The Power of Sound Healing with Jade Perry

[CHRIS McDONALD]

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Welcome to the Holistic Counseling Podcast, where you discover diverse wellness modalities, advice on growing your integrative practice, and grow confidence in being your unique self. I'm your host, Chris McDonald. I'm so glad you're here for the journey.

Welcome to today's episode of the Holistic Counseling Podcast. I'm your host, Chris McDonald. Today, I bring to you Jade Perry. She is a Shaman, a Doula and homeschooling mama of two beautiful souls. She's studied and been certified in a variety of holistic practices, such as sound healing, massage therapy, shamanic healing, energetic work, and aromatherapy. I had the honor of meeting Jade online before this interview and she gave me a sample sound healing. I was skeptical at first, but I was able to see the power of it and how great I felt after. I can really see how this can heal. Welcome to the podcast, Jade.

[JADE PERRY]

Thank you, Chris. I'm so excited to be here. It's such a pleasure.

[CHRIS]

Can you tell my listeners more about yourself and your work?

[JADE]

Sure. As Chris said, I'm a mom and a Shaman and a Doula, and that's who I've been my entire life. I've always had this nurturing healing presence.

[CHRIS]

You have such a nice voice too. I can just sit here and listen all day.

[JADE]

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. It's taken me a long time to accept that about myself even as far as like my voice and just my nature and the nurturing and the healing, because it's not something that's out in the open. It's not something that you see all the time. I started my journey around 2010, 2011 shortly after my grandmother passed away and the morning she passed away, I could feel her presence with me. Before anyone contacted me I knew and she was with me. So that's what really precipitated my journey into holistic medicine and energetic healing and meditation and it's just skyrocketed from there.

[CHRIS]

So it sounds like this is something that is just ingrained in who you are.

[JADE]

It is. And when I look back over my life, I can see it.

[CHRIS]

So can you share with my listeners what exactly is sound healing?

[JADE]

Yes. So for me, sound healing is that deals with singing bowls. You can also use your voice and a variety of other instruments, but I typically use singing bowls and you get some that are made out of different metals or some that are made out of quartz crystal. The way it works is that sound creates its own vibration and that vibration infuses into your energy and it can cause change or can bring about change. And the change typically looks like relaxation, just a greater sense of calm, clarity, greater awareness, and just an overall soothing and balancing presence and allowing you to really align with that type of energy so you can move forward. That's kind of it in a nutshell. The way I was introduced to sound healing is I went to my own sound bath and I experienced it firsthand. And I remember seeing all of the colors, my spiritual eye, during the sound bath and I just remember feeling this deep sense of calm and just this knowing like this is amazing.

[CHRIS]

I love it. That sounds great. So is there any physical benefits as well as psychological?

[JADE]

Most definitely. From my own, an experience and from talking to people who have either been to a sound bath with me or been to a sound bath previously, a lot of people will note that they can feel a decreased intention. When you go to a massage therapist, typically you're coming because you're stressed or your muscles are tight and then after a massage, you feel more relaxed, you feel more at ease. The same thing can happen during a sound bath, depending on how the bowls are played and if they're placed on your body or not. So like my singing bowls, I can't do that. They're pretty big, but the smaller metal ones you can place directly on the body and play the different sounds. So the sound is going as opposed to traveling without in the room, it's going directly into the body. So it can really have a very direct and, not instant, but very immediate impact during a session.

[CHRIS]

You mentioned a sound bath. Can you clarify what that means?

[JADE]

Yes. So a sound bath is typically coming in anytime you're playing the singing bowls for an extended amount of time. So when I play them, people come and you can lay down, you can sit, however you're comfortable and then I just play the bowls and that's all it is. It's just you and the sound. So it really is like a sound bath. The sound is traveling over you and you're absorbing it.

[CHRIS]

Is there a certain way that you tap on the, I don't know how to say it, position techniques, I guess?

[JADE]

Yes. So there are, and mine is pretty intuitive based. So to start the sound you take what's called a striker and mine are made of suede and then wood. So for the court singing bowls, I use a suede one and you just tap gently on the side of it and then you take the striker and gently and slowly move it around the circle, move it around the bowl, and as you move, the sound can become louder. It can become quieter and then it travels throughout the space.

[CHRIS]

So can this be used with other modalities of healing?

