Music is a very important element in my Healing Touch Practice. The music I choose sets the energy of the session. It also can help to clear the energy of the previous client and ground the space for the next healing.
I have clients who want the same music every session, it’s part of their healing ritual and as soon as they hear the first few notes they instantly relax. This works well for clients who are going through stressful medical procedures because they can play their healing music before or during the intervention and the music helps reduce their anxiety.
There are weeks when I feel the need to change the music from one client to the next. Then there are times when I seem to get in a groove and I may play the same music throughout the workday. Rainy days are sometimes like that. When I find a great new CD, I might play it straight for a few days if appropriate. Finding fresh new music greatly invigorates my practice and can bring new discoveries to the healings.
I also have sessions when I just can’t decide on what to play until the client walks through the door.
When I started my healing practice I had a CD player with a “repeat” button that played one CD at a time. Now I have a Boise sound system with an iPod and I can create my own playlists. This has proven to be a major technical advantage because I had so many great CDs with just one selection that was too fast or jarring for healing work.
I don’t make playlists for healing sessions from a wide variety of musicians. I find that each artist tends to create each CD with a specific energetic intention and I like to keep that energy level throughout the session. Generally what I do is take out that one upbeat song that is not suitable for healing work and repeat one of the other songs to make the playlist long enough for a full session.
The five recommendations below are for healers who use CD players in their studios, so if you decide to buy the CD you will not have to worry about editing. I have been playing all these CDs on and off for years. I hope they enrich your healing practice and life as much as they have mine.
“Canyon Trilogy” R. Carlos Nakai
My first recommendation is R. Carlos Nakai’s “Canyon Trilogy” recorded in 1989. It is a masterpiece. The tone of this piece is just right, you can feel it in your body. This is the music I almost always play for new clients because it holds such a high spiritual frequency and is grounding at the same time. Another good thing about this CD is that most people do not perceive it as “new age”. I work with many people who are quite sick and who are coming to me for physical relief. Many of these clients have never had a healing before. Music that is too “new age” can put them off and even irritate them. Canyon Trilogy is a crowd pleaser on every level.
“Yearning” by Lisa Moskow and Robert Rich
“Yearning” by Lisa Moskow and Robert Rich is from 1995. I paid $18.00 for it in a bookstore sixteen years ago and I remember thinking how expensive that seemed at the time. That purchase was well worth the investment: I have played this CD a million times. By the time I started putting all my session music on my iPod, I had to buy it again because the disc had started skipping. “Yearning” is a slow Indian raga, thick with warm overtones that feel incredibly nurturing and very deep. This is music for intense, focused healing work. There are sessions where this music would not be appropriate because it is so intense. I also meditate with it frequently. Check out “Nada” below.
“Reiki – Hands of Light” by Deuter
A very uplifting choice in music is “Reiki – Hands of Light” by Deuter. It is a beautiful piece of music, powerful yet much lighter than “Yearnings.” This music is clear, confident and slightly energizing, yet never interferes with the deepest healing states. “Hands of Light” is very popular with clients and I know many other Healing Touch Practitioners who love it. Released in 1998.
“Essence” and “Compassion” by Peter Kater
Peter Kater’s “Essence” (1997) and “Compassion” (1998) have been staples in my music repertoire for years. These two CDs each provide a 75-minute landscape of gentle musical movement that supports and smoothly sustains a deep healing space. I can’t really recommend one over the other. For years I played “Essence” more, but now I am gravitating to “Compassion.”
“Essence” starts with six and a half minutes of a soft beautiful vocal melody before the piano comes in. Many times I start the CD before the client gets on the table so the actual healing begins with the piano. It’s a wonderful way to begin a healing. “Essence” was recorded with synthesizers and acoustic accompaniment: David Darling on cello, Cecil Hooker on violin, Rhonda Larson on flute, Peter Kater on piano and Chris White singing vocals with no words.
“Compassion” has several minutes of gongs and bowls at the beginning before the piano arrives. The gongs and bowls are then accompanied by Peter Kater on piano, David Darling is on cello, Mark Miller on sax and flutes and Chris White is singing wordless vocals. I find this music strong and grounding.
I have been playing these five CDs on and off for years. I hope they enrich your healing practice and life as much as they have enriched mine.
Jeri Lawson has a full-time healing practice in the Temescal Area of Oakland, California. She is available for Healing Touch, Reiki, Distance Healings and Clarity Breathwork Monday through Friday, 10 am to 6 pm.
510-601-9632
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