Picture this: It’s 11am on a public holiday (National Day, to be exact), and this writer is currently barefoot in a sparse studio, wondering how best to clamber gracefully onto a foldable massage bed in front of Cynthia Koh.
How did we land ourselves in this situation? Well, it all started in July, when we first saw an IG Story from the 49-year-old actress sharing that she was opening up slots for sound healing sessions.
Interesting, we thought. And then our editor suggested that we go for a session ourselves. Which brings us to this very moment, here.
But what even is sound healing? According to Cynthia, who got hooked on sound healing in 2010, it’s “all about the nervous system”.
She explains to 8days.sg that the vibrations of the sound waves from the tools she uses, from the simple tuning fork (Cynthia’s personal fave) to the monochord, which is an ancient instrument with only one string, interacts with the atoms in our bodies to regulate them and create more nitric oxide.
Nitric oxide is said to be beneficial for health as it improves cardiac health and healing among other things.
Though she’s been into sound healing for quite a while now, Cynthia adds that she only started offering paid sessions recently, after spending two weeks in Spain to attain her diploma in sound healing.
These sessions take place at two studios, one in the East, and the other in town that she rents space from whenever she has a client.
“I felt that the market wasn’t ready (back then). If I started doing this in 2010, I would be called funny names like a witch or a voodoo doctor or whatever,” she said.
So far, the reception has been good. The actress, who is only doing this in her free time in between acting projects, shares that she’s gotten quite a number of clients already.
Cynthia, who can be next seen in the local horror movie Confinement, shares that prospective clients usually DM her to express their interest, though she does look through the profile beforehand to ensure that they’re a real person and not a troll looking to waste her time.
“So far, I’ve never rejected any client,” she said.
Speaking about a particular case where her client’s condition improved after a couple of healing sessions, Cynthia revealed: “I think this kind of thing gives people hope, and I do get repeat clients from years back (when I was offering Reiki and Bach Flower Remedies). I think we work on trust and once your integrity (is there) and your way of sharing as a therapist is honest and truthful, clients will trust you.”
It’s hard to describe what the session is like. It’s definitely nice. You can actually feel the vibrations from the instruments and the sound waves resonating inside you; it’s an interesting experience.
At one point, she places the tuning fork on different chakra spots – basically a bunch of energy spots in one’s body that are said to correspond to certain nerve bundles or vital organs. For us, she places it at our heart, pelvic bone, wrists and ankles.
The vibration of the tuning forks is supposed to help unblock these vital spots, so that our energy can flow undeterred. We can’t tell you for sure if it did unblock these spots, but it did feel weirdly calming.
Then out comes the monochord. It’s not as heavy as it looks, and Cynthia shares that this is the most expensive sound healing equipment she owns.
We lay on our front for this, and Cynthia strums the instrument over our back.
Again, the vibrations from the notes are doing the heavy lifting here. As the name suggests, the monochord produces notes of the same chord, and the repetitive notes are said to help to soothe and calm one down. We prefer the tuning forks and singing bowls.