[JADE]

Yes. I use it with shamanic healing in my practice. Let's say I have a client and they're coming to me for shamanic healing. Typically I don't always start with the singing bowls and the shamanic healing because it can be a lot, but for certain people and for certain things that we're working on, it really helps to bring the integrative and the new energy in so that they can integrate it more easily. So in shamanism, you typically use rattles or drum or singing or chanting, but I found that the singing bowls at the end of a session, it allows people to really take it all in and process it there. And it makes the healing process a little smoother, a little gentler.

[CHRIS]

And I feel like it's such a more profound effect too with sound, because I noticed the person I go to for Reiki has started to use some sound. At first I was like, what is he doing? Once I got used to it and relaxed and he used crystals as well as the Reiki. And then the sound is just like an overwhelming feeling of calm and just centeredness and feels like so much just can be, I don't know what the word is, like released, I guess.

[JADE]

You're absolutely right. And I remember when I first got my bowls, I told my cousin, I was like, come sit so I can try these out with you. And he was like, okay, okay. So I just played them for about five minutes and I was like, okay, how'd you feel? And he said, all of my stress, all of my worries, whatever was bothering me, however, I felt it was gone and all I could hear was the sound and just this inner awareness. And he was like, that was it. At the end of a healing session, that's kind of in this space you're in. So having the sound balls come in just allows you to really anchor it and accept it and remember how to get back there.

[CHRIS]

So I would think that for counselors and therapist listening, that this could be even another modality to do as a ritual because part of holistic counseling can be having rituals with clients to even start a session or end a session.

[JADE]

Yes. I think so too. I went to a therapist a few years ago and she had this little small box full of sand and shells. I love the beach and she put on like the sound of the waves and that was the beginning of every session. And that was how we closed every session.

[CHRIS]

That sounds wonderful.

[JADE]

And for me it just created this sanctuary and safe space and I feel like the singing bowls could have the same effect, creating that sacredness.

[CHRIS]

And where can someone learn to use some of the sound healing?

[JADE]

It's everywhere. You can look on YouTube, you can Google it. You can also, there's certain holistic schools that teach sound healing so you can get a certification in it but because I'm so like spirit led, I'm like just get your own and play around with it, see how it resonates with you, see where you're led to go, because you can't do it wrong.

[CHRIS]

So you really think that just being creative and using your intuition can be helpful?

[JADE]

Yes, I do.

[CHRIS]

So you have a strong, intuitive presence, it sounds like with clients that you work with.

[JADE]

Yes I do. And I wouldn't trade it for anything. You can get information in books and videos and teachers and that is great, but then when you bring it home, where you're moving from, and for me, I'm moving from the heart space, so you can take the books and confirm what you're already know, or you can remind yourself of what you already know.

[CHRIS]

Remind yourself of what you already know. So it's like trusting that process.

[JADE]

Yes. Yes it is.

[CHRIS]

So I know we talked about this before, but can you share some sound healing with us today?

[JADE]

Of course. So today I have my singing bowl that resonates with your heart chakra. I've been talking a lot about the heart space. I was going to do the root chakra, but I was like, I'll decide in the moment and this is where it is.

[CHRIS]

So you're trusting the process?

[JADE]

Yep. Those are my two options. So I'm using my court singing bowl and here we go. So I invite you and everyone listening to just take a deep breath [SINGING BOWL SOUND].

[CHRIS]

It is finished?

[JADE]

It it's.

[CHRIS]

Okay. Wow, that helped me feel calmer.

[JADE]

Yes, me too.

[CHRIS]

So this is, would you say this is something that could be used as part of self-care for therapists and counselors?

[JADE]

Most definitely. I like to play mine in the morning and it just kind of sets the tone for the day.

[CHRIS]

Yes. And I hope everyone else really could feel that. I know it might be a little more difficult when it's not live and recorded, but I hope we can still get the same effect.

[JADE]

Yes. I hope so too. I hope so too.

[CHRIS]

Yes. So the morning's good, you said, and the evening too it will.

[JADE]

Yes. Whenever you feel led. My two-year-old son likes to come in and play them too. He just loves the sound. So it might be like three o'clock in the afternoon and we're playing them. So there's no time limit, no time preference.

[CHRIS]

So the only time I've really heard them is like with meditation practice to start and end of the meditation practice. So that I think that's a good time to integrate it too.

[JADE]

Indeed. It is.

[CHRIS]

Yes. I like what you said too. So when you feel called to do.

[JADE]

A couple of days ago, I was going to have a family meeting and it was something that could have been potentially stressful. So before, and I was like, okay, before I even go to where we're going to meet, I'm going to pray, but I'm also going to play my bowls just to help me keep my own inner peace and hopefully radiate that to the family because I called the meeting and I was the youngest one there.

