SUARA TUNING FORK SOUND ACADEMY Debbi Walker BSc (Hons) Tuning Fork Sound Therapy and Reaching Your Still Point Within *Sound is the Medicine of our Future* Edgar Cayce (1877-1945) This was said maybe 100 years ago. So how far have we come to allow this projected insight to become a reality? Some people may believe they are stuck with health challenges for life. Nothing is permanent. What has happened can unhappen. If you change the way you think, you may change your health. Using sound and the Suara Sound ‘Still Point’™ meditation may bring about a balance and a homeostasis of the mind, body, spirit, heart and Soul. Practicing this is simply being in the present moment without trying to change anything at all. Using the sound of the OM tuning fork may still the brain so a deep state of alpha brainwaves are achieved and on some occasions a theta/delta state may be reached. No chatterbox, no mind chatter, no running dialogue - just peace. We are the controllers of our reality and ‘our reality’ is not made up of outside influences. Our reality actually consists of our thoughts, beliefs and mindset. By learning about the deeper states of consciousness, you can open your subconscious mind and create your reality at will. Many years ago I tried to get into meditation. I bought a book which came with cassette tapes and I looked at it daily as if it was something beyond my reach to achieve, after all it was what Buddhist monks did, right? So it was something I personally thought would be beyond my realm. So the book and tapes sat on the side until one day I picked it up and started to read the book. First of all it discussed about ‘setting the atmosphere’. Light a candle, light some incense, wear loose clothing, sit straight backed, turn off everything that may cause a distraction, the list went on. Phew, this seemed like hard work before I began and by this time I thought ‘oh dear me, I am never going to find the time to do all of this’. So I tried it a few times and listened to the tapes and decided it was just ‘too hard’ to meditate. This is why some 20 years later I would like to share with you this easy method of getting into a meditative place. The hardest thing for most people is actually getting their mind to become quieter or silent. It is suggested that only 20 minutes a day of meditative or mind relaxation can have enormous benefits on health and well-being (see appendix 1 and 2). So how can one get into this meditative space when the left logical mind is chattering on about what you are going to do that day, what you are going to have for dinner, or simply telling you that you will never be able to meditate. So the ‘Still Point’ programme is an easy to do sound meditative exercise for you using the OM tuning fork. Just you, the sounds and your inner core space, allowing you to find the NOW. My experience is from a practical and experiential viewpoint plus working and facilitating literally hundreds of people to also reach a deep place of consciousness. Within minutes the benefits are felt within as the brain begins to slow and the right and left sides of the brain become ONE. What do you have to do? Well in essence, you only have to ‘listen’ to the sound of the OM and then once you feel your ‘Still Point’ has been reached, you just sit and BE. Listen to the sound of the OM tuning fork and allow your internal brainwaves and depth of consciousness do the rest. HOW TO USE SOUND TO REACH YOUR STILL POINT WITHIN? 1) You sit comfortably. Turn off any distractions, eg your mobile or house phone 2) Place your OM tuning fork and striker in front of you. Take a deep breath 3) Take the OM tuning fork and strike it. As you are listening take some deep breaths, breathing in the sounds 4) Listen first with one ear allowing the tone to completely play through 5) Allow the other ear to hear the tone and completely play through 6) Alternate listening in both ears, ensuring the tone is played through. Take your time. Breathe in the sounds 7) Allow 10 minutes for this, you will feel your mind become calmer and more relaxed as you go from beta to alpha brain wave. (If you wish to work with your energy field (aura) and energy centres (chakras) you will strike the OM tuning fork*, follow the outline of the body in a clockwise motion until it feels complete. Then you may like to use the sounds on the chakras in a clockwise motion (imagine a clockface on the floor), coming up from the feet to the crown chakras. If this is not something you wish to do – that is perfectly fine.) 8) If you wish to focus on a word e.g. peace, calm, love, harmony, clarity, focus etc…you can. If not just be still, feel your ‘Still Point’ within yourself. 9) If a stray thought comes, acknowledge it and come back to stillness. 10) Allow yourself to sit and BE for 10-20 minutes. 