TAHLEQUAH, Oklahoma – More than two dozen guests listened to soothing sounds near Northeastern Oklahoma’s Illinois River last week, engaging in what advocates call a meditative form of therapy.
Participants enjoyed what’s called a “sound bath” at the home of Sara Brown Dunlap, of Tahlequah. A sound bath is where participants sit or recline and listen to echoing sounds from a percussive instrument.
Instead of bathing in water, people bathe in sound. A sound bath produces waves of sound that wash over participants. The sounds are made by striking a wand against different-sized bowls. The size of the bowl, the material it is made from, and the direction of the wand may produce healing of different types. Sound baths may help with stress, anxiety, depression, and physical pain.
Nancy James said she has always been a healer. She is a retired nurse and current reiki master. She has been providing sound baths to the public for six years.
“This is now what I do to heal people,” James said. “Instead of sticking needles in them, I provide sound baths.”
After attending her first sound bath, James knew she wanted to share her experience with others.
“It made a big difference in my life, and that motivated me to start buying my own sound bowls and sharing it with people so they could experience what I experienced. That’s my reason for doing this,” James said.
James has a collection of 19 sound bowls. Each one is made from a different precious metal or gemstone, and the sound every bowl produces has a different effect on the human body.
James pointed to one of her medium-sized bowls.
“This bowl is made out of Mount Shasta serpentine,” James said. “Serpentine is a gemstone that was mined in Mount Shasta, which is a magical, spiritual place.”
The biggest bowl – called a belly bowl – is made from frosted crystal.
“Crystal is conducive to intention and programming,” James said.
It not only matters what material the bowl is made out of, but how the musician strikes the bowl.
“When I’m playing the bowls counterclockwise, I am uninstalling and clearing out all the unhealthy energy. And clockwise, I am installing positive energy,” James said.
James explained to participants they should state their intentions before the sound bath.
“What you think about, you bring about,” James said. “If you have a painful area on your body or there’s a memory or thought pattern that keeps driving you nuts, focus on asking those healing vibrations to help you.”
After a short, guided meditation, James began to produce soothing sounds, playing all 19 bowls. Overlapping tones and vibrations continued for a full hour.
One of the participants, Mickey Uppendahl, has attended many sound baths.
“I’ve been a regular attendee at the Unitarian Church,” Uppendahl said. “I feel wonderful afterward. It helps me relax. I feel rejuvenated. It’s helped me let go of negative stuff.”
Sara Brown Dunlap, host of the event, thought being immersed in nature, alongside a river, under a canopy of trees with the breeze blowing, was a perfect setting for a sound bath.
“This is the fourth time Nancy has conducted a sound bath at my house,” Dunlap said. “I had her to do it for at my son’s wedding, then several times since then.”
Participants Angel Walker and Andrea Hooper usually attend the sound baths at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation.
“This is the first time I’ve done a sound bath outside of the church,” Walker said.
Hooper agreed.
“This is the first time I’ve done it in a natural setting and I really loved it,” Hooper said. “You get something different each time. You set your intentions. And whatever you intend will be what you get.”
Walker recalled the experience of her first sound bath.
“The first time my mind was racing, and I didn’t think it would work because I couldn’t quiet my mind,” Walker said. “But I closed my eyes and listened for an hour. Then when I opened my eyes, oh my gosh, stuff had been happening and I didn’t even know it.”
Check it out
Nancy James holds free sound baths every third Wednesday of the month at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Tahlequah. Donations are accepted.