No history of the practice of sound therapy would be complete without the pioneering work of Peter Guy Manners who, for over 50 years, blazed a trail for using combinations of vibrations to alleviate disturbances of both body and mind. At his clinic in Worcestershire (UK) he treated many who could not find any relief from traditional medicine by applying a special electronic device that he called the Cymatic instrument. He called his methods Cymatics, meaning “wave forms”, which he borrowed from his colleague Hans Jenny. His knowledge of sound/vibration from its physics to its healing capacity was vast and can be attested to by this writer who spent several days with him in 1988. His great achievement was the actual invention, with the help of an engineer, of the Cymatic instrument which, in its current updated form, is known as the Cyma1000. Manners did make presentations about his work from time to time but he never wrote a book outlining all the aspects and potential of Cymatics or as it is now called Cymatherapy.
Since the closure of his clinic in 2005 and subsequent death, his chief assistant Chris Gibbs has taken on Manners’s mantle and carried forward the use of Cymatics which he combines with other forms of therapy in his practice, By writing a very thorough book on the subject covering every aspect: its history and development, the science behind it and the actual workings of the instrument in relation to all kinds of ailments, Gibbs has finally demystified its purpose and uses after years of people questioning the validity of Manners’s work.
For its history Gibbs takes us all the way back to Einstein who advocated that the physical world is built upon a foundation of interacting vibrational energy states. The implications of this, as Gibbs states, is: “…everything that exists in a physical form actually has a vibrational or motion-like essence as its most fundamental level. This means that every atom, cell, tissue, organ and fluid within the human body actually possesses a unique set of structuring and regulating vibrational energy frequencies.” As the story unfolds. Gibbs relates that certain researchers in Eastern Europe followed on from these principles and experimented with vibrations for therapeutic purposes. Much of the findings were lost during the Second World war but somehow Manners recovered an extensive catalogue of therapeutic frequency codes which form the basis of the Cymatic instrument.
For those who might be sceptical about using Cymatics it is well worth studying the 8th chapter of the book which goes into what is called “biophysics.” Here we delve into the deep science that underlies Cymatics. It might not be easy to comprehend for some but it is actually very clearly laid out. And really offers the bedrock of knowledge of why different forms of sound healing can have positive effects. Leaving aside the meaning of the words “photon” and “gluon” (Gibbs has provided an extensive glossary of terms in the book) , this passage gives a flavour of the scientific approach to the subject: “When a body is in a state of health, its composite cells possess and emit coherent combinations of a vast number of frequencies that are closely matched or represent complementary musical keys, creating a harmonious vibratory spectrum or ‘symphony.’ Therefore healthy, cellular activity has a certain relationship with music, although not at a level we can hear. If cells are to exist as stable and healthy entities within the organism, their photon chemistry (gluon memory) will recognize certain signals/ frequencies as healthy vibrations and maintain healthy energy states. Exposure to any energetic and pathogenically modifying stressor, whether in the form of sound or various other types of energy, can lead to an overwhelming separation of composite photons and phonon frequencies away from their healthy symphony within the biological system.”
This book is a veritable manual for anyone who would take up the practice of using the Cyma1000 instrument or who would consider having its applications. For the latter the frequency codes known as “commutations” can be used for physical structures and pathologies,, mental states and subtle energy systems. It is truly a holistic approach as he gives in this example: “…the therapeutic design for tension headaches would include relevant physical commutations such as muscle stiffness, psychological commutations for relevant mental symptoms such as stress or frustration and energetic commutations for potential disturbances within subtle energy systems.” Speaking of subtle energy systems, it is very notable that there are even frequency codes for inducing the brainwave states of alpha, theta and delta, the vital life force and the seven chakras among others. The commutations cover every conceivable weakness in our psychology and have correspondences with the Bach flower remedies and colour therapy. Some colours are linked with vitamin supplements which is quite a new concept. All of these are neatly laid out in representative charts.
The last thirteen chapters are like a health bible, outlining the nature and root causes of the many illnesses that can overtake our bodies. And then Gibbs goes on to delineate what kinds of commutations would be appropriate in each case. For the layman interested in receiving Cymatherapy, the most apposite chapter is “Research and Case Studies” in which cases of back pain, disc injury, osteoarthritis,, fractures, stroke rehabilitation, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, asthma, chronic stress, depression. drug dependency and anti-aging skin support are explored. This chapter also has illustrations of the “before and after” conditions of the client.
This book in which all the knowledge of Cymatherapy is laid bare with clarity and straightforwardness is long overdue after all the years of the practices being in the shadows. For those who have had all sorts of tenacious or chronic conditions and are seeking a new non-invasive therapy, it is worth investigating Cymatherapy through perusing this book. But it is also informative to those of us who are working in our own areas of sound healing and would like more understanding of what the healing processes are through sound/vibration. In fact, he intends to develop a new UK-based training programme. The author’s website is: www.cyma-therapyclinic.co.uk
James D’Angelo 26/10/10
"CYMATHERAPY : A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR EVERYONE" is by Chris Gibbs, Bsc & DCM and is published by Chris Gibbs and Paragon Publishing (Rothersthorpe) - 179pp (paperback) @ £15.99
