Listening to a babbling brook or a favorite piece of music can change our moods, but the sound of our voice can provide an even more penetrating and prolonged shift in the internal vibrations of the body, mind and spirit. Tryshe Dhevney knows sound as a healing modality from personal experience. She cleansed her body of the hepatitis C virus through voicing the open tone “Ahhhh” and using crystal toning bowls. Months after stopping interferon injections and adding the practice of toning frequencies, her M.D. signed off on a complete bill of health calling Dhevney his “miracle girl.”

In more than two decades of working with crystal singing bowls and voicing open tones, Dhevney identified what she calls sound codes; frequencies that penetrate the body, affecting the mind and emotions in healthful ways. She explored the resonance qualities during years as an artistic director in institutions. She facilitated activities with teens in drug recovery programs. “The kids would transform by the end of their time with me. Not only were they continuing to be healthy, they were also emotionally adept and literate.”

First an artist, Dhevney found her focus moving into science. She dove into the research that qualified sound as a healing modality. “The nucleus of the work came to me when I asked how sound reached beyond the actor’s tool—the voice,” Dhevney says as she reaches for a large smoky-cream-colored crystal bowl. “I uncovered the healing qualities of sound codes in the voice and the frequencies that resonate from the bowl. Unlike chanting, this vowel-based sound bypasses the discerning mind.” She pressed the rubber tip of a suede mallet around the outside of the bowl, bringing forth a wave of aural harmonics. Her voice rose up, finding a resonance with the sound of the vibrating bowl and creating a penetrating sound.

Her studies took her deep into the literature of the new science psychoacoustics – the study of the effect of music and sound on the human nervous system. Dr. Hans Jenny, a Swiss scientist, proposed that sound creates form and changing frequencies affect matter at the cellular level.  Dr. Herbert Benson, M.D., of the Mind/Body Medical Institute at Boston’s Deaconess Medical Center, who studied the effects of chanting mantras on human physiology, found that repeating a single syllable or word produced measurable changes in energy consumption, respiration rate, heartbeat, metabolic rate and pulse, as well as an increase in alpha brain waves.

Dr. Deepak Chopra and Dr. Andrew Weil share Dhevney’s interest in sound science. Chopra teaches, “The body is held together by sound, and the presence of disease indicates that some sounds are out of tune…” Weil states “…the effect of music and sound on the nervous system …shows that frequency can relieve pain, help stroke patients and benefit other conditions.” Research using laser technology with sound has produced perfect geometric shapes, reinforcing the idea that vibration underlies all form.

Embracing this knowledge, Dhevney bridged the two disciplines of art and science, exploring her own discoveries of the effects of using open tone voicing vowels with combinations of crystal singing bowls. “I had no idea what I was witnessing or what was going on until I stopped questioning and just observed.” She says, “I came to recognize sound codes are like the subatomic particles, neutrinos. Both penetrate and pass through everything; rocks, people, entire planets—both are everywhere all the time and have been since the beginning of the universe.”

Following her full recovery, Dhevney began sharing her knowledge with others through experiential events. “I offered free community workshops, demonstrations and held toning circles by donation. The presentations gave me opportunities to understand the vibrations at the heart of sound healing.” She has since developed an innovative method of using the innate power of the human voice to create a conscious, expansive link to health and well-being. The premise of Dhevney’s SOUNDSHIFTING is that the resonant quality of voice, coupled with the clarity of intention, attunes and transforms consciousness and taps into a powerful healing space.

A Certified Sound Healing Practitioner, Dhevney recognizes, “Sound is the most direct path to healing the body and its subconscious thoughts and emotions. It is a journey that begins with one’s attention to inner change. As we explore within ourselves, we can easily tap into our own wisdom, vocal power, unlimited creativity and unexpressed feelings.”

“Focused use of sound, combined with deliberate intuitive movement, forms an energetic grid through which previously blocked energy can flow,” she emphasizes. “It is a profoundly direct, effective and efficient energy healing process that creates a healing mechanism of resonance and vibration. As sound moves to those parts that are ‘out of tune,’ we return to a natural rhythm and frequency.”

Ten years into the work, Dhevney formed a private practice and recently established the Crystal Tone Singing Bowl Temple and showroom. Her practice grew as she moved through her own 10,000 hours of becoming exceptional. Dhevney’s private practice emphasizes, “All thoughts, all beliefs are vibrations. They impact the entire physio/psycho/spiritual system by setting in motion not only the direction of your life, but also the people and situations you attract.” She states, “As you confidently and joyfully align with your natural frequency and heart-centered essence, you expand your capacity to create the life you want.”

An epiphany came during her private sessions. “I’m no longer focused on being the healer specifically,” she sighs. “I learned the hard way that I need to get out of people’s way so they can do their own adjusting. My true role is as a facilitator, holding the space, the frequencies, and allowing the individual to do their own adjusting. I’ve learned to get out of the way so they are actively connected to what there is to do.”

The bowls are opening up new collaborations of sound and voice for all to experience the full spectrum of harmonics. Dhevney concludes, “These transmissions carry advanced harmonic sound codes, tuning our personal vibration and activating a deep sense of unity with All That Is.”

For more information, visit SoundShifting.com.

Dale Bruder is a frequent contributor to Natural Awakenings.