“Third Thumb” Augmentation Changes the Way we Think of Prosthetics
The effect of being fully immersed in a healing soundscape helps a patient’s recovery from serious illness, according to clinical studies.
American physicist David Gibson, a leading scholar in the science of sound healing, claims the technique creates a balanced mind and body. This is possible because everything in nature is vibration, and vibration can be altered through sound.
Some sounds are known to induce feelings of peace, tranquillity and relaxation, for example, a piece of classical music, birdsong or rainfall. Other sounds are detrimental to our health, like traffic noise, and can lead to stress.
A healing soundscape transmutes negative vibrations using a carefully chosen sound or a combination of sounds. These sounds may be natural, human or artificial.
” Physics has proven that everything is vibration and can be altered. Therefore, a healing soundscape can get you back to that consistent hum, which is where peace lies. The main thing is the consistent tone of the sound. The definition of peace is consistency; that place of stillness of who we are.” – David Gibson, Physicist
Many hospitals now offer soundscape technology as a complementary therapy, to alter the resonance (frequency) of a particular illness.
Patients can sit in the ‘harp chair’, for instance, and feel the soothing vibration of the strings being plucked. Alternatively, they can have their own ‘sound bath’, whereby they lie down and are surrounded by healing sounds.
The medical benefits of healing soundscapes are wide-ranging.
They have helped patients with Parkinson’s to stop shaking, improved mental health, cured insomnia, and enabled some cancer patients to heal much faster.
The award-winning Oriental Temple Garden Complex is a healing soundscape by Australian artist Catherine Meeson, dedicated to the survivors and victims of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. She uses sound healing techniques to create the sensation of experiencing the peaceful acoustics of a Japanese temple garden.
Meeson’s electronic soundscapes are produced with Propellerhead software, synthesizers and sound samples taken from the environment. Her new music project, Atmospherica, includes eleven original compositions.
Biophilia – a collection of electronic soundscapes inspired by nature – was recently created by the artist Björk, using innovative technologies and instruments, like the Tesla coil on the song Thunderbolt. The project includes a mesmorizing film of the stage production, as well as an education programme that teaches children how to connect to nature, through music and technology.
Healing soundscapes, like these, are a type of acoustic ecology, shaping our understanding of the world and reuniting humans with nature, which is in urgent need of repair.
“Healing soundscapes change the way people feel about themselves and the environment. This is vitally important, especially as we’re losing so much beauty and many species of life at an alarming rate. Combining music and innovative technologies in this way, will help to reunite humanity with nature.” – Catherine Meeson, Electronic Soundscape Artist
FUTURE IMPLICATIONS
Exciting new developments in healing soundscape technologies are emerging. Researchers at the University of Birmingham, in England, for instance, are creating virtual reality technology in the form of 3D models that incorporate ‘green’ scenes, such as parks and forests, and ‘blue’ environments, featuring water as a restorative therapy for immobile patients, and those suffering clinical depression.
The science of sound healing also shows us how to create a deeper connection to the environment, which humans have become separated from. A revolution which will reunite humans with nature through new technological innovations is about to happen. Artists, like Meeson and Björk, bring this knowledge to life through music.
It’s not art for art’s sake.
As part of a wider programme of acoustic ecology, healing soundscapes serve a valuable purpose. Acoustic ecology by its definition is inspired by nature, and reveals the inter-connectedness of all living things. This is something humans are re-discovering.
Sign up to Catherine Meeson’s mailing list for more information about her electronic soundscapes and acoustic ecology workshops. You’ll also receive the chance to win a copy of her great new album Atmospherica.
Photo Credit: Wikipedia, Bjork, Google
About the author
Massimo Barbato is a writer and commentator on AI and future technologies in the British press and media. His focus is on how we can build a better world. www.artificial-intelligence.org.uk/
You may also like
