Discover the transformative realm of sound and mantra therapy with Dr Nicholas Peters, a renowned spiritual musicker and sound therapist. In this exclusive MysticMag interview, Dr Nicholas shares details about his journey as a composer, his expertise in using therapeutic sound for healing and meditation, and the profound effects of chanting mantras for overall wellbeing.
Please tell us a bit about yourself and your professional journey.
As a ‘Spiritual Musicker’, my background is in music composition, specifically electro-acoustic sonic art designed to induce altered states of consciousness for undertaking shamanic journeying. I completed my Ph.D. in sonic art at Coventry University (UK) in 2019 for a programme of study entitled “Golden Sunset, Blue Rain: The Shamanic Journeys. A Practice-Based Investigation into ‘Spiritual Musicking’ and Its Creative Music-Making Realisations”. My practice-based research combines my electro-acoustic music-making practice with my spiritual practice of shamanic journeying and documenting my experiences in non-ordinary reality. The music from my Ph.D. has been commercially released and it is available on all major streaming and download services. I have created a playlist of my shamanic music on Spotify: https://bit.ly/shamanicmusic.
I lectured undergraduate and postgraduate students part-time at Coventry University for twelve years, alongside juggling my freelance professional music composition and sound therapy work. My meditation composition ‘Dreams of the Deep (432 Hz)’ was featured on BBC Sounds Mindful Mix – The Sleeping Forecast in 2021. Listen to ‘Dreams of the Deep (432 Hz)’ on Spotify here: https://bit.ly/dreams432hz. Additionally, my recording of the great ‘Mahamrityunjaya Mantra (108 Times)’ is streamed every day by listeners in India. Listen to me chanting this powerful healing mantra on your preferred music service via this link: https://bit.ly/SHIVA108.
Alongside composing music for meditation and shamanic journeying, I also compose music for use in films and incidental music for use in theatre productions. I am a member of numerous professional music organisations and societies, including the PRS for Music, the PPL, the VPL, and the Central Composers’ Alliance. My shamanic practice is grounded in the use of sacred sound and, along with my research, this forms the basis of my sound therapy practice. I run regular group sound baths, individual treatments, mantra chanting sessions, and Himalayan singing bowl workshops in and around Manchester, UK. I am accredited with the International Practitioners of Holistic Medicine (IPHM) in sound and mantra therapy, shamanism, meditation teaching, and chakra balancing and energy healing.
How does the Sound & Mantra Therapy work?
From the mystical to the scientific, the many stories and theories about the creation of the universe all evolve around sound vibration:
– The scientific is known as ‘the Big Bang’;
– In the Vedic texts, ‘Nada Brahma’ (‘Nada’ = sound; ‘Brahma’ = the Creator/God, translating approximately as ‘Sound the Creator’);
– In the Book of Genesis, God said ‘Let there be light’ (in other words light was spoken, through divine speech, into existence);
– In the Gospel of John, ‘In the beginning was the word’ (A word is a sound).
We are all part of this ‘sounded’ universe and, in our busy lives, we often forget this crucial fact, and we end up losing connection with this universal vibration. When we lose our vibrational connection, we gradually become ill: emotionally, physically, and spiritually. One analogy for this is that one or more of our seven main chakras become blocked, resulting in illness. Through the use of therapeutic sound, we can re-tune ourselves to return in flow and harmony with the universe. Sound therapy (sometimes called sound healing) can help to unblock the chakras and improve our general wellbeing, calming the body, mind, and spirit. It stimulates the body’s natural production of nitric oxide which helps to boost our immune system, similar to when we exercise, promoting self-healing. Therapeutic sound can also help to slow down breathing and the heartbeat, improving sleep patterns. Sound therapy stimulates the Vagus Nerve to trigger the parasympathetic nervous system which can help clients to relax, unwind, feel connected, and have better health and digestion.
It is no wonder, then, that since time immemorial, sound has been used (and continues to be used) in healing rituals and spiritual practices the world over. From the timeless sounds of the shamanic buffalo drum, through to Himalayan singing bowls, gongs, rattles and more, sacred sounding instruments continue to serve as sonic drivers to induce an altered state of consciousness to enable us to access our inner worlds, and connect with our spirit guides in Meditation.
