Good vibrations: local sound therapy business offers relaxation, repair

Anxiety, depression, disconnection, lethargy, stress and frustration are only a few of the conditions that can be treated using sound immersion therapy. The relaxation therapy uses subtle vibration and sound to create a deep state of relaxation, which can calm the mind, and thus, repair the body.

Miki Orr Campbell, a certified vibrational sound therapy practitioner and psychic medium, said there are many benefits to sound and vibration therapy. She owns Zensational, a healing salon in Faribault, and recently stopped in to FiftyNorth in Northfield to offer her services via a course.

"It is being recognized as a positive and powerful influence on our bodies at all levels," Orr Campbell said. "Physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually."

Orr Campbell said experiencing sound immersion allows people "to reach deeper and deeper states of relaxation which allows the body to repair itself naturally."

She explained that she uses brass singing bowls and tuning forks in her energy therapy sessions, as well as Reiki, essential oils and crystals. Her healing services can be customized to combine psychic reading, as well as spiritual development.

Michelle Brant, program coordinator for arts, volunteers and dining at FiftyNorth, said those members who sampled Orr's class in June immediately requested that she come back.

"That's pretty telling," said Brant. "They actually wanted her to come weekly, but she wasn't willing to come that often."

Brant, who also tried the class, said that she personally thought it was really relaxing.

"The whole concept of sound healing is interesting to me," she said. "I learned that it's been around for thousands of years. There are so many benefits to this practice — decreases mood swings, lowers blood pressure and cholesterol, reduces pain, and improves sleep. I was curious about it, so I wanted to experience it with our members."

Carla Johnson, a member of FiftyNorth, said that she was curious to try Orr Campbell's class after experiencing a weekend retreat focused on sound vibrations in Red Wing. "It's really cool," said Johnson. "It helps me feel balanced."

At the beginning of class, Orr Campbell directed each person to step inside the large bowl placed on the wooden floor so that they could begin to feel the vibrations through their feet. Then, each person was directed to either lay down on a thick yoga mat and cover themselves with a blanket or sit in a chair with their eyes closed for meditating.

During a half hour group class, Orr Campbell walks around the room striking the singing bowls and tuning forks. She also sprays special mists in the air that she has devised as a certified clinical aromatherapist. The sound experience varies with each person, with most feeling with each sound wave a deepening sense of calm descend upon them.

Orr Campbell said many clients experience a slight tingling in their hands and feet.

"Sound and vibration can assist with emotional trauma, relieve chronic or acute pain, and can aid the healing and recovery process from an illness or procedure," she explained. "Vibrational sound therapy can have a positive effect on our overall well-being, physical and mental health."

Private sessions

During private, one-on-one sessions in Orr Campbell's studio, clients are directed to get comfortable laying on their backs on a heated massage table, with a bolster under their knees and headphones over their ears playing healing Solfeggio frequencies and a eye mask across their face.

Then, Orr Campbell begins her therapeutic dance around the table. She places various sized Himalayan singing bowls on a practitioner's stomach, legs, neck and chest and strikes them three to five times using no particular sequence. She works slowly and uses her own psychic abilities to determine what each individual needs.

Since the body is 80% water, Orr Campbell said the vibrations from the low and high tones can feel like a deep tissue massage.

"Vibration and sound help us balance our energy," she said. "our body's little energy center can move around, release and clean up energy. Some people feel 20 pounds lighter when their energy is balanced."