THERAPEUTIC sound

 Talula is a Choctaw name meaning “Flowing Water”

Animal care was my first inspiration with sound. I worked with tuning forks with horses that had arthritis and the yard manager wanted to sponsor me as it was equivalent to feeding the horses expensive nutrients. I also treated several pets of close friends, and the results were phenomenal. 

After gaining more of an understanding of pet animals, especially dogs, I realised that they adopt the energy and behaviour of their humans! Understanding that dogs are naturally pack animals and if they don’t have anyone to follow, they become “wild” and overwhelm themselves with emotion. For example, "When a human feels stressed or anxious, they often transfer this feeling to their dog." As pack animals, dogs relate to their human for awareness of the correct discipline and guidance in our “human world.”          

After realising this, I decided to focus on facilitating sessions for humans. Six years later I have gone back to my original interest in working with animals and found some amazing insights. 

At the end of last year, I shared my ideas about working with animals with a local dog groomer, who offered to help me promote this service. We decided that it would be useful for them to try it with their dog Talula first.

Since summer 2023, Talula has been in a very uneasy reactive space. At first, her owner Sam and I wondered what may have happened to her in her previous situation, as she was only adopted at the beginning of 2023. We thought the worst, but after talking with Sam, she explained to Talula had came on heat and never was the same again. 

Talula remained highly strung, tense, and appeared very nervous. She couldn’t keep eye contact at all and on hearing any noise, she would react with continuous barking with a very shrill tone.

We also discussed helping Talula with natural herbs due to the possibility of there being hormonal factors at play. After our conversation, Sam got some evening primrose oil and will also put her on raspberry leaf once she starts her season. 

SESSION 1. 28th February 2024 

My first session with Talula was very difficult. She was very reactive to everything; any sound from outside the building, people passing the groomers, cars, and even seagulls. We kept our voices soft and low. The poor thing was very uneasy and tense. After playing one particular tuning fork, she settled, but as soon as there was a noise, she would start barking out of control and was clearly distressed.

In our first session, I sat about 10ft away from her to give her space. This was partly in recognition of the state she was in but also due to my awareness of sound and how sensitive dogs are to its subtleties. 

Sitting with Talula I used a tuning fork but not in the usual way. I sat pretty much on the other side of the room, knowing that a dog’s receptivity is greater than ours. I angled the fork towards the dog and it was clear to see she was receiving the sound and vibrations. 

As I angled the fork towards her, Talula’s nose started twitching, and within a couple of minutes, she started looking around her, clearly aware of the sound. She even looked behind her and around her body, wondering where the vibration was coming from.

By striking the fork softly and directing the waves towards Talula I could see she was receiving it as her nose started to twitch as the waves of vibration met her. I repeated this process for a few minutes, and she moved herself into a comfortable position, sitting up quite straight. 

At the time, music was playing quietly from YouTube on a computer. It was one of the general relaxing soundscapes that you may use to go to sleep or even receive a massage. Several times, the sound of my tuning fork became harmonious with the sounds playing on YouTube. This inspired me to bring some singing bowls next time and create an environment of sound as well as using the fork.  

SESSION 2. 15th March 2024

In our second session, I took along three different forks and three different bowls. 

From presenting various combinations of what I had brought with me, it was very clear that Talula liked one particular bowl and one particular fork. Her reaction to the combination was stretching her front legs out in front of her, dropping her back to the floor, and then resting her muzzle on her toy. 

Whilst she was in this position, I alternated the sounds and she wasn’t impressed. She looked at me from the corner of her eye and grumbled a little, so I brought the sounds that she clearly liked back into play again. 

Throughout this session, Talula was distracted and reactive to any other sounds happening. Playing the bowls like bells with a soft mallet and striking the tuning fork gently to not create a sharp attack of sound is so important here. At the end of our session Talula and I played for the first time. 

As we played, she jumped around. She barked, but her tail was wagging. Sam said how strange it was that her tail was showing happiness yet she was still giving a bark that sounded nervous. I then said to Sam, perhaps this is how she talks. Some people have loud voices and some more quiet.

