Sound Healing Session Guide

Sound Healing Session Guide

Below I will give you a suggested session flow. This is the way I conduct my practice when I have clients coming to my space. Everyone will have a different approach, space and client base. Therefore, please use what works for you, your space and your clients.

1. Initial contact and communication:

By contact, I mean an in-person discussion, email, social media message or phone call. There is always an initial contact about a one-to-one session. Depending on how the first contact is made, I always direct people to email as it looks more professional, everything is in one place and it works for me.

In the email, I always cover frequently asked questions, which are:

How much does a one-to-one session cost?

What do I need to wear?

What do I need to bring?

Will you need space on the floor or somewhere else?

How long does a session last?

How do you accept payment?

My typical email to the client looks like this:

Dear (INSERT NAME)

It was wonderful to meet you on Wednesday OR Thank you for your email.

I’m so happy to hear you’re interested in one-to-one sessions with me. Below is all the information you need to know in order to prepare you for the session.

Each session costs £… per session. I ask you to wear anything you feel comfortable lying down in. The first session will last approximately 1.5-2 hours and all sessions after that will last 1-1.5 hours. I offer … (DESCRIBE YOUR SERVICE SO THEY KNOW WHAT THEY’RE PAYING FOR. IT ALSO STARTS TO BUILD TRUST AND RAPPORT).

*(IF THE CLIENT IS COMING TO ME) I conduct each session with you lying down on a supportive therapy mattress on the floor. I will provide you with pillows, blankets and anything else you need to make sure you can fully relax and find comfort during the session. If getting down onto the floor is not possible for you, we can discuss an alternative solution to make you comfortable.

OR

*(IF I’M GOING TO THE CLIENT) In terms of the space, I mostly conduct each session with you lying down on the floor. If this is not possible for you, we can discuss an alternative solution to make you comfortable. Please also have a yoga/Pilates mat, pillow, blanket and bolster if needed to ensure your comfort and full relaxation during the session. Please try to choose an area that has enough floor space for you to lie down, for the bowls to go around your body and then for me to walk around you and the bowls.

*(FOR ALL CLIENTS) I require a 20% non-refundable deposit prior to the session to secure your booking. You can pay the deposit and/or full payment via PayPal, bank transfer or by following this booking link (ATTACH LINK TO BOOKING YOUR SERVICES IF AVAILABLE). All payment details will be included in the invoice once we confirm our session.

Do let me know if you have any further questions.

With love,

Charlie x

 

Further emails that would then follow are all about setting a date and time and, once agreed on the appointment, I send an invoice with the appropriate amount and how they can pay.

If you want to include pictures of the setup of your space, this is a nice touch too.

2.a. The client arrives:

Welcome the client to your healing space. I tend to have a jug of water prepared and offer them a drink at the start whilst they are filling out the forms. This is also good to have at the end of the session as most people are very thirsty when they come back from a trance-like state. Hand over the forms for the client to complete and have a little conversation to understand what’s going on in the client’s life.

I conduct the client interview next to the healing area which is completely ready and looks welcoming to the client. All my bowls, props and essentials are ready at hand when it’s time to start the session.

2.b. You arrive at the client’s place:

The client will welcome you to where the session will take place. Most people are very good at offering you a drink when you arrive. I always request a glass of water and say, “and please get one for yourself so you have it for the end of the session”. This way, they won’t feel like they have to play host when the session is finished and you can rather hand the glass of water to them instead. You want them to relax the entire time and this simply takes any responsibility away from them for the time you’re with them.

If it’s the first session, hand the client forms over to the client as a first task. The forms I use require some thought from the client and can take anything from 10-20 minutes for them to complete. This will give you plenty of time to set up the space and the bowls so that you will be calm and waiting for them instead of them waiting for you, avoiding you becoming stressed before the session starts. If you are returning to a client, they will know the procedure, so the following times won’t be as rushed or stressed as conversation tends to flow because rapport was established in the first session.

3. Client forms and interview:

I take a quick look over the client forms for anything that really jumps out and have a chat with them about anything that’s concerning them. There is more on the client forms and interview in the next topic.

4. The session:

Inform the client about the process of the session and also what can happen during the session; this helps to build rapport.

Set your intentions and get started. You can do a sound healing therapy session or a sound massage session, or both. Be mindful of the time required for what you will do in your healing session with each client. There will be more on this in the practical module.

Sound healing therapy sessions last approximately 1 hour, but this may vary depending on what happens during the session. Some people will be very talkative before or after the session, some not at all. Some might become quite emotional and there might be an emotional purge that you will need to support as best you can. Whatever happens, I suggest leaving at least 1.5 hours for the session from the time they arrive to when they leave. This will allow time for talking on either side of the healing session.

5. After the session:

Don’t rush the end of the session, give some time to your client to come back to their full senses and awareness and maybe offer them the water they got for your both at the start of the session. The client will still be downloading the healing energies that were transmuted during the session and most likely won’t have a concept of time or space initially.

Without forcing it, have a debrief with your client. Be mindful of the language you are using as the client’s mind will be very sensitive to information. It’s amazing what they will selectively listen to and hold onto and negatively internalise after a healing session even if it wasn’t meant or suggested in that way.

I always follow up with the client by email 2—3 days after the healing session to check in with how they are feeling.

Things to note about the session preparation:

  • If clients are not physically able to get to the floor, or if there isn’t enough floor space at the client’s house, you can conduct a session on a healing table/therapy bed, or with the client sitting in a chair, on the sofa or lying on a bed.
  • When informing your clients on what to wear, comfort is key. Ask them to wear clothes without buttons, zippers or jewellery (and the same for yourself). If you are doing sound massage, these can interfere with the feedback of the sound of the bowls, plus they can dig into the client and cause discomfort.
  • Prepare props to offer for under their knees or for their head for added comfort or pain relief. The ideal result is for the clients to think you have disappeared during the healing. They should be in the most relaxed state possible and you should make yourself invisible so that they shouldn’t feel you around.
  • Have all the bowls, covers, tissues, towels etc. ready to use before you start the session. Especially in the beginning so as to avoid being distracted and feeling nervous.
  • If the client wears glasses, a hairband or Alice band, a belt, a tie or watch (especially smart watches), politely request they remove them before you start the healing.
  • When you are going to the client’s house to conduct the session, the total time will be a lot longer in length. By the time you prepare yourself and your bowls at home, pack the car, drive to their home, conduct the session, drive home, unpack, ground and centre yourself…this can take 3-4 hours. Keep that in mind when it comes to price and how far you’re willing to travel when booking sessions with clients.
  • Take the time to set your intentions before the session starts.
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