11) When this feels complete, take a deep breath. Put your hand on your heart and breathe through your heart, anchoring the calmness for the day. Here the mind and heart are linked. 12) When this feels complete, take another deep breath. You may like to stretch your body, centre and ground yourself before getting up. (You may like to set a timer with a gentle tone if you have to be somewhere following your sound meditation as time seems not to exist when you are in the ‘Still Point’. *For a deeper connection you may also like to use the 528hz DNA and Universal Love frequency.) This is a simple process and can be done in the morning (your day will be very different) or in the evening, to help you settle down and sleep, or indeed both. You will feel an altered state has occurred, however once you decide to ‘come back to the room’ you can carry on your daily duties, calmly and with renewed purpose. There have been many positive reports of people using the OM to help with insomnia. The atmosphere you set is completely up to you. You may indeed decide to light a candle and incense or not. Everything is right for you and whatever you decide is fine. The most important thing is to give yourself TIME for you. In exchange for giving yourself time, it has been shown by being silent and focusing within for about 20 minutes a day not only will you gain the health and well-bring benefits discussed in appendix 1 and 2, research has also shown you have the ability to change your genes. Genes can be switched on and off, this is called epigenetics. Epigenetics actually shows how genes are switched on and off without their underlying DNA structure being changed. So what does cause a gene to switch on or off? In a nutshell…it’s YOU. To expand on this, it’s about what you think, what you eat and drink, how much you exercise, and whether you are able to relax and meditate, reach your own personal Still Point’ within. We are all different, however there have been several research studies which have proved the link between meditation and ‘gene expression’ which is simply whether a gene is turned on or off. In one study, a group led by Dr. Herbert Benson, president of the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind/Body Medicine, looked at the genes of 19 long term meditation practitioners, and 19 non practitioners. He found that within the meditating group, about 1,000 stress related genes were turned off. This was twice the number of the non-practitioners of meditation. The study showed the more stress-related genes are turned on, the more likely there is pain, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, anxiety and many other health conditions. Following the study, the researchers taught the non-practitioners of meditation how to meditate for 8 weeks and looked at their genes once again. They found that 433 stress related genes were turned off, this showed that even if you practice relaxation for a short time, you may change 433 genes. Less stress related genes will in turn lead to a healthier lifestyle and consequently less stress related illness and disease. In another study, Dr. Dean Ornish from the Preventive Medicine Research Institute found that meditation may even change genes related to cancer. They studied the effect of meditation and other lifestyle changes in men with early stage prostrate cancer and found changes in over 500 genes. Many disease-promoting genes were 'turned off,' and protective, disease-preventing genes were 'turned on.' For example; RAS, a set of genes that can cause cancer was ‘turned off’; the Selectin E gene, which promotes inflammation and is elevated in breast cancer, was also 'turned off' and another gene called SFRP, that prevents tumour formation was 'turned on' - thereby reducing the risk of cancer. I was very interested to read that there have also been studies done to see if plant genes will respond to sound. As sound is my passion and I have seen firsthand the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual changes and benefits that have occurred with people using the sounds of the tuning forks, it was interesting they have found sound directly changes the genes of the plants. I feel this is what happens when we use the sounds. As yet I am unaware of any human studies. It is known plants respond to music however Mi-Jeong of the National Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology in Suwon, South Korea, and colleagues claim to have identified two genes in rice that respond to sound waves. They only found differences, however, when they played the plants sounds at specific frequencies. The genes rbcS and Ald became more active at 125 and 250 hertz and less active at 50 hertz. As both genes are known to respond to light, the researchers