DO NOT PUBLISH Meet the Saudi therapist healing her patients through sound

Jeddah: Healing with sound is believed to date back to ancient Greece, when music was used in an attempt to cure mental and physical disorders.

Throughout history, music has been used to boost morale in military troops, help people work faster and more productively, and even ward off evil spirits by chanting.

More recently, research has linked music to a number of health benefits, from boosting immune function and lowering stress levels to improving the health of premature babies.

While sound therapy is an ancient technique believed to have originated in ancient Greece, it was also practiced by several other ancient civilizations such as India, Tibet and Egypt.

In the past few decades, however, it has made a comeback because a lot of research and experiments have shown the positive effects of sound and music on body.

Now a days, sound therapy is usually used by people who suffer from anxiety, depression, stress, and trauma among others.

This is where Saudi sound therapist Bayan Abuzinadah comes in.

Surrounded by singing bowls and four huge gongs behind her, she meditates as she waits for her patient.

“Sound therapy is the medicine of the future. Many hospitals, especially cancer hospitals, in America now have a sound department as it is now being considered as the best therapy to provide relief from pain,” Abuzinadah, 35, tells Gulf News at the end of the session.

A member of the International Complimentary Therapist Association and a certified sound therapist from the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation in Saudi Arabia, Abuzinadah opened Saudi Arabia’s first known sound studio in the coastal city of Jeddah last year.

How does it work?

Shedding light on how sound heals, Abuzinadah explains, “Sound therapy works on all layers of our existence that is emotional, physical, and mental. To make it a meditative experience, we penetrade the body with sounds and slow down the brain waves from theta to alpha," she said.

Explaining further she said: "Alpha waves is our frequency bridge between our conscious mind and the subconscious mind theta — and that is where all the magic happens. The body is in the healing mode now, and the person gets connected with his/her subconscious mind, which controls 80 per cent of what he/she does," she said.

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"At this stage, we plant and manifest positive vibes, release negative emotions, limiting beliefs and habits, or anything that doesn’t serve us purpose.”

Citing another example of how sound physically heals a body, Abuzinadah said, “Everything in our body from cells to organs vibrates. Let’s assume if the kidney is not functioning properly; it means that the vibration of that organ is slow or out of tune," she said.

"Now, our body is made up of around 60 per cent of water. So, by technically striking certain instruments, we create sounds that penetrate and travel in the body and create a vibration that forces the organ to synchronize and work in tune with the rest of the body.”

How many sessions do you need to get results?

The number of sessions is different for each person.

“Sometimes, even one session (typically lasting for 60 minutes) is a life-altering experience for a person,” she says.

What is a typical session like?

For a one-on-one session with a patient, Abuzinadah uses gongs and singing bowls only.

For group classes, she uses Shruti boxes, alchemy crystal bowls, didgeridoo (ancient Australian instrument) along with gongs and singing bowls.

The patient is required to dress in loose, comfortable clothing and be hydrated.

“Every therapist practices the ritual based on their personal preference. I stop eating meat three days before a session to detox. I take salt baths, meditate, and chant to look and feel good.”

Abuzinada’s path to sound therapy

Abuzinadah took the rare, unconventional path of sound healing after working in the corporate world for ten years.

“I had had enough. I was not happy; I was not enjoying as I used to and had lost all passion for corporate life. It was time to move on.”

She took a few months off and went to Amsterdam and did spiritual training.

“It felt good, and I found answers to what I was going through. I liked it, but I hadn’t decided to pursue it then.”

After returning home, Abuzinadah quit work for good and flew to Ibiza to volunteer at a retreat.

It was there where she had her first sound bath.

“It was an out-of-body experience. I went to a totally different dimension. What I experienced that day told me that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life, and the rest is history,” she said.

In the course of just three years, Abuzinadah poured her heart and soul into it, learning sound techniques.

She travelled to Ireland, Bali, Portugal and Madrid, among other places, to learn sound healing.

“I trained with one of the best masters in the world and my guru Patricious, and Don Conreux, who is like the Harvard of sound healing,” she said.

Equipped with certificates and license to practice, Abuzinadah returned to her country and upon much encouragement from her folks, decided to open a sound-healing studio — much to an overwhelming response.

Abuzindah's patients comprise people who are recovering after a major surgery or people who suffer from stress, anxiety, and depression.

"Sometimes people just attend to feel good about themselves. It's like going to a spa."

With more than 8K followers on Instagram, one needs to take prior appointments to attend Abuzindah's sound therapy classes.

Baker Al Turkestani, a Saudi song producer, who recently attended one of Abuzindah's sound baths, said, "I felt completely surrendered. It was beautiful."

-Sadiya is a freelance journalist based in Jeddah