The Gong Bath - An Immersive Full Body/Mind/Spirit Experience

The gong bath...
Participants lay down on a yoga mat or pad, getting themselves cozy under a blanket. The eyes are closed, and eye masks are encouraged. The gong session can be preceded by a few minutes of breathwork to relax and prepare you for surrendering more deeply to the experience.  Other sound healing tools such as crystal bowls, Tibetan singing bowls, monochord, chimes, drums, and rattles may also be used to create a novel soundscape. Novelty aids your brain in the letting go process, opening you up more to the full experience. Gong baths are often described as having healing and quite transformational effects on body, mind, and spirit. It is fairly indescribable, so the best way to understand is to experience it directly, and in-person is always optimal, vs. online (though online gong baths are also quite valuable).

What are the benefits of a gong bath?
When some physical or mind-related part of us is in disharmony it can cause unease and even illness to arise in our bodies. Common daily factors such as life/job/relationship stress, anger, trauma, chaotic environments (office, driving, city noise, angry or disruptive people or animals, etc.) in our daily lives can easily  impact us negatively (without us being fully aware of it) which can then manifest within us physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. The vibrations produced in a gong bath are deeply penetrating, more than any other sound healing modality. They bring your body/mind into a state of coherence and therefore aid in restoring harmony and resonance throughout. Visit Richard Rudis' site HERE for documented evidence about the profound physical effects of gong bath on blood cells.

Another process that takes place is brain entrainment – the synchronization of our fluctuating brainwaves with the stable frequency of the gong. What happens is that our brains, much like a room full of metronomes or pendulum clocks, acclimate to and unify with the dominant frequency in the space; of the gong in the case of the gong bath. The effect of brain entrainment helps create overall harmony within our bodies. It calms the nerves and dispels anxiety.

The complex matrix of vibrations of the gong helps the brain reach a state of deep relaxation by shifting the brain into the significantly slower delta and theta brain wave states. These states are known to aid relaxation, creativity and our body's natural ability to heal itself.

Gong baths are highly rejuvenating for the body and bring about an overall sense of relaxation, which can reduce stress as well as help us develop a better ability to cope with stress, help move emotional blockages from the traumas of life, and even stimulate altered states of consciousness. They may also encourage greater overall stillness and a sense of peace.

*Animals LOVE the gong!! I have clients bring their animals to me for physical and emotional healing. It works equally well on our furry friends.
Sound healing can alleviate or even cure many conditions such as:
– Anxiety disorder
– Stress
– Pain
– PTSD and developmental trauma (complex PTSD)
– Mood swings or negative emotions
– Depression
– Psychological and behavioral disorders

It can also induce emotional and physical healing:
– Relaxation
– Improved memory and concentration
– Improved sleep
– Clarity and balance
– A healthier immune system
– Enhanced creativity
– Overall heightened awareness – of self and the environment
- Pain relief, reduction of inflammation
- Cellular detoxification
- Re-growing of injured tissue
- Overall improvement of health

What should one expect during a gong bath?
Each person’s experience is completely unique to them, but it is common to have a wide range of experiences from seeing different colors (with the eyes closed), having personal epiphanies, manifesting creative solutions to issues at work and in life, deep sleep can happen, and even psychedelic-like journeys are sometimes reported. As gong baths are a mode of meditation through which the mind can become quiet, you may find that inspiration, new ideas, or breakthroughs arrive for you. Some people also experience a range of emotions and reactions such as laughing, crying, feeling scared or angry, and anything in between. I find that most people feel a sense of bliss and peace both during after a gong bath. It can be helpful to bring a journal with you to write down anything that came up during your experience afterward.

The gong is a poly-tonal instrument. The planetary gongs I most often play are highly tuned to specific frequencies; they are made of fired and hammered bronze and play more than 30 octaves, some of which are not audible to human ears.  Earth 38" 136.10 Hz, Sun  38” 126.22 Hz, Mercury 32” 141.27 Hz, Saturn 32” 147.85 Hz, Jupiter 28” 183.58 Hz, Venus 24” 221.23 Hz.

I play in the format of a gong ceremony, with a shamanic approach, employing sacred geometry points, activating, re-tuning and balancing the meridians and chakras (the subtle and electrical energy centers in the body). On a physical level, you might experience vibration in the body due to the intense and powerful sound-waves / vibrations produced during the gong bath. Some people may also experience  these energetic treatments in the form of subtle tingling, tremoring or twitching in the body, usually in the hands and feet.
I offer public and private gong baths. From one-on-one to full concert ceremony performances for large groups. I also offer corporate wellness programs for companies that care about reducing stress and encouraging creativity in the workplace. Inquire here.

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I have over 20 years of psychology and interpersonal communication education, training, certifications and in depth study, including 10 years of experience guiding others through the internal landscape of emotional pain into an ultimately self-resourced experience of cohesive, settled integration and awareness. Through NVC (Non-violent Communication / a.k.a.  Compassionate Communication), various gentle methods of building rapport with compartmentalized/shadow parts of the self (Hakomi, TrCM, parts work/internal family systems, spiritual / yogic philosophy, neuvo-shamanic ritual), and working directly with the subconscious, harmony can be attained.  Supporting your cultivation of inner and outer agency, harmony and balance is our ultimate goal with this work.
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