repeated the tests in the dark and found that the two genes still responded to sound. They also say that the promoter of one of the sound-sensitive genes could be attached to other genes to make them respond to sound too. If the researchers are correct, they say their discovery could enable farmers to switch specific crop genes on and off, such as ones for flowering, by sending sound into the fields. Research is still ongoing, however, experimentally and subjectively when people listen to the OM and reach a ‘Still Point’ within themselves and this practice is done daily there appears to be a change in health. People are reporting becoming symptom free of many illnesses and conditions. I have used tuning fork sound therapy to overcome ME/CFS. Many of the Ambassadors of Sound who have trained on my Tuning Fork Therapist course are free of conditions such as depression, anxiety, pain, SAD, fibromyalgia, arthritis pain lessened considerably plus many more accounts. The clients they are now seeing are all experiencing a reduction in health challenges. Testimonies can be found on my website www.suarasoundhealing.com If you could do something that potentially will improve your health and well-being how wouldn’t you want to do that? Make time to make a difference. I have been doing my own research being President of the Tuning Fork Research Alliance. I have combined my training as a nurse and my work with the tuning forks and on the first day of my Tuning Fork course I took the blood pressure and pulse of the student Ambassadors of Sound on day 1. I repeated the research on day 5 when they had been doing the tuning fork sound therapy for 5 days. Here are the results: SUBJECT BLOOD PRESURE DAY 1 PULSE DAY 1 BLOOD PRESSURE DAY 5 PULSE DAY 5 COMMENTS BP Pulse 1 - JD 148/62 124 120/62 60 -28/0 -64 2 - SR 140/98 68 136/72 56 -4/26 -12 3 - JD 110/74 72 118/74 52 +8/0 -20 4 - BE 120/60 78 130/74 68 +10/14 -10 5 - LQ 160/100 78 128/84 72 -32/16 -6 6 - CM 190/98 80 170/96 68 -20/0 -12 7 - DW 140/90 96 136/88 78 -4/2 -18 8 - LM 136/82 100 140/80 60 -4/2 -40 9 - LH 100/64 60 118/60 74 +18/4 +14 10 - LP 142/100 48 140/96 68 -2/4 +20 11 - JB 152/78 94 148/78 78 -4/0 -16 12 - GS 158/86 96 148/84 82 -10/2 -14 13 - JB 190/98 80 150/90 52 -40/8 -28 14 - DW 148/90 86 125/85 74 -23/5 -12 The results show that within these 5 days of using tuning fork sound therapy; blood pressure and pulse may return within normal perameters. Subjects BE (4) and LH (9) were having postural hypotension and had daily episodes of dizziness, the blood pressure potentially found its optimum homeostatic point for them. Subject LP (9) has a history of blood pressure and pulse challenges, the pulse going from 48 to 68 is the perametres required by the GP. If you would like to know more please contact me or you can purchase your OM tuning fork from my website and it will come with the 12 step ‘still point’ system guide. APPENDIX 1 Here is an overview of how our brainwaves work and once the brain slows what can be achieved. 1) Beta (14-40Hz) The Waking Consciousness and Thinking Brain Wave Beta brain waves are associated with normal waking consciousness and a heightened state of alertness and logical reasoning. While Beta brain waves are important for effective functioning throughout the day, they also can turn our thought processes into stress, anxiety and restlessness by an overactive imagination and chatterbox. It can sum up the term ‘left brain living’ where all decisions are based on logic. ‘Imagination is the door through which health or ill-health can live.’ If you are constantly thinking the worst, you may well co create your own world of health and well-being. When you are living in Beta brainwaves you will be having a constant dialogue of what you should or shouldn’t be doing. This can be exhausting and lead to stress. Stress in turn can lead to many health challenges. The body is permanently in the ‘fight of flight’ response producing the hormone cortisol and adrenaline which are known to lead to many health challenges, eg, Heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, mental and emotional problems, insomnia, plus many more…in fact being is this perpetual place of logic and dialogue is exhausting. This is turn can lead to ‘burn out’. I know this feeling first hand when I was a busy, work driven, district nurse working in the NHS. 2) Alpha (7.5-14Hz) The Deep Relaxation Brian Wave When you begin to slow your brainwaves to alpha brain waves many health benefits have been reported which include: Complete relaxation of the body Peace, calmness and emotional stability A clear and peaceful mind leading to harmony and clarity Reduced stress, tension and anxiety The ability to think positively with happy, positive feelings with increased optimism A better balance between your feelings and your rational intellect, i.e. left and right brain are balanced The ability to increase self-awareness and self-actualisation Creativity levels improved, enhance learning and increased attention span The reason for this is the production and release of the neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain, which responsible for overall well-being. Many antidepressants are based on inhibiting serotonin uptake which occurs when people are stressed. 