[CHRIS]

Oh, wow. Okay. A little intimidating.

[JADE]

Yes.

[CHRIS]

Did it help?

[JADE]

It did. And it was really profound to experience that because this, my family doesn't practice any of this. So for me to use what I know for myself and then it still be helpful to other people, even though they're not aware was really profound.

[CHRIS]

And I think that's brave too, to step out of your comfort zone and use it with people who may not usually be aware of it or know the benefits.

[JADE]

Hmm thank you.

[CHRIS]

So you're a black sheep too?

[JADE]

Yes. I didn't want to say it in so many words, but yes.

[CHRIS]

That's great though, to be able to spread that message to the world.

[JADE]

Thank you. Thank you. I think it's really important because sound affects us on so many levels. There is an experiment done by, if I get his name wrong, please forgive me, Dr. Emoto I believe. And he did it with water and words and the vibration of words and he froze water and put different words on the glasses. Over time, those water molecules formed shapes. They formed crystal-like structures based on the words. So the positive words had these beautiful shapes. They were geometrical, they were symmetric, just really beautiful shapes. And the negative words had these really disfigured and misaligned shapes. So the same thing goes for sound, for words have that kind of power. So does the music or the sounds that we're hearing. We're 70 to 90% water at any given time. So just with that alone, it has a huge impact on us. And I think it's something that needs to be shared because who doesn't want to feel good?

[CHRIS]

Absolutely. I'm so glad that you shared that story. So I remember you told me that when we met and it's just so profound to think about how our words can impact to the biological level.

[JADE]

Yes, yes, indeed. And I remember I read this book about brain chemistry. I can't remember the name of it, but it was talking about how our brain chemistry can impact the people around us just by being in their presence. And I was like, what? They've observed this on like a brain level?

[CHRIS]

Oh yes. Lots of research.

[JADE]

Wow. Yes, yes.

[CHRIS]

I love brain research.

[JADE]

Me too. Me too. It was beautiful to see like the overlay. I was like, "Yes, we're getting there."

[CHRIS]

Yes, exactly. And I heard of some other research and I don't have any names, but that even with plants, like they've done research where that if you speak harshly to a plant and then you speak calmly to another one, the one that has the nice words will grow better and the other one won't grow.

[JADE]

Yes. I've seen the same thing. And then I've even seen it a step further where if you don't speak to it, it will still grow, but not as beautiful as the one you've spoken to positively. So I was like, wow. It just shows the connection between all of us. It's really amazing.

[CHRIS]

Yes. And the power that we have to positively or negatively impact the world around us and people. But I think there's an energetic level. It must be with the negative versus positive.

[JADE]

Definitely. I believe. And I know that everything is just energy. And even though we're having these experiences, which are very real for us, if you can step back from a minute for a moment, you'll see, okay, this is just energy. So where's my energy focused? What do I need to pay attention to? What need to let go of? And it's just this constant shifting. And I think for me, it makes life so much sweeter because there's always opportunity to shift because the energy is constantly flowing. It's fluid. So we don't have to stay one way. We don't have to stay in space. Once we become aware of something we can choose to shift or we can choose to hold onto it. So I think that goes for life too.

[CHRIS]

Was going to say that's a true life lesson, isn't it?

[JADE]

It is. It wasn't an easy one.

[CHRIS]

Yes. Do we stay or do we shift? The question of the day. I love it. I know you're just getting started with your Instagram, but I did want to share a quote that you had on there if that's okay.

[JADE]

Yes, that's fine.

[CHRIS]

So you had posted that destroy the idea that you have to be constantly working or grinding in order to be successful, embrace the concept that rest recovery and reflection are essential parts of the progress towards a success and ultimately happy life, that just stood out for me. I just really connected with that. So what are your thoughts with that quote?

[JADE]

So as you're reading it, like there's just this huge smile on my face. I really love it because even as a child, as a young adult, I was taught, get a good education, get a good job, hustle, hustle, do what you're supposed to do. So you can be successful. And I've learned that's detrimental to my health. It's detrimental to my physical health, my mental health and my emotional health, because then it puts me either right at the edge of burnout or it puts me where I'm burnt out. So I really had to learn to allow myself to rest and not feel guilty about it and be okay with doing nothing because I'm still doing something. I'm nurturing me. I'm nurturing what I need and I'm honoring what I need in that moment. So I think it speaks to the shift that the world saw when the pandemic started. We all had to slow down.