The sound combination that Talula seemed to respond best to was my bowl that is close to a G and my tuning fork that is a G#. The bowl is not a standard G pitch yet has what I would call a harmonic reference with the tuning fork. Selecting my bowls has been a six-year process. Each one was selected using my gong as a base reference tone.

After the success of this session, I made a recording of the sounds. I realized afterwards that this same combination, or a slight variation, was used with a friend at the beginning of my journey in discovering sound back in 2012. I placed a bowl on one arm of a sofa, and another on the other arm, and a friend of mine lay between them. After 2 minutes of these sounds being played, my friend had completely relaxed before I even played my gong. Observing this, I continued exploring sound, its effects, and its attributes. 

Session 3. 19th April 2024

As I arrived, I was greeted with lots of smiles. Sam was eager to tell me that the sounds had been used to calm another dog whilst it was being groomed. 

The situation was a clipping session, and the dog wasn’t settling. At the same time, the young groomer was also not settling. Sam took her phone with the recording I had provided and placed it on the bench where the grooming was taking place. Within a couple of minutes the dog and the groomer had both relaxed, and the grooming session took place calmly.

I then followed Sam downstairs to where Talula was. As I walked downstairs, Talula just looked up in curiosity rather than barking as normal. I then offered my hand to her, and she just licked me affectionately. 

I was as shocked as Sam. I really felt no need to take the sounds out of my bag. Instead, I just sat with Talula and watched how she behaved and appeared like a completely different dog, not responding nervously like she had before. 

We played with toys and fed her treats. Even when there were noises from upstairs, the door opening, people talking, and other dogs barking, she just looked up towards where the sounds were coming from and then came back to our play. Sam explained that she had also taken part in some vigilance training and had shown signs of being smart and focused. We sat together for an hour, and I went home feeling really pleased with myself and really happy for her.

The Photo Shoot

I went back to get some photos so we could publicise this experience. I don’t usually think about taking photographs when I’m immersed in my work! 

I waited upstairs while Sam got Talula. As Sam came towards me Talula was shaking with excitement and knew I was in the place before she even saw me. She greeted me with lots of kisses. Sam then placed her on the grooming bench and I also placed the fork and bowls on the bench. 

She was so friendly towards me. As she sat on the bench, she kept moving closer and closer to me. Eventually, she was sitting half on the bench and half pressed up against me. She couldn't have got any closer without falling off.  Talula instantly relaxed as I struck the bowl. 

Whilst in the main part of the dog groomers, someone came in and set off all of the dogs. Talula did bark but with a lot less of a shrill tone and she quietened down pretty much straight away when told that the situation was okay.

On this visit, there was another dog having a trim, who is usually quite tricky to work with. This dog is quite reactive, and the groomers are all quite cautious around her. They decided to play the recording I had created the week before, and within no time, this particular dog had relaxed and was quite happy with the attention, allowing the groomer to do her work without any bother.

Following Events

A few days later Sam emailed me saying the results of playing the sound to Talula one morning resulted in a completely different reaction. Emailing her back, I was concerned and wondered what may have happened. Sam emailed back that Talula did not go into rest yet continued playing with her toys. 

After hearing this, I was quite relieved. I messaged her back, explaining that if someone has been carrying a lot of tension for an extended period of time, initially they will need to rest and restore their energy levels. After that they will then start to do things for themselves. Their interests would have been clouded by the level of tension distracting them from what is important for them.

This encouraged me to draw out a chart on energetic and body rhythm results.

Tension>Rest>Back2Self

1. Tension; use sound and sit in calmness. Allowing the they body to fined a harmonious state.
    
2. Rest; replenish energy levels and integrate new balance with the nervous system and homeostasis.
    
3. Back2Self; interests and activities that the individual enjoys. Giving space to life regains a unique purpose and balanced wellbeing.
    

Review 

Sam from Cariad Dog Groomers, Aberystwyth, Wales

“September 2023, was the time Talula came into season and that's when she changed and started becoming over-reactive. This can be normal as their hormones change but should calm back down once the season is over. However, Talula never did until she met you and your sound therapy.”

The sounds have lent themselves to other grooming sessions where the animal has been tense yet was able to relax. 

I am now excited to share the sounds with whoever may need them.  

Blessed are we in the environment of vibration and harmony

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