3) Theta (4-7.5Hz) The Light Meditation and Sleeping Wave Benefits of stimulating our brain with theta brainwaves: With continued practice one can achieve Theta meditation brain waves. Technically, theta brainwaves are patterns of electrical activity of the brain ranging from 4 to 7.5/8.0 Hz. Here are the typical qualities of the entire theta range: 4.5 Hz – Brings about Shamanic/Tibetan state of consciousness, Tibetan chants. 4.9 Hz – Induce relaxation and deeper sleep 4.9 Hz – Introspection. Relaxation, meditation 5.0 Hz – Reduces sleep required. Theta replaces need for extensive dreaming 5.35 Hz – Allows relaxing breathing, free and efficient 5.5 Hz – Inner guidance, intuition 6.5 Hz – Centre of Theta frequency. Activates creative frontal lobe 7.5 Hz – Activates creative thought for art, invention, music. Problem solving 7.5 Hz – Ease of overcoming troublesome issues 7.83 Hz – Schumann earth resonance. Grounding, meditative, Leaves you revitalized 3 – 8 Hz – Deep relaxation, meditation. Lucid dreaming 3 – 8 Hz – Increased memory, focus, creativity 4 – 7 Hz – Profound inner peace, emotional healing. Lowers mental fatigue 4 – 7 Hz – Deep meditation, near-sleep brainwaves. http://jevondangeli.com/generating-brainwaves-for-healing/ Interestingly, the planet Earth resonates at a Theta frequency of 7.83 Hz, a frequency known as Schumann Resonance. So by using the sound of the OM tuning fork to reach your ‘Still Point’ within and with continued daily use you will reach a further level of relaxation which completely connects you to the Earth’s heartbeat. You can literally feel at one with ALL. So in essence to summerise the main points of what reaching alpha and theta brainwaves in our meditative practice actually achieve for us? Mind and body healing Both the body and mind experience enhanced rejuvenation, growth, and healing. The body and mind are easily able to restore themselves during and after illness, as well as after mental burnout and physical exertion. Boosted immune system Optimise your immune system’s function due the elimination of stress. Stress and anxiety can do harm to the immune system by releasing a surplus of harmful chemicals such as adrenaline, including the hormone cortisol, which in oversupply are damaging to the immune system. Deep levels of relaxation These levels of relaxation are most common during sleep, deep meditation, self-hypnosis and amongst young children. Stress and anxiety reduction Causes deep mental and physical relaxation, which in turn reduces stress and anxiety levels. Intuition and psychic awareness increases You awaken your deeper intelligence, your link to the Divine Source/Creator Subconscious connection Connect deeply with your subconscious, which is the collective intelligence of all cells in your body. It regulates all your autonomic body functions. It houses your emotions, imagination, memory, habits, intuition, and is your personal pathway to even more subtle levels of consciousness. Higher levels of creativity Creative skills and gifts will unfold. Advanced problem solving skills Help you to overcome “mental blocks” and enable you to access the FLOW state, which in turn may offer new levels of thought and perception that enable you to approach any problem with greater resourcefulness. Increase of the learning ability It has been said that as your brain enters the frequencies of the theta range, you will be able to retain over 300% more information than you can while in your normal daily (beta brainwave) state. Improve long-term memory The ability of the brain to recall and store long-term memories increases. The hippocampus, a part of the brain involved in storing and processing memories, normally has a theta brainwave rhythm. Emotional connection You can learn to feel and understand your emotions better. Bridges the spiritual connection Bridge between the physical body and the spiritual realms. In the theta brainwave rhythm people sense a deep spiritual connection, providing enhanced spiritual awareness and profound insight. Many spiritual experiences and phenomena are commonly experienced in the theta brainwave state. 