In our normal every day lives we often use sounds for daily affirmations without even realizing that this is what we're doing! In the car you may have your favourite track playing on the stereo. Even though it's music, it's still sound even though it's been formed into a structure that we identify as music.
The essential thing is that we are using the sounds to help us feel good. It's a trigger to give us that boost of euphoria we need in order to face the day. It can lift us from the lowest mood to the highest peak of exhilaration, depending on exactly what fires our own emotions. Hence some people get a great thrill jumping about and listening to heavy metal - while the neighbour next door could be burying into the pillow at the constant thump, thump, thump of the drums. My father used to cry tears of joy listening to Messiaen's organ music while I used to cry tears of pain.
Some people use daily affirmations to help them find the confidence to face the day. These are, after all, sounds in another format. Everything we hear is sound. It's the meaning we attach to it that causes our emotions to run high or to flatten out to a tranquil state. So to find those sounds that have the best effect is essential to finding affirmations that work.
Have you ever heard how it doesn't matter what you say to a baby because it's the tone in which you say it? This has the same effect on us if we can't understand what the meaning behind the words is. I remember hearing a beautifully intoned phrase in German and thinking it must be something beautiful. It turned out to mean "we're having some really shocking weather".
To reinforce positive words, we use as affirmations we can use them against a backdrop of music or sounds that have a positive effect on us. For some it will be Beethoven's powerful music. Others will prefer the dulcet tones of Enya. Still more will want to relax to the sound of waves lapping on the shore.
One of the most powerful experiences in my life has been to work with Tibetan singing bowls. I have seen these in action in Nepal and been deeply moved by the response to them and the experience of coming into contact with their deep vibrations and tones. For me, this is one of the most magical sounds there can be, reaching out from across the millennia with healing energy - essentially because of their beautiful sounds.
Thanks to the work of early pioneers, such as Paul Nordoff and Clive Robbins in the 40s and 50s, the world of science is only just beginning to recognize the significance of music as a psychological tool. As a result, music therapy and various forms of sound therapy are developing as disciplines in their own right.
So if there is only one thing you do to make yourself feel better, make time to listen to music. Personally I have recorded the sounds of the sea lapping the beach at Rocky Bay in Co. Cork, Ireland and this gives me great comfort when I am holed up in my city address and in need of the freedom of the countryside. If you can organize yourself enough then repeat some positive statements aloud or silently as you listen to the music or sounds. Most of all, find the opportunity to surround yourself with sounds as daily affirmations.
I have worked with sounds all my life. If this article has fired your interest in some of the ways that I look at sound then take a look at http://www.squidoo.com/sounds-for-daily-affirmations. There are some fascinating advancements in this area which are well worth checking out. I also use Tibetan singing bowls to work with adults and children with autism. To see more of what I do then please visit http://www.feelingsounds.com/ and if there is anything you can add I would love to hear from you on either site. Thank you for reading.
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