Using Singing Bowls in Acupuncture Practice

Singing Bowls in Acupuncture Practice

Our long time customer Ken Glowacki is a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine in Portland, Oregon.  He has been building his set of high quality, antique Tibetan bowls with us since 2008.  He was a bit of an enigma, and we never had a single conversation about what his goals were for his collection, or for what purpose he was using singing bowls.  He gravitated towards large, sonorous Highwalls and rare Double-blues whose frequencies bore no obvious tonal relationship to each other.  It wasn’t until much later we discovered that he was using the bowls in his practice, and he kindly offered to guest blog about how he uses singing bowls in acupuncture therapy.

I would like to send you a treatment that I did where I integrated acupuncture with sound therapy. I wrote it up as if I would submit it for colleagues to understand what I was doing.  It might be very different from other people who are doing sound therapy.  However, it might be useful for other readers of yours.

Overall, I use my singing bowls at various times to affect the meridian flow of Qi. I measure this by observing the patient’s reaction.  I use pulse diagnosis for a large part of my treatment. I use it to diagnose and measure the response of the treatment.  There are bowl combinations that I use for a Yin/Yang balancing through the Conception and Governing Vessels. I use other bowls to break up stagnation. I use a triplet to affect what I have noticed to be the Shao Yang channels.  These are the Gallbladder and Triple Burner channels.  I continue to investigate and enjoy using my bowls.  I want to investigate how these bowls affect the deeper constitutional levels. My Earth Gong helps patients gain clarity and presence of mind.

Female, 39 y.o., complaining of irregular heart beat, palpitations, flooding sensation in chest at times, tachycardia, high blood pressure, swollen feet and ankles.  She had a series of western diagnostic tests: echocardiogram, EKG, blood panel for kidney, liver and thyroid function.  All came back normal.  She explained that she experiences frontal headaches, feeling faint, at times either a cold or hot gripping sensation at her sternum and a radiating sensation to her shoulders.

She is taking a Chinese herbal formula and supplements.
Pulse taking: Du Mai, Yin Chao Mai, Ht deficiency, irregular, irregular, slightly rapid
Abdomen palpation: Ren Mai/Du Mai pattern
Meridian Palpation: The following points were imbalanced: Ht 7, SI 3, Kid 8.
Chinese diagnosis: Ren and Du Mai imbalance, Ht Luo fullness
Acupuncture treatment: SI 3 (left), Lu 7 (right), Kid 6 (left), Kid 8 (right)

Sound Therapy –

The pulse was taken continuously throughout the treatment. Ting shas were used initially to diagnose blocked and deficient areas through the 7 chakra areas.  Three bowls were used first to create a solid field where Qi could flow throughout the most exterior areas of the body.  A central line with two bowls was created for ascending and descending of Qi through the midline.  At this point, I chose to work with the Earth gong to send waves up through the feet, eventually have them crash over the top of the head.  I continuously checked the patient’s pulse.  I came back to a gentle wave pattern ebbing and flowing in an ascending and descending manner.  When the pulse evened out, I took a bowl that had both a solar plexus and third eye tone to work on these areas.  I used one bowl off to the side as a sentinel to call back to the patient.  This led back to the original three bowls first to descend Qi from the head and to circulate Qi around the exterior. The image that came to mind was a bubble forming around the patient.

Essential oils were chosen to affect the limbic system in the brain and remind it of the peaceful state of mind and body at the end of the treatment.  These oils affect the Heart Luo vessel.

Patient sent home with a blend of essential oils of Red Mandarin, Ylang-Ylang and Sandalwood to be applied at points, Ht 7, Ht 5.

She will continue to take the Chinese herbal formula.