MEDIA

On February 5, I presented at the Healing Modes Panel sponsored by John Stoddard Cancer Center, Above and Beyond Cancer and the Civic Music Association, at Hoyt Sherman Auditorium in Des Moines, Iowa.  Here is a link to a recording of the event.

https://m.facebook.com/watch/live/?ref=watch_permalink&v=535265604283692&_rdr

Photos from Events:

Enlightening Up, October 2014

DEB JENNINGS, SOUNDS FOR THE SOUL

20140923_140608 It’s noon on a Tuesday, and people are settling into their chairs in the quiet serenity of the sanctuary of Unity Church.  Laid out on a cloth-covered table on the dais at the front of the room is an array of percussion instruments – crystal bowls, Tibetan metal bowls and bells, and temple gongs.  Deb Jennings is ready to go to work.

Deb’s work is sound healing, and she is ultimately qualified.  She has studied Sound Healing with Jonathon Goldman and with Buddhist monks in Tibet, China and India.  She has studied toning and chanting with several different teachers and in several traditions (Buddhist, Hindu, Sufi, Native American, and Christian).

She also leads drum circles and “Explore Sound Healing” groups in the community, teaches workshops on crystal and Tibetan metal bowls, offers private and group sound healing sessions, plays for Yoga in the Park and church services, and leads meditations using sacred sounds.

Deb first began using crystal bowls for herself and friends in 1995, but didn’t begin her professional sound healing practice until August, 2012, with the debut of her business, Sounds for the Soul. The catalyst for this new focus came when she was sitting in meditation on the final day of the Buddha Relic Loving Kindness Tour earlier that year.  Says Deb, “I received very strong guidance that I should start a business doing sound healing.  It was very compelling.”  Adding fuel to the fire, she was given an astrology reading that told her the planets were aligned to start a new venture, and it would become a great success.  And the final straw was that her current employment duties had changed, freeing up a big chunk of time.  It seemed her destiny was clear.

Throughout the start-up of her business, Unity Church and its minister, Reverend Cynthia Leveque, have been encouraging and supporting of her endeavor, allowing her to conduct her practice in various rooms in the church and helping to promote her activities.

20140619_180609
At the first “Meditation Around Town” event.

That was two years ago, and Deb says, “It gets better every month.  I keep finding new ways to share the blessings these instruments can bestow.”

How can sounds be healing?  Deb explains:  “Receiving the sounds of Tibetan and crystal bowls, gongs, and other instruments helps the body achieve a very deep state of relaxation, allowing one’s inner healer to do its best work.”  Resulting benefits can include decreased stress and anxiety, improved coping abilities, decreased pain levels, decreased respiratory and heart rate, increased self-awareness, and improved creativity.

To the uninitiated, healing with sound may seem a little far-fetched.  In actuality, the concept is based in science.  In the following excerpt from a recent article posted in the online version of The Edge Magazine, Deb writes:

Everything that moves vibrates, making sound, whether we hear it with our ears or perceive it through the cells in our body. All matter is also energy, and is constantly changing shape and form. Each form has its own frequency. By changing the vibratory rate, the structure of matter can be changed (the science of cymatics).

When our bodies are healthy, they vibrate in harmony. If an area becomes diseased, its vibratory rate changes to a discordant pattern. Sound helps restore the natural balance of perfect harmony through a principle called sympathetic resonance. When two objects are vibrating in the same vicinity (i.e. a Tibetan singing bowl and a body) the body tries to match the vibration of perfection, harmony and balance that the bowl emits when played, and the body’s brainwaves entrain to the bowl’s vibration.

Sound is conducted especially well through water, and our bodies are made of a high percentage of water. In this process, our body’s immune, endocrine, circulatory, respiratory and metabolic systems are changed. Every atom, molecule, cell, gland and organ of the body is positively affected by the vibrations.

20140826_121400Deb especially enjoys one-on-one sessions with clients.  “I like helping people find the core issue behind a symptom and then developing a positive intention connecting to the core issue.”  People come with a variety of issues, from anxiety, to physical symptoms, to a history of abuse or trauma.  “Some people come because they are on a spiritual path and they simply want to raise their vibration.”  (Many of the Tibetan instruments are specifically developed to raise vibration and expand consciousness.)

20140924_134924
Tingshas

During a typical one-on-one session, the first step is to discuss the issue the person wants to address and form an intention around that. Essential oils are chosen that correspond to the issue the person wants help with.  When the client is comfortably settled on the massage table, Deb starts the process by offering Reiki.  Then a guided meditation helps the client relax further.  Deb employs tingshas to diagnose energy blockages, and then plays a pattern on the Tibetan bowls, depending on what the issue is and the intuitive guidance she receives. Sometimes the bowls are played all around the body in sacred geometric patterns, and sometimes they are placed directly on the body.  Then she moves on to the crystal bowls or tuning forks or gong, again depending on intuitive guidance.  The session ends with the use of a polarity clearing bell or a crystal practitioners bowl, more Reiki, and a final guided meditation.  Sessions typically last for 60 minutes, but they can be extended, depending on the circumstances.

