As a sound therapist, our aim is to support people's healing journey - whether physical, mental or spiritual (and often a mixture). The vibrations and frequencies help to release energetic blockages, reduce pain and improve mental wellbeing.
Providing therapeutic support via sound baths is such an honour - as someone who has always had strong empathy for others, it feels inevitable that I would ultimately retrain in this kind of work. I offer a safe space for people to let go and truly relax for an hour, to simply BE.
Sometimes, a mixture of emotions can bubble to the surface - and if this is due to unhealed trauma, it can feel quite raw and painful. The practitioner needs to be able to spot any subtle signs during a sound bath and adjust their playing, and afterwards ensure that the person leaves the session feeling grounded, safe and emotionally sound.
So why did I decide to do a Mental Health First Aider course?
People attending sound baths are investing in their wellness, as a way to switch off from their busy and stressful lives. Many of us are also managing mental health challenges and attend things like this as a means of helping the healing process - that's one of the incredible benefits of sound therapy (as I know from personal experience).
So, as well as my sound therapy training, I felt it was important that I went one step further to ensure I can offer the right kind of support and appropriate advice should anything arise for any of my clients in relation to more serious mental health challenges: partly to put my mind at rest that I am fully equipped to do so (and also set appropriate boundaries), but also to reassure attendees that they are in safe hands too.
I met such a wonderful group of people on the course - all truly caring souls who wanted to be equipped to spot and support anyone experiencing poor mental health in their workplace. We shared laughter and light moments as we navigated through some incredibly tough topics over the two days, learning how to effectively provide that first level of help and guidance.
We need to work together to remove the stigma of mental health - it's definitely getting better, but we still have a long way to go. The first step is talking and realising that you're not alone: there is SO much help out there. And with at least 1 in 4 adults experiencing a mental health issue each year, you can be assured that there are more people than you realise in your life that also need some extra support - you're not weak, you're not failing, and you don't need to do it all on your own.
It’s important to note that this role is not the same as a councillor or therapist and I am unlikely to have all the answers, but what I can do is provide a listening ear and sign-post where to get the right support going forward. In essence, we’re like a physical First Aider, but for mental health rather than physical.
Even if you don’t attend my sound baths, if you or someone you care about is struggling and you’re unsure where to turn, please do get in touch. Any conversations would be in absolute confidence.
With love,
Kathryn x
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