Sound Therapy: Good vibrations
Sound therapy is hitting all the right notes among children afflicted by speech disorders
Sound therapy is increasingly being used to treat people with mental illnesses in rehabilitation centres. PHOTOS: ARIF SOOMRO
As I entered a room full of musical instruments, I was greeted by the sound of a beating drum. Five-year-old Alamdar was sitting before the drum kit, while sound therapist Faisal Gill read out a poem to him. “This is the start of our session and I am trying to bring him in the mood,” Gill explained. “Keep watching and see what Alamdar does,” he said. In a few minutes, the child was up and excited, running around the room. He did not make much conversation; instead, he touched all the musical instruments in the room, playing with them.
Alamdar is at Keynotes, a Karachi-based institute, for speech therapy that harnesses the power of sound. Sound can change your mood and concentration, just by altering a few frequencies, explained Gill. He has been treating behavioural, physical, mental and speech disorders through sound therapy for the last six years. As he explains it, the human body is comprised of different energy frequencies, which can be balanced and altered by generating various sound frequencies. At Keynotes, everyone is ‘treated with a unique sound’, according to Gill.
Sahar Abid, Alamdar’s mother, says her son suffered from delayed speech till the age of three. He could not form a single sentence; so, his parents took him to a prominent private hospital for treatment. However, there was no improvement. Alamdar’s parents then took him to Ziauddin Hospital’s speech therapy department where he was able to form a couple of sentences within just a few weeks. Gill also teaches at Ziauddin Hospital.
“During a one-on-one sound therapy session, a child uses maximum energy and tries to get rid of anxiety,” Abid explained. “It also helps the child focus while playing an instrument. The session also improves their concentration power.”
Although sound therapy has been introduced in Pakistan fairly recently, it is being used to treat people with mental illnesses in rehabilitation centres such as The Recovery House (TRH), where Gill also works. At TRH, 25-year-old Asif Hussain played the guitar as half a dozen of Gill’s students picked up other instruments. “Many clients don’t take part in all the sessions here at TRH, but in Gill’s session the attendance is always 100%,” said TRH co-founder Khusro Karamat Elley.
Gill explains that humans have the largest range of the sound spectrum from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz. Thus they are blessed with the ability to communicate and use language. “I understand sounds and use these frequencies to communicate not only in linguistics but also telepathically,” Gill says. “The idea is that we are all scanners. We are constantly receiving and emitting frequencies. Those with any malfunction of such communicable frequencies suffer and ultimately succumb to mind disorders.” As Gill puts it, the human body feels rejuvenated after a workout and the case is similar with the mind — the ‘draining’ of sounds produces a similar positive effect.
Gill said that harps, flutes, xylophones and bright timbers help individuals feel ecstatic and calm and are the most common instruments being used to treat patients with depression. On the other hand, flutes help children in speech therapy as they learn to produce sounds. Microphones and rhythm integrate both the temporal and spatial centres of the brain.
Gill charges Rs1,500 per session at Keynotes, which is at times reduced to Rs750 as the child progresses. He waives the fee for those unable to afford the sessions. According to Gill, it takes a couple of months for children and patients with mental illnesses to show signs of recovery. The sound therapy process is a catalyst and must be integrated with other therapies and interventions, he says.
Gill believes that the future of sound therapy is very bright in Pakistan. “I continue to work here despite that fact that I was threatened by fanatics to stop using music to heal or cure mental illnesses,” he shared. “I am determined to pursue this form of therapy fully, despite any hurdles or threats and alibis that music is ‘haram’,” he says firmly.
Ishrat Ansari works at The Express Tribune Karachi desk.
She tweets @Ishrat_ansari
Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, August 2nd, 2015.
Alamdar is at Keynotes, a Karachi-based institute, for speech therapy that harnesses the power of sound. Sound can change your mood and concentration, just by altering a few frequencies, explained Gill. He has been treating behavioural, physical, mental and speech disorders through sound therapy for the last six years. As he explains it, the human body is comprised of different energy frequencies, which can be balanced and altered by generating various sound frequencies. At Keynotes, everyone is ‘treated with a unique sound’, according to Gill.
Five-year-old Alamdar suffered from delayed speech prior to his visits to Keynotes. PHOTOS: ARIF SOOMRO
Sahar Abid, Alamdar’s mother, says her son suffered from delayed speech till the age of three. He could not form a single sentence; so, his parents took him to a prominent private hospital for treatment. However, there was no improvement. Alamdar’s parents then took him to Ziauddin Hospital’s speech therapy department where he was able to form a couple of sentences within just a few weeks. Gill also teaches at Ziauddin Hospital.
“During a one-on-one sound therapy session, a child uses maximum energy and tries to get rid of anxiety,” Abid explained. “It also helps the child focus while playing an instrument. The session also improves their concentration power.”
Although sound therapy has been introduced in Pakistan fairly recently, it is being used to treat people with mental illnesses in rehabilitation centres such as The Recovery House (TRH), where Gill also works. At TRH, 25-year-old Asif Hussain played the guitar as half a dozen of Gill’s students picked up other instruments. “Many clients don’t take part in all the sessions here at TRH, but in Gill’s session the attendance is always 100%,” said TRH co-founder Khusro Karamat Elley.
Gill explains that humans have the largest range of the sound spectrum from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz. Thus they are blessed with the ability to communicate and use language. “I understand sounds and use these frequencies to communicate not only in linguistics but also telepathically,” Gill says. “The idea is that we are all scanners. We are constantly receiving and emitting frequencies. Those with any malfunction of such communicable frequencies suffer and ultimately succumb to mind disorders.” As Gill puts it, the human body feels rejuvenated after a workout and the case is similar with the mind — the ‘draining’ of sounds produces a similar positive effect.
Practioners say sound therapy must be integrated with other approaches to be fully effective. PHOTOS: ARIF SOOMRO
Gill said that harps, flutes, xylophones and bright timbers help individuals feel ecstatic and calm and are the most common instruments being used to treat patients with depression. On the other hand, flutes help children in speech therapy as they learn to produce sounds. Microphones and rhythm integrate both the temporal and spatial centres of the brain.
Gill charges Rs1,500 per session at Keynotes, which is at times reduced to Rs750 as the child progresses. He waives the fee for those unable to afford the sessions. According to Gill, it takes a couple of months for children and patients with mental illnesses to show signs of recovery. The sound therapy process is a catalyst and must be integrated with other therapies and interventions, he says.
Gill believes that the future of sound therapy is very bright in Pakistan. “I continue to work here despite that fact that I was threatened by fanatics to stop using music to heal or cure mental illnesses,” he shared. “I am determined to pursue this form of therapy fully, despite any hurdles or threats and alibis that music is ‘haram’,” he says firmly.
Ishrat Ansari works at The Express Tribune Karachi desk.
She tweets @Ishrat_ansari
Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, August 2nd, 2015.