Deb has had good results with people complaining about migraines, sometimes after only one session.  (Sometimes a client will want several sessions, in order to reinforce the cellular memory of wellness.)  One time after a group session, a person reported disappearance of chronic tinnitus during the session. Others have reported alleviation of back pain, and lessening of anxiety and stress. Deb says the best compliment she ever received was when a client proclaimed, “Oh, that was better than a massage!”  The client was feeling relaxed and wonderful without even being touched!

Deb is always looking for new types of events that she can offer.  Gong “baths” and chanting are the two newest additions to her repertoire

Deb has applied her “trade” in a wide variety of offerings.  For a rejuvenating respite from your hectic workweek, consider dropping by Unity of Des Moines (414-31st Street) for the weekly Tuesday Mid-Day Meditation from noon to 1:00 (suggested love offering $10).  For a more in-depth experience, try the “Explore Sound Healing” group on the fourth Thursday of every month at 6:30, also at Unity of Des Moines (suggested love offering $15).  Deb will also be happy to schedule private individual or group sessions.

20140923_141343Deb has two CDs for sale, “Crystal Bowls to Cultivate Compassion, Loving Kindness, and Peace,” and “Sounds for the Soul Live,” (Tibetan and crystal bowls, tuning forks and gongs, and meditations, including the “61 point relaxation process”). Both of these CDs are available to the public for a love offering.

For more information, visit Deb’s website: www.soundsforthesouldj.com.  You can contact Deb by phone at 515-371-0725, or by email at soundsforthesouldj@gmail.com.

*All photos provided by author*

Edge Magazine, August 2014

Transforming the World with Waves of Sound
BY   INDEX 

jennings
Soothing sounds wash over and through me. I hear them, and feel their vibrations with every aspect of my being. Stress dissipates; mind chatter ceases; muscle tightness leaves. I am deeply relaxed and strongly grounded in my own inner source of peace. I breathe in unconditional love for myself and all others; and exhale gratitude for the sounds and all that has brought me to this present NOW moment.

From this peaceful place, I share Sounds for the Soul with others. Whether I am accompanying a yoga class, leading a group meditation, working with an individual on a personal issue, or seeing a referral from a therapist, assisting their client in the journey to transcend trauma, I begin with the practice of centering myself with sound.

What is sound? Everything that moves vibrates, making sound, whether we hear it with our ears or perceive it through the cells in our body. All matter is also energy, and is constantly changing shape and form. Each form has its own frequency. By changing the vibratory rate, the structure of matter can be changed (the science of cymatics).

When our bodies are healthy, they vibrate in harmony. If an area becomes diseased, its vibratory rate changes to a discordant pattern. Sound helps restore the natural balance of perfect harmony through a principle called sympathetic resonance. When two objects are vibrating in the same vicinity (i.e. a Tibetan singing bowl and your body) the body tries to match the vibration of perfection, harmony and balance that the bowl emits when played, and the body’s brainwaves entrain to the bowl’s vibration.

Sound is conducted especially well through water, and our bodies are made of a high percentage of water. In this process, our body’s immune, endocrine, circulatory, respiratory and metabolic systems are changed. Every atom, molecule, cell, gland and organ of the body is positively affected by the vibrations.

If we add intention, the process is further enhanced. Jonathan Goldman uses an equation of frequency + intention = healing. Personally, I add unconditional love + gratitude + frequency + intention = healing.

Receiving the sounds of Tibetan and crystal bowls, gongs, and other instruments help the body achieve a very deep state of relaxation, allowing one’s inner healer to do its best work. Resulting benefits include: decreased stress and anxiety, improved coping abilities, decreased pain levels, decreased respiratory and heart rate, increased self-awareness and improved creativity.

Individual responses after transformative sound journeys include:

  • “I am transported to other dimensions. Physically, I’m in Iowa, but I hear the ocean. I feel the waves.”
  • “I used to wake up daily with migraines. Now my headaches are almost gone. I only occasionally have a very mild one.”
  • “I forget about my body’s denseness. My soul feels free to travel.”
  • “It was better than a massage.”
  • “I could feel my body dissolving, experiencing oneness and complete connectedness with everything.”
  • “I came in feeling so stressed out. I am now so relaxed. This is wonderful!”
  • “I was able to physically release years of guilt and shame.”
  • “I had been unable to eat for days. My stomach was in painful knots. Now it is relaxed and I am able to eat again.”
  • “I felt 35 years of anger release and leave my body. I have experienced a permanent shift.”
  • “I’ve never been a visual person. But I see colors, symbols and geometric shapes during the session.”
  • “I left my awareness of this time and place and was transported inter-dimensionally. It was so peaceful and relaxing.”

