The event was titled “Introduction to Sound Healing,” but the evening began in silence.
Fifteen attendees sat in a circle Thursday at Inner Light Bloomington, surrounding three metal bowls and a collection of multicolored tuning forks atop a blue cloth.
Each person looked at the other attendees’ faces, breathed in and meditated as the smell of burning sage filled the air.
By looking at one another, sound healing practitioner Carol Cobine said attendees would be able to create a sacred space for one another. This space would allow them to support and respect one another — a necessity for successful sound healing therapy.
“Each one of us has a connection to the other,” Cobine said as attendees looked around the room.
Cobine said sound healing or acutonics is a form of restorative therapy central in holistic health practices. Acutonics is also similar to acupuncture, but uses sound and tuning forks rather than needles, she said.
The core of sound healing is the idea that everything in the universe vibrates, Cobine said. These vibrations can be sensed and replicated by using tuning forks that allow practitioners to find balance between themselves and the universe.
“We’re living in an orchestra in this universe,” Cobine said. “The planets, moons and Sun are all players. We are all players.”
The sound the combined vibrations of this orchestra creates is referred to as the music of the spheres, Cobine said. This idea is rooted in scientific history, beginning with the work of Kepler and Pythagoras.
The music of the spheres is based on ancient calculations, Cobine said. But she said these vibrations have also been confirmed by NASA.
In addition to a scientific aspect, Cobine said acutonics also has a spiritual element as well.
“It tunes the body, mind, spirit and soul with nature,” Cobine said.
Inner Light director Stacey Conlin said sound healing can bring about a variety of effects, including relaxation and stress relief. The practice can also help with pain and reproductive and digestive problems, Conlin said.
Cobine said sound healing also allows people to clear their minds and look within themselves. In doing so, they recognize imbalances and let themselves heal.
“We are our own experts,” Cobine said. “We are the best people to look within and listen to what our bodies are saying to us.”
Conlin said she was excited for an opportunity to expand her knowledge about acutonics and hoped attendees would be able to do so as well. She said she hopes attendees will walk out with more understanding and appreciation of acutonics and holistic health in general.
She said she also wants acutonics to help people overcome the stress and obstacles in their lives.
“It’s about finding balance and healing,” Cobine said. “It’s easy to get stressed and preoccupied with life, but here you can restore balance.”
Cobine said she hopes attendees will be able to leave equipped to restore more balance into their lives and to help themselves heal.
“Acutonics is centered on vibratory energy,” Cobine said. “It’s about balancing energy within yourself and realizing your connection with everything that surrounds you.”
Realizing this connection is the first step to healing, Cobine said.
“Once you look within and listen to your body, you can heal,” Cobine said. “You can connect with the vibrations of the planets, stars and moons.”
