Sound Therapy in the Tradition of Guru Nanak
Sunniyai dukh paap ka naas ǁ
Through listening, pain and mental suffering are erased.
Guru Nanak
In the music systems of ancient Greece, the Orient and ancient India the influence of different melodies and rhythms on the human psyche was of central importance. For thousands of years, healing properties have been allocated to certain melodic characters and rhythmic patterns. In the Old Testament, David heals King Saul from depressive moods by playing the strings on his harp. Orpheus from Greek mythology could even soften the heart of the gods of the underworld with his singing. And Guru Nanak, founder of Nanakian Sound Therapy, according to legend made the cannibal Kauda drop his cruel lifestyle and start a new life with nothing but his voice.
Nanakian Sound Therapy works with a system of 60 Raags which has been created by Guru Nanak (1469–1539). These Raags correspond to different moods and together cover the entire spectrum of emotional states of human experience. As refined combinations of individual emotions, they are perfectly balanced compositions which address and express the respective emotional states through their melodic structure and the rhythms to which they are played. In addition, they also carry the solution for emotionally stressful emotional states in their structure.
In times where we find increasing numbers of mental and psychosomatic illnesses caused by high performance pressure and heavy workloads as well as social isolation, therapy methods that focus on the psychological level are more in demand than ever. Stress, depression, anxiety, emotional trauma and mental blocks can be treated precisely and effectively with sound therapy as taught by Guru Nanak.
Novalis expressed this awareness of the origin of diseases and their treatment through sound in simple words: “Each disease is a musical problem – its healing is a musical solution. The shorter and yet more complete the solution, the greater the musical talent of the physician.”
For a musical solution and successful sound therapy, the emotional imbalance at the core of the problem must be diagnosed as precisely as possible. Nanakian Sound Therapy requires an exact prescription: a Raag or a combination of Raags, which, based on their emotional properties, are suitable for solving the specific problem. In diagnostics, Nanaian Sound Therapy also counts on sound. Besides certain standardised diagnostic methods, experienced Sound Therapists rely primarily on their sensitive listening in conversation with the patient.
The therapy itself happens through the power of the voice. The core part of the treatment is a sound bath with selected Raags specially tailored to the patient’s problem. The sound of the singing creates a space for release, resonance and healing. In addition to the sound therapy, special Naad Yoga techniques can be given to the patient to support the healing process and the step into taking responsibility for one’s own health.