We all had to stop the go, go, go, go, go and be like, "Okay, what do I do now?" It forces you to sit with yourself and really say, "Okay, well what do I need and what do I want?" And for me, that's what resting allows. It allows me to pause and say, "What do I need? What do I want and why am I doing this? And is it for my good?"

[CHRIS]

Those are important questions. Why am I doing this? So really reflecting and is it for my good, because otherwise life can get ahead of us and we just don't have a grasp on it.

[JADE]

Yes. And just being a mom of two children, I have a three now, I take that back. I have a 12 year old daughter, a 10 year old daughter and a going on two year old son. So just with that alone, there's very little pause. So just really being aware of that and the importance of it has been key for me in my own development, my own evolution.

[CHRIS]

And is there any other holistic strategies you like to use as part of your daily routine?

[JADE]

I like to chant a lot. I've always been like a singer and a dancer, but the chanting just really allows me to center myself quickly. And I could either be chanting aloud or to myself. I like to chant the word HU or [H U] and it says ancient name for God or the creator or the universe, however you see it. And it just automatically brings me in that awareness, brings me in that presence. So I do it every morning and every night and maybe sometimes during the day when I'm stressed or overwhelmed.

[CHRIS]

Taking care of all your kids, huh?

[JADE]

Yes.

[CHRIS]

So it sounds like that helps center you to do the chanting.

[JADE]

It does. And I've been doing it consistently for four years. It just went four years, April, and I can just see the most profound difference. And I think not only is it the chanting itself and the sound flowing through me, but just the ritual of it ---

[CHRIS]

Ritual is important. I think that really helps your mental health.

[JADE]

Yes, it does. Yes, it does.

[CHRIS]

What's that takeaway you could share today that can help listeners who might just be starting their holistic journey?

[JADE]

I love to write and really sit with myself because I'm deeply intuitive, but I'm also deeply sensitive. So I'm constantly picking up things. So just inviting people to be aware of the sounds that they're tuning into and that they're absorbing and how they impact them. It could just be something as simple as watching the news. You're listening to that. So how does it impact you afterward or when you put on your favorite song, how does that affect you? Just be more mindful of that and shifting where necessary. So if you see something it's like, oh, okay, I don't like how this feels, you can shift it. Just keeping like a sound journal.

[CHRIS]

I love that idea. That would be really cool and see how that could impact you.

[JADE]

Yes.

[CHRIS]

Because I think I wonder too, if a lot of people don't even pay attention to sound and the impact. Because I know for me I'm very sensitive to sound. So if I have too much sound in one day with traffic or people talking, I just got to recluse somewhere and just take a minute to unwind and release that. But I bet there's people too, that aren't even aware of that issue.

[JADE]

Yes. My husband is like that and for me, I was just like, this is how I am and this is what I got to do for me, but check it out. And afterwards he was like, "Oh wow. I had no idea." So it became like a conversation starter for us. I was like, so what did you hear today? And we would share and I was like, okay, what do you hear now? And I'll play the singing bowls for him and he'll just share with me his experiences. And it just allows us to become more aware of each other and how things impact each of us. So I think the same would happen for people who may not be aware. It allows you to just become more aware.

[CHRIS]

Absolutely. For sure. So what's the best way listeners to find you and learn more about you?

[JADE]

The best way is probably through my website, www.natureisthehealer.com. But I'm also on Instagram. My name there is Nature is the Healer. I'm not as active, but I'm present. Those are the best ways.

[CHRIS]

We'll have that in the show notes as well so you can access that on the podcast website.

[JADE]

Oh cool.

[CHRIS]

Yes. So thank you for coming on today, Jade.

[JADE]

Thank you for having me. It's such an honor.

[CHRIS]

And thank you to my listeners for continuing to support the show. Don't forget to subscribe, rate and review wherever you get podcast. And this is Chris McDonald sending each one of you much light and love. Until next time, take care.

If you're loving the show, will you rate review and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform? We just started this and that helps other people find this show. Also, if you're feeling uncertain about your modalities and you want to build your confidence to be your unique self, why don't you to join my free email course, Becoming a Holistic Counselor over holisticcounselingpodcast.com. In my Becoming a Holistic Counselor course, you'll get tips for adding integrative care into your practice, what training you need and don't, and the know-how to attract your ideal holistic clients. If this sounds like the direction you are headed, sign up at holisticcounselingpodcast.com.

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