This morning I enjoyed my second sound therapy session with Marguerite Baltages Ruminski.
Marguerite is the owner of Vegan Cafe in Lockport, a raw vegan restaurant that we used to think of as our "sister raw restaurant" in the 'burbs back in the Borrowed Earth Cafe days.
We met Marguerite several years ago and we were struck by her remarkable dedication to health and sharing the gift of health with others. Marguerite lives with Multiple Sclerosis and often suffers from pain and has a real heart for people.
In her quest to improve the quality of life and to manage stress and discomfort, Marguerite experimented and found she benefited from a plant-based diet and volunteered at the Vegan Cafe until her dedication caught the eye of the former owner and the next thing Marguerite knew, the owner said she was ready to move on and Marguerite was offered a chance to own the cafe.
She said, "Yes."
The first time I played for Marguerite about 2 months back, she said she had little to no pain for almost 7 days after--which she felt was a result of the sound therapy treatment.
After I'd played in the salt cave at Soderworld Wellness Center (http://soderworldwellness.com/) a few times, I thought of Marguerite and told her about it and asked if she'd like to try it.
She said, "Yes!"
Today we set an intention to release any of the body's biological attachment to any secondary gains that might accompany her natural pain / bodily endorphin (opiate) cycles and replace or substitute the joy or pleasure that comes from connecting with people, which she loves.
By secondary gains, I mean any benefits that a chronically ill person might receive in the forms of sympathy, special treatment, as well as the chemicals released by the body to cope with pain, which can, at a subconscious level, cause the body to equate pain with gain or pleasure.
As someone who occasionally suffers with stress-related pain in an old car accident injury, I appreciate the delicate balance in the bio-chemistry of a chronic pain sufferer.
With awareness, Marguerite and I asked our bodies to accept as a substitute the pleasure and joy of more rich people interactions, as our pain cycles cause us to withdraw, become moody, strain people interactions, hurt...
We utilized a background of an oscillating 417 Hz tone on my iPad with the intention of dissolving any crystallized emotional patterns and the F#, G#, and C# bowls to utilize the heart, throat and root chakras to connect with those energy centers. I followed up with F# wind chimes, rattles, drumming, tuning forks and the rain stick.
Marguerite held a large clear quartz crystal over her heart chakra and used a palm-sized amethyst geo to focus on any areas of her body where her energy and attention were led.
She sat suspended in the cave's wonderful suspended cradle chairs, which allowed me to move the various instruments around her freely to direct the sound towards her body's water, and any energy pattern crystallization latent in her tissues that might be the source of some pain or discomfort.
45 minutes later, we both emerged from the cave feeling shiny and new.
Thank you, Marguerite! Your faith in me and sound therapy inspire me!