The World of Sound Healing - Part III: Tibetan & Tribal Instruments

The Tibetans, particularly Bon shaman, are masters at healing with sound. Tibetan bowls, bells, ting-shas, the shang, gongs, and other instruments are used to shake up the energy in the body and dispel disease, shift stagnated energy, or fill the body with healthy vitality. For example, ting-shas are special bells used to scan the body and actually change pitch or timbre to signify energies in the body that need to be cleared. Bowls are sometimes placed on or around the body to allow their vibration to penetrate into the cells while bells and gongs are played near or around the body to shower it with intense, audible vibrations. Science has shown that Tibetan bowls emit alpha waves which are very like the waves emitted by the brain in meditation. Achieving this state is essential to healing as it activates the body’s own wisdom to heal itself.




Drums and rattles are tools used by shamans of cultures all over the world for their healing benefits. Percussive instruments shake up stagnant energy, bringing space and new life to your energetic field. Rattles, for example, are easy enough for anyone to use just about anywhere. Use them after an argument to clear the air, in the car to dispel road rage, or around the head to break repetitive thought patterns. Drums have traditionally been used to create sacred space and a morphic field in which shamanic journeys are taken. A soul-retrieval is an example of this type of healing in which the shaman searches other realities for pieces of the client that have been rejected, lost, or stolen. The drum assists the process. But it is enough to simply participate at a local drum circle in order to feel the intense power of drums and their ability to alter your current energetic state, getting you out of your head and into you body.

Many find the sounds of another tribal instrument even more relaxing. Possibly the world’s oldest instrument, the Aboriginal Didjereedoo is a long hollow tube with a multi-textured vibratory effect. Though only one "note" or drone can be played, the overtones are extremely rich and grounding. Didjereedoos are often played along the body or onto a specific body part to alleviate pain, tension, and illness.