Toning and Energy Alignment to Heal Tinnitus
This is an excerpt from Positive Health Online Issue 220 – February 2015. Toning and Energy Alignment to Heal Tinnitus.
Tinnitus is often described as a noise in the head, interestingly the word is taken from the Latin word ‘tinnire’ which means ringing or a tinkling bell. However, my clients who suffered from tinnitus have more frequently described the ‘noise’ in their head as a continuous loud buzzing, droning, whispering, humming or whistling. The sounds are more audible, seem louder and are more of a problem when it’s quiet, or when they are trying to go to sleep.
According to The British Tinnitus Association, Tinnitus affects 10% of the population of the United Kingdom permanently and affects millions across the world. Tinnitus is the most common injury arising from the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq and another alarming fact states that 75% of 18 to 30 year-olds who go to nightclubs and concerts may experience temporary tinnitus. It is obvious, therefore that many are in need of both emotional and practical support.
My mother Betty was born in 1921. She was the youngest daughter of Alice and Enos Sherborne. Her mother Alice had been a milliner and a window dresser for Harrods, the now famous department store in London. Alice married Enos, a cabinet maker and they had six children. Betty was the youngest daughter. After leaving school at fifteen, Mum worked at the Vickers Armstrong aircraft factory in Weybridge until she was called into the army at the outbreak of the second World War and eventually posted as a telephonist to Bordon Camp in Hampshire, the Canadian Army base.
Susie, a woman in her forties had learning disabilities and had difficulty expressing herself. Her mother, with whom she had lived, had passed away two years earlier and since that time Susie had lived in a residential home with four other women she hadn’t previously known. Susie was referred to me because the care staff in the home were unable to cope with her angry outbursts after a period of withdrawal and had put her on medication for depression. I spent several sessions getting to know Susie; she loved the swathes of rainbow coloured silk that I took with me on each visit and chose to wrap herself in a silk of sunshine yellow. She would then stand infront of a full length mirror, admiring her reflection.
Toning is an ancient and powerful method of using the voice. The toning process energises the brain and stimulates and regenerates the central nervous system to activate the body’s own self-healing mechanism. Ancient cultures in both the northern and southern hemisphere understood the law of vibration and recognised sound as energy in motion, acknowledging that everything vibrates at its own frequency, whether a cell within our body, a flower in our garden or a star in the galaxies. Indigenous people felt and appreciated the impact of sound upon the body, the community and the environment, particularly when focused effectively. This is the principle behind toning.
Music has had a marked impact on the life of many of my clients with learning disabilities. I particularly remember one lady, who was referred to me because, although she was forty- four, she had never spoken. However, staff in her residential home believed that Jean understood most of what was said to her. One of seven children, she was small and dark haired with pronounced scoliosis of the spine which affected her mobility. Jean lived in a residential care home with five other men and women of similar age and ability. Her favourite occupation was brushing the hair of a resident or member of staff, whether they liked it or not. Communication consisted of gestures and pointing to make her wishes known or if not understood, she would pull a member of staff towards the desired object . A wave of the hand meant she was either tired or going outside. Jean screamed and threw objects to gain attention or when frustrated. Somewhat disconcertingly, she had a permanent smile on her face which belied her mischievous intentions and confused those around her. There was little family contact, primarily because of their discomfort in not being able to make sense of Jean’s communication.
My experience as a foster mother of young children and also as a speech and language therapist in community and hospital clinics, has shown me that behaviour problems inhibit other aspects of development. I eventually left my profession in search of another, simpler way of working with adults and children with complex needs. Having studied the 
Angela was a tall, frail looking woman in her forties with dark hair and hunched shoulders. She spoke in a whisper and rarely made eye contact. Whenever Angela left the residential home in which she lived, she clung to her support worker, linking arms wherever they walked. She had been diagnosed with a genetic condition which limited her cognitive ability and affected muscular coordination. Her hands shook and she was often wobbly on her feet. Lacking confidence, Angela rarely spoke above a whisper and her care staff told me that they were concerned because she ate very little, becoming aggressive if pressured to eat or do anything she didn’t want to do. She was reluctant to talk to people, preferring to spend long periods in her room lying on her bed seemingly exhausted. Angela’s boyfriend had tragically died of heart failure a year earlier, I was told that the subject was never mentioned by Angela or the care staff within the home because they were afraid of upsetting her. This flagged up an area of concern. 
Billy was thirty five years old when we met, he lived in a residential care home with two other men who had severe learning disabilities. I was told, ‘Billy doesn’t talk, he hasn’t said anything for years’. When I questioned further, they believed that he understood what was said to him.
EMPOWERING THE CLIENT