I run group sound baths as well as offer individual treatments for clients. During a sound bath (group or individual), clients sit or lie down in a comfortable position on a yoga mat fully clothed and with their eyes closed. I then guide my clients into a relaxed, meditative state before creating different sounds and frequencies in succession by playing a variety of overtone-emitting instruments such as Himalayan singing bowls, shamanic frame drums, ocean drum, Chau gong, shruti box, and various smaller percussion instruments, such as rattles, rainsticks, and Koshi wind chimes. I also use my voice to chant healing Sanskrit mantras, I AM affirmations and power songs. Sanskrit mantras, when chanted with intention, can manifest positive physical and mental changes in our lives. When combined with instruments, the effects become even more powerful. The sounds have a hypnotic effect on the brain, slowing down brainwaves and inducing a deeper state of relaxation, ideal for meditation and healing. At the end of the sound bath, clients will feel refreshed, revitalised, restored, and full of positive energy.
What do your Singing Bowl Workshops look like?
In this practical workshop, clients will learn how metal Himalayan singing bowls (often referred to as ‘Tibetan’ bowls) can help to positively transform their personal physical, mental,
and spiritual wellbeing. During the workshop, clients have the opportunity to play a variety of my Himalayan singing bowls, learning playing techniques for personal meditation and self-healing. They will also learn about buying bowls and which type of bowl suits their own personal requirements. Please visit this page for full information, including course structure: nicholaspeters.co.uk/singing-bowl-workshops.
Workshop Structure:
– Clients will be introduced to many different types of Himalayan (metal) singing bowls, including bowls for meditation, bowls for therapy, and bowls for ritual. They will be introduced to handmade singing bowls of varying shapes and sizes, from modern bowls to a variety of antique bowls (including Bodhi, Goalbati, Lingam, Mani, Manipuri, Naga, Remuna, Tantrik, and more);
– Clients will get to experience playing my bowls using a range of beaters and wands. I will teach various playing techniques to produce different sounds and clients will experience first-hand the powerful vibrations produced from each bowl.
– Clients will learn how to play bowls for focusing and personal meditation, as well as how to play a bowl for self-healing, including how to safely place and play a bowl on their own body;
– Throughout the workshop, clients will also be given practical tips on how to improve their wellbeing through the sounds that they encounter in their daily lives;
– I provide clients with a handout containing useful information about buying modern and antique singing bowls from reputable sellers, as well as information about the types of bowls used in the workshop.
What can people expect from your Mantra Chanting Sessions? Can you walk us through one?
In my mantra chanting sessions, clients can expect to learn a range of healing mantras to improve their wellbeing, and to help quieten the ‘mind monkeys’. I run these chanting sessions both face-to-face and online. Depending on the time of year will depend on which mantras I teach in each session. Each session starts with warming up the body and the voice. This includes breathing exercises and various vocal techniques, so this part of the session is essential in helping clients feel confident with using their voice and to get them breathing efficiently.
Following the warm-up exercises, I start by teaching single-syllable seed mantras (e.g the chakra chants), before introducing clients to the longer Sanskrit mantras associated with anthropomorphised principles (e.g. the mantras for Ganesha, Lakshmi, Shiva, Tara, etc.). When I teach clients a mantra, and I explain the context in which the mantra can and should be used before I chant it to them, whilst accompanied by the calming drone of a Shruti box. A shruti box is an Indian reed instrument operated by squeezing the bellows gently with the hand. After I have chanted a mantra a couple of times to my clients, I invite them to chant along with me and the shruti box, so that we all chant each mantra 108 times.
What other services do you offer?
Alongside my spiritual sound and mantra therapy work, I offer private tutoring in music at all academic levels. I am also available as a guest lecturer/workshop facilitator for groups, organisations, societies, and universities keen on enhancing their provision of music to their members/students. I have lectured on a wide range of music topics, from the use of electronic music in science fiction cinema, to the satirical songs of Tom Lehrer, through to lectures on Western classical music, to lectures exploring concepts albums and the music of Pink Floyd. I teach a specialist session on sound, music, and mantra for the Transformation and Heart-Based Practices Diploma, a private course run by Dr Liz Sparkes multiple times a year. I am also a certified Laughter Yoga Leader.
What is your favourite part about your work?
My favourite part about my sound and mantra therapy work is knowing that it helps people feel better. I love listening to clients recall their experiences at the end of my sound baths and seeing the transformation that has taken place in the session. Similarly, my favourite part about my music work is knowing that people all over the world are listening to, and enjoying, my commercially-released music. I also love that I get to work with some wonderful artists in other disciplines, notably theatre, film, and other wellbeing practitioners. I consider myself incredibly lucky to have a strong and supportive network of inspirational practitioners and freelancers, with whom I am always delighted to collaborate.
To learn more about Nicholas and his work, you can visit his website at nicholaspeters.co.uk
