Maman, F., & Unsoeld, T. (2009). The Tao of sound: Acoustic sound healing for the 21st century. Malibu, CA: Tama-Do, The Academy of Sound, Color and Movement. 295 pages. ISBN: 978-0-9795525-5-7. $75.00

Abstract

Maman, F., & Unsoeld, T. (2009). The Tao of sound: Acoustic sound healing for the 21st century. Malibu, CA: TamaDo, The Academy of Sound, Color and Movement. 295 pages. ISBN: 978-0-9795525-5-7. $75.00.There is much confusion about the relationship between music therapy and other disciplines using sound and music as healing agents, collectively called sound healing or sound therapy. The Tao of Sound: Acoustic Sound Healing for the 21st Century explores a number of sound healing techniques and presents information beneficial in making this distinction. This beautiful coffee table-like book is a compellation of the work of sound healing pioneer, Fabien Maman. It is an encyclopedia of the over 30 practical sound healing techniques that he has developed in the last 40 years. Mr. Maman was a successful jazz musician and composer in the 1960s and '70s, who began to notice energetic changes in his audiences when he played in varying scales and modes. To understand this phenomenon, he studied martial arts, esoteric healing traditions with sound, and acupuncture, developing the use of tuning forks to stimulate the acupuncture points. He also conducted research on the effects of tone and timbre on human blood and cancer cells. From this background, he developed his theory and philosophy of sound healing. Maman bases his work on the idea that sound healing, whether psychological or physical, begins in the human energy field. He believes that blockages in the subtle energy field results in physical, psychological, and spiritual illness if allowed to crystallize (to lose movement). To remediate this lack of energetic movement, Maman believes that the media of sound, color and movement are the most effective tools. Webster's dictionary (1993) even recognizes Fabien Maman as the father of modern sound healing.The Tao of Sound is divided into three volumes - each exploring a different aspect of Maman's work. Volume I, The Influence of Acoustic Sound on Human Cells, is a detailed report of the research Maman conducted in 1981 at the University of jussieu in Paris with biologist, Dr. Helene Grimal. This well-structured, quantitative research involved exposing healthy human blood cells and cancer cells to different tones played on a variety of acoustic instruments in order to vary the timbre of the sound. For the healthy blood cells, Kirlian photography was used to show changes in the cell's energetic field (aura). Rart 1 of this volume includes 56 full-page color pictures of these cells and their auras with explanations as to the tones and instruments used to create the distinctive auric changes.Rart 2 of Volume I presents the results of irradiating the cancer cells with sound. The pictures presented were obtained by using a regular camera mounted on a microscope. Maman found that specific tones with specific timbre could change and even explode the cancer cells. Rart 2 concludes with findings drawn from this research:* Auditory stimulation can revitalize and empower healthy cells and explode cancer cells;* The energy field (aura) of each cell changes shape and color based on the pitch and timbre played;* Cells felt a vibrational affinity with a certain note, indicated by generation of a mandala shape and magenta and turquoise colors. …