4) Delta (0.5-4Hz) The Deep Sleep Wave The Delta frequency is the slowest of the frequencies and is experienced in deep, dreamless sleep and in very deep, transcendental meditation where awareness is fully detached. Delta is the realm of your unconscious mind, and the gateway to the universal mind and the collective unconscious, where information received is otherwise unavailable at the conscious level. Benefits of increasing delta brainwaves: Release of Anti-Aging hormones Release of anti-aging hormones. The delta brainwave pattern stimulates the release of melatonin and DHEA, 2 powerful anti-aging hormones, also associated with decreased levels of cortisol – a hormone linked to stress that has been scientifically proven to speed up the aging process. State of empathy Ability to read other people’s emotions and determine their feelings at unconscious levels. Extreme bliss Advanced meditation practices and yogic traditions have associated the delta brainwave frequency range with a feeling of all-encompassing bliss. Since most people aren’t able to consciously experience the delta brainwave state, it may be tough to feel extreme bliss from the delta waves like the yogis, monks, or advanced meditators. With that said, there have been people that have testified to feeling the bliss associated with the delta brainwave while performing extremely deep meditation. I have managed to achieve this state on many occasions using the OM sounds. Advanced healing of body and mind The delta brainwave rhythm is known to completely rejuvenate, replenish, and heal the entire body and brain. Connection with unconscious mind Though the alpha and theta brainwaves are capable of bridging the gap between conscious thoughts and the subconscious mind, the delta brainwave allows us to connect deeper: it allows us to connect with the deepest possible level of our consciousness. The goal of many meditation practices is to experience and consciously control the unconscious mind. Deepest possible level of mind / body relaxation Delta brainwaves while a person is conscious or awake, are extremely rare. However, advanced meditators and infants, are two groups of people that are able to enjoy the deeply relaxing benefits of the delta brainwave. Connecting with the spiritual body Bridge to the conscious mind with higher planes of reality, the subconscious mind, and / or the unconscious mind, one that connects their spirit and their body to a universal life energy, sense of spirituality, highest sense of internal awareness, and feeling directly connected to a Higher Power. Paranormal Experiences People are especially open to O.O.B.E.’s (Out Of Body Experiences), astral travel, connecting with spiritual beings (i.e. “spirit guides,” “angels,” etc.), E.S.P., and other phenomenon in the delta brainwave range. Advanced Meditators The goal of many meditation practices is to increase the amount of slower brainwave patterns. Usually, after practice, meditators are able to become consciously aware in the alpha, theta and possibly the theta brainwave ranges. Infants The delta brainwave is the dominant rhythm in infants up to 1 year of age. It promotes great neural development and molding of the brain formation. Young Children Younger children tend to have extremely high levels of theta and delta brainwaves compared to adults. Interestingly, many children with A.D.H.D. have abnormally high amounts of theta brainwave activity, some have large amounts of delta — making it nearly impossible for them to concentrate. People with brain damage People with head trauma, concussions, and other forms of brain damage, tend to have much higher amounts of delta brainwaves than other people. APPENDIX 2 Past Research on Stress and Meditation Part I: Effects of stress on health and productivity Harvard researchers estimate that 60-90% of doctor’s visits are caused by stress. Stress is linked to the following illnesses: heart attacks, hypertension, diabetes, asthma, chronic pain, insomnia, allergies, headache, backache, various skins disorders, cancer, accidents, suicide, depression, immune system weakness, decreases in the number and function of white blood cells. 1) Stress is more powerful than diet in influencing cholesterol levels. Studies of medical students near exam time and accountants during tax season showed significant increases in cholesterol levels during stressful events, when there was little or no change in diet. Rosenman, Homeostasis 34 (1993) 2) During several years of rising unemployment, workers in departments with the most down-sizing suffered twice the normal death rate from heart attack and stroke. Chandola, British Medical Journal 332 (January, 2006) 3) More than 50% of adults have insomnia a few nights a week or more. 25% suffer from insomnia occurring most nights and lasting a month or longer. Thakur, Duke University Medical Center (2004) 4) Severe stress may be a potent risk factor for stroke even 50 years after the initial