� e Monthly Aspectarian

Sound Matters:
Neuroscience, Quantum
Physics, and Sound Healing
by Steven Halpern
“Deep Alpha by Steven Halpern – GRAMMY® Nominated Album “
This month marks the 27th
anniversary of my monthly
newsletter. Over the years, I’ve
covered a wide range of subjects,
but always related them to my
primary focus, harnessing the
healing powers of music to
enhance physical, emotional and
spiritual well-being, and amplify
our connection with Source.
As a sound healer, my work
is based on honoring our innate
intelligence and our body’s natural
ability to heal itself. Because this
happens most effectively in a state
of deep relaxation, most of my
recordings have focused on that
intention.
However, it is also true that
healing happens in a variety of
ways. One of the keys is to pay
attention to the subtle clues and
cues and the way your body and
spirit communicate the signs of
and the presence of “the healing
feeling.”
Healing can also be enhanced
through the release of endorphins,
neurotransmitters/hormones we
make in our own bodies when we
experience pleasure. lately, I’ve
been spotlighting the connection
between certain music and what
Jennifer lopez has made famous
on American Idol as “the goosies.”
learning the code can
deepen your understanding, and
appreciation of these magical
moments whenever they occur.
That’s why I may comment on
an example in sports, such as the
amazing pass and catch of Eli
Manning and Mario Manningham
of the new York giants football
team.
Some of you may remember
The Psychic Side of Sports,
the landmark book by Michael
Murphy, co-founder of the Esalen
Institute. Well, what I’ve been
writing about over the years
has been “The Psychic Side of
Music.” If you’ve been in any
of my keynote presentations
or workshops, you know that I
often share some personal stories
that have not been as widely
publicized.
On the other hand, I have
written extensively about some of
my own experiences in the liner
notes of Gifts of the Angels and of
course, Chakra Suite. It seems that
reading liner notes is not nearly
as common now as it was when
many of us read every word on the
album jacket of vinyl lPs.
I’ll be sharing some stories
in upcoming newsletters I think
you’ll resonate with.
At the moment, I’ve been
refl ecting on why I’m enjoying
the recent American Idol
performances, in which band
members appear on stage with
the vocalist. It’s a vicarious deja
vu for me,
especially
when the
horn section
is up front.
last
week, I
fl ashed on
the time my
band opened for and then backed
pop star B.J. Thomas in 1969.
It was an object lesson in magic
moments, virtuosity and music’s
power to heal a racially divided
stage.
In past installments, I’ve
refl ected on breakthroughs and
limitations of research, hot topics
in the fi eld of sound healing, and
many other issues. For instance,
I was likely the fi rst person to
publicly question the reality
of the “Mozart Effect.” My
newsletter was cited in hundreds
of other websites, including
Fundamentalist ones. (Strange
bedfellows?)
Although I got a bunch of fl ack
for pointing out what I believed to
be true, I was ultimately proven
correct.
You heard it here fi rst.
In future installments, I’ll
be refl ecting on the current
fascination with neuroscience,
which offers new insights into how
our brain processes music, but
which also contains a fundamental
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