With a specialization in sound therapy, Soesen Edan is a certified Sound Therapist affiliated with The British Academy of Sound Therapy and proudly holds membership with The Therapeutic Sound Association (TSA). Edan Sound harnesses the power of sound as a transformative tool for healing and balance. Soesen’s experience extends across the country, collaborating with diverse groups and individuals, including those with Autism, chronic illnesses, students in both special and mainstream schools, members of the public seeking individual sessions, elderly individuals with dementia, and patients in hospice care. Through the art of sound therapy, Soesen Edan brings solace and restoration to countless lives. MysticMag has the pleasure..
Can you tell us about your background and what led you to become a certified Sound Therapist?
I have been working with music and sound for more than 25 years… I started out playing piano from age 5, DJing at 16, later running music nights and events in my youth and then on to producing festivals, community arts and music projects for many years. Feeling the positive and powerful effects of music, beats, harmony and basslines, I wanted to learn more and really understand why music affects us so personally and differently. I also wanted to develop a form of music healing which was accessible for the general public.
When I signed up to a 2 year course with the British Academy of Sound Therapy I was doing it to learn the basics and (rather naively) with the plan to pioneer my own form of music healing! I had no intention of being a sound therapist, but 6 months in I felt so well in myself having been ill with a chronic illness for some time, and the information made so much sense to me that I felt I was absolutely on the right path. By the end of my initial 2 years of training I knew I wanted to continue on this path, learning and practicing more.
How do you use sound as a tool to help heal and balance, and what benefits can clients expect to experience from sound therapy?
Sound Healing is based on the science that all matter is vibrating at specific frequencies and that sound, or vibration, has a strong impact upon substance.
The human body seeks harmony. If we accept that sound is vibration, and we know that vibration touches every part of our physical being, then we understand that sound is ‘heard’ not only through our ears but through every cell in our body. The human body is 80-90% water – the perfect medium for carrying sound.
In a sound therapy treatment, a combination of ancient and modern instruments are played to gently bathe the body at a cellular level.
Sound Therapy can be hugely beneficial for all manner of dis-ease including depression, chronic fatigue, anxiety, chronic pain, insomnia, allergies, autoimmune diseases and digestive problems.
Using Himalayan singing bowls, vocal toning & overtoning, tuning forks, crystal singing bowls and grounding percussion, I am able to help the client reach their original blueprint of wellbeing.
It is impossible to quantify but I have had feedback from many clients expressing very positive effects. From big life shifts, to a greater sense of calm and relaxation, increased mobility and reduction of chronic pain.
I have witnessed profound healing from using sound. As with anything, the individual is the creator of their reality, Sound Therapy provides tools for that person to help heal themselves.
Can you share some examples of how you have worked with different groups and individuals, such as those with Autism, chronic illness, or elderly dementia patients?
Over the years I have worked with a wide variety of groups and individuals including people with Autism, chronic illness, in special and mainstream schools, with members of the public, with elderly dementia patients and in hospices. I worked regularly for the national charity Sense, working with people who are deaf/blind or with serious complex needs.
I have also worked with a number of groups for people with Autism and in special schools and colleges. My sessions are passive, so do not require the receiver to be involved – this is particularly effective and well suited to people with mobility issues and complex needs that are not able to move, respond or verbalize, but are very sensitive to sound and vibration. Singing bowls are often played on the body and sessions are based around a lot of sensitive observation and completely tailored to the individuals I am working with.
How do you personalize your sound therapy treatments to meet the unique needs of each individual or group you work with?
Every session has to be personalized. Whether it is for a member of the public coming to a public group session or working 1-2-1 with someone with Autism. I am a different person from moment to moment, so are they, and so is the environment. A lot of my work is led by intuition and observation, using a sensitivity to what and who is around me and who I am working with. Some individuals that I work with on a 1-2-1 basis really don’t like certain sounds or require different volumes – I would refrain from using these or introduce them very slowly and quietly over time but with continued close observation and sensitivity.
I have worked extensively in prisons, with inmates that do not have the freedom to access 1-2-1 sessions, youtube, workshops etc or take themselves away from negative sounds. In these sessions we do a lot of work with the voice, learning how powerful our words are and how being mindful of these can change our entire lives. The inmates love the sound sessions and really get to grips with how much they are in control of what they think, say and listen to.
Can you discuss any research or evidence that supports the effectiveness of sound therapy, and how it complements other forms of healing or treatment?
“In the beginning was the word…”
Sound Healing and Sound Therapy are among the oldest forms of healing used by every continent, every religion and all cultures.
In ancient times and across all cultures, there is evidence of the use of sound to heal. In every cosmology and mythology, sound is the major link, the carrier wave perhaps, between the world of the spirits and the people of earth.
Sound is the most potent tool we have. From the words we use on ourselves and others to modern day medicine using ultrasound. We and everything around us is a form of vibration.
Two great articles showing effects of sound therapy:
https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/science-and-technology/2022/05/new-method-delivers-life-saving-drugs-to-the-brain-using-sound-waves
https://www.britishacademyofsoundtherapy.com/sound-affects/
What advice would you give to someone who is new to sound therapy, and how would you encourage them to explore this form of healing?
Give it a go! Trust your instinct. Do your research.
If you are wanting to try sound therapy for your own healing, check out the credentials of the practitioner you go to. There are many charlatans out there, many that have just done an online course or no training whatsoever. Sound is powerful and has the potential to harm as well as heal if not used correctly.
If you are wanting to embark on sound therapy training – absolutely do it – but do your research again and train with a reputable, well established school of training. I highly recommend training in person rather than online and give yourself and the practice the time and respect to learn it properly and in depth. My learning continues always, techniques and ideas are ever changing and so are we as people…
If you would like to find out more about Eden Sound, visit http://www.edansound.co.uk/
