Info for sound enthusiasts

What is a sound massage?

In a sound massage, special singing bowls are placed on a fully-clothed person as well as nearby and carefully tapped with a mallet. The person perceives the soft, harmonious sounds via the ears and the body, as they rapidly induce a deep, pleasant state of relaxation. The rhythmic movements of the singing bowls generate fine vibrations which are often described as a type of “massage”.

A sound massage creates an atmosphere of safety and wellbeing in which it is possible to let go – of stress, worries, doubts, anxiety and similar feelings that have a negative effect on our life and our health. In the relaxing atmosphere of a sound massage the client can escape the often vicious cycle of unsettling thoughts and descend into a state of calm, thus giving the soul room to unfold.

This is an ideal prerequisite for learning, problem solving and promoting health in a holistic sense as well as the basis for shaping a joyful, self-determined and creative life.

How sound massage was developed

Peter Hess has been developing sound massage since 1984. Inspired by his impressions and experience during trips to India, Nepal and Tibet, he discovered singing bowls and the effect of sounds in the traditional music and the rituals of these countries. In this context he realised that many of the things that he experienced are also to be found in Western culture, such as in the rituals of the Roman Catholic church. On the basis of his own experiences and insights the idea dawned on him that singing bowls, with their relaxing sounds and their softly massaging vibrations, must be an ideal medium to enable the healing effect of sounds to be brought closer to people in the West. The idea was rapidly realised and the positive results led to the swift further development of the method.

Over the years and by integrating the experience of everyday practice – gathered from the now over 10,000 trained sound massage practitioners (in Europe) – there has been an increasing degree of specialisation in the diverse areas of professional work that today are reflected in the multifaceted basic, advanced and further training seminars offered by the Peter Hess Institut.

Peter Hess Institut and Peter Hess Academies

The Peter Hess Institut in Germany (PHI) and the related 16 Peter Hess Academies (PHAs) abroad are well-known as competent providers of basic, advanced and further training in Peter Hess-sound massage and other Peter Hess-sound methods based on it. The extensive offer of seminars (about 350 per year at the PHI) provides additional qualifications or new impulses in the following areas of application:

• wellness
• relaxation
• education
• counselling
• therapy
• long-term care

The sound methods have become established especially as a complementary offer in professional fields like occupational therapy, physiotherapy, education and psychotherapy to name but a few.

Many years of experience gathered by Peter Hess and his team ensure the high quality standards of all seminars offering both substantiated background knowledge and experience-based skills for the use of singing bowls.

A key pillar of Peter Hess-sound methods is the solutions and resources-oriented approach that always considers the human being as a whole with all his/her capacities and (inner) knowledge and focuses on the healthy and well-functioning aspects. On the basis of a mindful and caring attitude on the part of the Peter Hess-sound massage practitioner an individual way of promoting health, personality development and growth can unfold and flourish.



Training-Team Peter Hess Institut

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