: “sound is a carrier wave of consciousness”.
This means, as Goldman says ‘that depending on where an individual’s awareness is placed when he creates a certain sound, the sound will carry information on that state to the person receiving it”.
“With this word ‘intent’, we are really talking about the consciousness of the person creating the sound.”
He goes on to write that “This encompasses the overall state of the person making the sound and involves the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of that person.”
in a nutshell, Goldman is saying that the state of consciousness that we are in when we give sound therapy is as important as the sounds (the frequencies) that we create in determining the healing outcomes for ourselves and our clients.
Moreover, our state of our consciousness is the product of 4 key aspects of our being:
- physical
- mental
- emotional
- spiritual
The more balanced and healthy we are in all these aspects, the more likely it is that there will be positive healing outcomes from our sound therapy work. This suggests that we do need to look after ourselves well, not just for our own benefit but for others too.
Goldman also indicates the value of developing the state in which we can align our intent with our highest selves, or the “Divine Will‘. When we are able to do this, we can by-pass the lesser aspects of our selves which may be out of balance, and which would hinder the healing process. When that happens we let go of the need for “My Will” to be done, and instead surrender to letting “Thy Will” be done.
In “The 7 Secrets of Sound Healing” and “The Divine Name”, Goldman refers extensively to the research and writings of Gregg Braden relating to the power of intent. I’ll cover all that in my next post …
Until then, I wish that you keep fit, well and happy…
Tony 🙂
PS Please watch out for this series of Sound Reflections and remember that I always welcome constructive feedback…..so please join me on this journey and send me your thoughts and suggestions……
Thank you