As I work with individuals and groups, I see sound transforming our world. It is my mission to be of service in this transformation, working on myself first and then sharing this vision with the world:

Soundwaves wash over us, penetrating every particle of our multidimensional beingness, awakening awareness, and expanding consciousness. We follow the sounds within, reaching a vortex of energy that expands into infinite dimensions. We are at peace: complete peace. We are in balance and harmony with all of nature, with all the cosmos, with All That Is. And we are grateful.

Copyright 2014 Deb Jennings. All rights reserved.

Deb Jennings

about Deb Jennings

Deb Jennings has studied and played music since age 5, and she has studied and practiced sound healing the last 20 years. She has studied with Jonathan Goldman and Buddhist monks in China, Tibet and India. Deb has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and is trained in all three levels of Usui Reiki. Deb is owner of Sounds for the Soul in Des Moines, Iowa, and is available for private and group sessions, meditations, presentations, workshops and retreats.

Contact Info | (515) 371-0725 | Email | Website

_______________________________________________________________________________-
Featured Article in Times Communicator Express, September 2013

“Magical Healing Journey Through Sacred Sound” 
An Interview with Deb Jennings

by Michelle Kahle

Deb Jennings playing the Tibetan bowls
Deb Jennings has studied music all her life. She plays piano, organ, keyboards, Native American flutes, percussion instruments, crystal bowls, Tibetan metal bowls and bells, temple gongs, tuning forks, and didgeridoo.Deb was living in Omaha, NE the first time she heard the crystal and Tibetan metal bowls. She was drawn to them right away and began playing the bowls in the early nineties.Her passion for the music inspired her to make a one-month trip to Tibet and China. She “thought” she was making the trip to study and pray with the Tibetan monks to find herself, but Deb realized on that trip that for peace to manifest in the world, it had to start with her inner self.This realization led her to strive for greater Peace not only for herself, but for all of mankind. This was the beginning of an awareness of her life purpose.Deb is a true Wayshower with music and sound, inspiring people to connect with the feeling of being one-with-all. Her lifelong collection of instruments gave her the tools to pursue her passion for Sound Healing.Deb has studied toning and chant with several different teachers and a variety of spiritual traditions including Christian, Hindu, Native American, Buddhism and Sufi.
While she was volunteering at the Buddha Relic Tour in Des Moines, IA last summer, Deb was guided to work with many of the people who attended the weekend event. Her sound healing helped people feel less stress, release the mind chatter, open their hearts, and feel more balance and more inner harmony.
“Transformational sound can take you on a magical journey to wholeness  on all levels, and help you arrive at a destination of realms of inner peace.”“The experience took me back to my childhood. My parents owned a nursing home and I often shared music with the residents and saw how music was such a healing force,” shared Deb.Realizing the benefits of her work with sound and vibration as a vehicle for healing the soul, and shifting the consciousness of humanity, she began to organize her life business – Sounds For The Soul.“Anything that moves or vibrates is sound,” shared Deb at a recent presentation in Des Moines. “The OM sound contains the frequencies of all other tones and is recognized by all the spiritual traditions as a sacred sound. In the Mayan culture, there is creation from incantation. The Christian reference to “the word” refers to sound, and the oneness with God. The Navajo talk about the wind as breath, the essence of sound, the evidence of the Creator. Aboriginal prayer is “I sing you!”
Deb enjoyed being a part of the healing WCF fellowship
at the Iowa Conference Center in July
Following her inner guidance and being loyal to herself, Deb continues to grow her business in the Des Moines area – leading drum circles, offering workshops for wellness, conducting private and group sessions, supporting yoga in the park, providing healing hospice services, creating inspirational music for weddings, and more.Life for Deb is setting the intention, learning to give, and sharing from the heart. She feels that living in the present is the key for reaching her goals and receiving the answers to everything she is searching for.Living life to the fullest has opened up doors to new adventures, including volunteering at the Iowa Primate Learning Sanctuary. The ape community loves it when Deb comes to play the bowls. They resonate with the sound vibration she plays while in meditation.Nature is another area where sound healing can make a difference, says Deb. It can even raise the quality of water, improve the health of trees and other vegetation. Sound healing helps relax the environment, and can be a very practical help for people at any age. Deb has found the music calms both children and adults. Working with couples to help them rediscover their true vibration of love is one of the key areas of her sound healing service that is very fulfilling.“Transformational sound can take you on a magical journey to wholeness on all levels,” shared Deb. “It can help you arrive at a destination of realms of deep inner peace.”For more information, contact Deb Jennings at jnnngmus@aol.com
_____________________________________________________Michelle Kahle is a massage therapist, ALC educator and spiritual consultant, and practitioner of Native American healing traditions, currently living in Iowa. Her healing thrust helps others find their inner peace and claim their inner authority as a soul to be “in charge” of their lives.  You can contact Michelle at mkahle9@gmail.com

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