trauma. In a study of 556 veterans of WWII, the rate of stroke among those who had been prisoners of war was eight times higher than among those not captured. Page and Brass, Yale Medical, Military Medicine 166 (2001) 5) Workplace stress is estimated to cause: 19% of absenteeism 40% of turnover 55% of EAP programs 60% of workplace accidents 30% of short and long-term disability What Stress Costs, Ravi Tangri, Oxford, (2003) 6) Stress appears to significantly increase the ability of pharmaceuticals to pass through the blood-brain barrier, which normally protects the brain from toxins in the bloodstream. Many of today’s medicines are developed under the assumption that they cannot cross this barrier. Hebrew University, Nature Medicine 2 (12) (1996) 7) Common emotions such as tension, frustration, and sadness trigger frequent heart abnormalities that can lead to permanent heart damage. Study results show a direct relationship between negative emotions, an inadequate flow of blood to the heart, and increased risk of heart attack. Journal of the American Medical Association 277 (1997) Part II: Clinical Research on Benefits of Meditation Hundreds of studies have been conducted on meditation and its beneficial effects on heart disease, cholesterol, high blood pressure, insomnia, chronic pain, cancer, and immunity. Studies have also shown significant improvements in mental health, memory, concentration, and productivity. Heart disease 1) Meditation lowers blood pressure in people who are normal to moderately hypertensive. This finding has been replicated in more than nineteen studies, some of which have shown systolic reductions among subjects of 25 mmHg or more. Murphy and Donovan, The Physical and Psychological Effects of Meditation, Institute of Noetic Sciences, 1997 2) Stress management appears to be as beneficial as aerobic exercise in preventing major cardiac events. A group receiving standard care turned out to have the most cardiac events, such as heart attacks, open-heart surgery, and angioplasty. The group that studied stress management had fewer problems – equal to that of the aerobics group. Blumenthal, American Journal of Cardiology, 89 (January, 2002) 3) Twenty-eight people with high levels of blocked arteries and high risk of heart attack practiced a program of meditation, yoga, a low-fat vegetarian diet, and exercise. A control group received conventional medical care endorsed by the AMA. In one year, most of the experimental group reported that their chest pains had virtually disappeared; in 82% of the patients, arterial clogging had reversed. The control group experienced an increase in chest pain and arterial blockage. Subsequent studies indicate that stress-reduction may be the most significant factor. Ornish, The Lancet 336 (July, 1990) 4) Meditation significantly increases circulation. Forearm blood flow increased in novice meditators by 30%. Frontal cerebral blood flow increased an average of 65% in experienced meditators, and remained elevated afterwards, with brief increases of up to 100 to 200%. Murphy and Donovan, The Physical and Psychological Effects of Meditation, Institute of Noetic Sciences (1997) Insomnia 5) 75% of long-term insomniacs who have been trained in relaxation, meditation, and simple lifestyle changes can fall asleep within 20 minutes of going to bed. Jacobs, Harvard Medical, Say Goodnight To Insomnia, Owl Books (1999) Chronic pain 6) Those trained in meditation were able to reduce chronic pain by more than 50%. This gain was maintained even 4 years after the initial training. Kabat-Zinn, Clinical Journal of Pain 2 (1986) 7) Meditation and relaxation therapies are effective in treating chronic pain, and can markedly ease the pain of low back problems, arthritis, and headaches. National Institutes of Health (NIH), JAMA 276 (4) (1996) Hospitalization 8) In a study of health insurance statistics, meditators showed hospitalization rates 87% less than non-meditators for heart disease, 55% less for benign and malignant tumors, 30% less for infectious diseases, and 50% less for out-patient doctor visits. Orme-Johnson, Psychosomatic Medicine 49 (1987) 9) Surgery patients who learned simple relaxation and meditation techniques stayed in the hospital an average of 1.5 days fewer than those in a control group. Results include faster recovery from surgery, fewer complications, and reduced postsurgical pains. Findings were consistent in 191 independent studies. Devine, University of Wisconsin, School of Nursing, Patient Education and Counseling 19 (1992) Mental health 10) A group of inner-city residents suffering from chronic pain, anxiety, depression, diabetes, and hypertension were trained in meditation. They experienced a 50% reduction in overall psychiatric symptoms, a 70% decrease in anxiety, and a 44% reduction in symptoms. Roth and Creaser, Nurse Practitioner, 22 (3) (1997) 11) Meditation helped chronically depressed patients to reduce their relapse rate by half. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 68 (2000) Aging 12) Those practicing meditation for more than five years were physiologically 12 years younger than their chronological age, measured by reduction of blood pressure, better near-point vision, and auditory discrimination. Short-term meditators were physiologically five years younger than their chronological age. International Journal of Neuroscience 16 (1982) Children’s health 13) Middle school students exposed to relaxation and meditation techniques over a three year period scored higher on work habits, cooperation, attendance and had significantly higher GPA’s than non-meditating students. Benson, Journal of Research and Development in Education 33 (3) (2000) 14) Forty-eight children who participated in a 6-week meditation program showed significant improvements in behavior, self-esteem, and relationship quality, with an average 35% improvement in ADHD symptoms. Of 31 children taking medication for their ADHD. 11 were able to reduce their medications. Harrison, Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry 9 (4) (October, 2004) Addiction 15) Meditative self-awareness can reduce binge overeating. In a study of overweight women, meditation training and awareness practice while eating (slowly savoring the flavor of a piece of cheese, being aware of how much is enough), reduced eating binges from an average of 4 per week to 1.5 per week. Kristeller and Hallett, Journal of Health Psychology 4 (1999) 16) Meditation produced a larger reduction in tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drug use than standard substance abuse treatments or prevention programs. Whereas effects of conventional programs normally decrease significantly by three months, effects of meditation on total abstinence from tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs ranged from 50% to 89% over 18 to 22 months. Alexander, Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly 11 (1994) Productivity 17) Stress reduction significantly reduces medical errors. Twenty-two hospitals that implemented a stress prevention program experienced a 50% drop in medical errors and a 70% reduction in malpractice claims, compared to a control group of twenty-two hospitals, which showed no change in errors or claims. Jones, Journal of Applied Psychology 73 (4) (1988) 18) Technology workers at a small Wisconsin company reported high stress and unhappiness with their jobs. Scans confirmed high levels of right-brain activity. * After eight weeks of meditation practice, activity in the left side of the brains increased significantly. Workers reported feeling happier, with a renewed sense of enthusiasm for life and work. The control group showed no change. At the end of the 8 weeks, both groups received flu shots to test immune responses. The meditators developed more antibodies against the flu virus than the non-meditators. Those with the strongest immune response had the highest levels of left-sided brain activity. *Brain scans show that meditation shifts activity in the prefrontal cortex from the right hemisphere to the left. People who have a negative disposition tend to be right-prefrontal oriented; left-prefrontals have more enthusiasms, more interests, relax more, and tend to be happier. Davidson and Kabat-Zinn, Psychosomatic Medicine 65 (2003) http://www.clarityseminars.com/stress_clinical_research.html Debbi Walker lives in Kelly Bray, Cornwall and is the founder of Suara Sound Tuning Fork Academy. She is the president of the Tuning Fork Research Alliance and works tirelessly and passionately to spread the word of tuning fork sound therapy and how by using them you can raise your internal frequency. She is an international author, teacher and mentor and has made two albums of the sacred frequencies. She teaches courses, workshops and runs retreats. Her past career in the NHS as a district nurse allows the teachings to be balanced to incorporate a scientific approach and a holistic spiritual approach as to how the tuning fork sound therapy works. The ease of teaching allows the therapy to be used with all other therapies, some say, enhancing the effectiveness. Debbi also in partnership running events called Aquarian Spiritual Events. Accredited by the International Natural Healing Association Affiliated to the British Complementary Medicine Association President of the Tuning Fork Research Alliance Debbi Walker BSc (Hons), RN(rtd), Dip HEN, BIH (Dip), CIBTEC (Dip), NLP (Dip), AAMET, TWA (Dip), SHA, INHA, BCMA, PRCT 01579 383123 / 07946 310239 www.suarasoundhealing.com debsydo38@btopenworld.com