STUDENT FEEDBACK
School of Sound Healing
We are often offered unsolicited commentary on our programs, which falls throughout the pages of our newsletters, feedback link, and other pages on our web site.However,
we thought it useful to those considering this program, to solicit
answers to specific questions from former students of our Sound Healing
Training, to give insight into their perspective of the work..
Here are their responses.The questions
were broken down into various topics, as presented.
Highlights
of those commentaries are included, for brevity.
1. The Work2. Zacciahʼs Facilitation 3. How has this work benefited me?
4. How am I applying this work to my professional practice?
1. The Work:
· content
· quality, amount of
learning involved
· balance of
cognitive and experiential pieces, or, simply speak to both
“The programs
offered at the Center of Light are fascinating, engaging, intellectually
tantalizing, and
encourage students to step out of their comfort zones.”
_________________________________________________________________
“Sufficient high
quality instruction in sound healing practices and theory to provide a
stimulating
experience without being overburdened or under challenged. Cognitive and
practical elements
were well balanced.”
_________________________________________________________________
I would just like
to say that having studied widely in the healing arts, I found the sound
healing training I
did with you to be the most empowering work I have done. I often tell
people how amazing
it was.
_________________________________________________________________
“The work between
cognitive and experiential pieces felt balanced and in depth giving
what felt like
appropriate time and attention to both.”
_________________________________________________________________
“The quality of
work in Zacciahʼs trainings is tremendous! In less than a year, I have
learned so much
information involving the use of sound as a therapeutic medium.
In fact, I had to
give recent presentations in Graduate School pertaining to my work in
Zacciahʼs program.
It amazes me how thorough and involved my work is in speaking to
the use of sound.
Zacciah has given an innumerable amount of information.”
“Zacciah
Blackburnʼs teachings are rich and transformative. The quality, quantity and
integrity of the
information offered in his classes exceed a normal training or workshop.
With a perfect
balance of classroom discussions, practical applications and experiential
learning, Zacciah
expertly guides his students towards becoming adept Sound Healers.”
1. The Work
2. Zacciahʼs Facilitation
3. How has this work benefited me?
4. How am I applying this work to my professional practice?
2. Zacciahʼs Facilitation:
· quality, skill, knowledge exhibited, guidance
in hands on practices
· exhibited skills in assisting in direct
guidance and supervision of
the therapeutic process.
· manner and methodology of practice
“Zacciah is one of
the most brilliant practitioners, educators and facilitators that I have
ever had the great
pleasure to work with! His knowledge concerning sound and how to
facilitate sound
is extensive. In addition, Zacciahʼs constant demonstrations in how to
effectively
deliver sound techniques are invaluable.”
_________________________________________________________________
“I have worked
with Zacciah in 4 different trainings this past year. I immediately
recognized someone
who was teaching very current and up-to-date scientific
information,
relating to the human experience. This includes physiology, psychology,
spirituality and
our resonance across scale from the micro to our macroscopic universe.
This was balanced
with a historical study of various traditions worldwide speaking to
similar concepts
which are now trying to be explained in science. The trainings help
students via
power-point presentations, class notes and lectures from therapeutic
experiences. Most
importantly, there is ample time for direct experience for the students
under his guidance
to form their own conclusions, their own experiences and their own
truths, which will
in turn allow them to apply the work in their own way in their profession
once they return
home.”
____________________________________________________________
“It is clear that
decades of study have produced a great and knowledgeable teacher in Zacciah
Blackburn. He draws on a vast database of both scientific and esoteric wisdom.
Zacciah facilitates his classes with grace and professionalism, moving smoothly
from in depth inquiries of the many aspects of what Sound Healing is and why it
works, to the direct practice of techniques. Always a gentle and thoughtful
teacher, Zacciah engages each student at his/her level.”
____________________________________________________________
“As a student of
Zacciahʼs, I am always pleased with the balance he strikes between the
immense history of
therapeutic sound techniques and the scientific research that
supports the use
of sound. Personally, I believe very strongly that sound works as a
therapeutic tool,
but it is wonderful to have the scientific research to prove that sound is
a therapeutic
tool. I often admire how balanced Zacciah is in his approach, as this can
be difficult to
accomplish. It is one thing to believe in something but another to prove
that something
does accomplish its set tasks. Zacciah strikes a wonderful balance, and
I appreciate the
Western, scientific approach, as it allows me to have more clout within
my own
professional, medical community.”
____________________________________________________________
“I found Zacciah
to have a lot of integrity as a person & as a teacher as well as being a
highly skilled
Sound Healer. He shared his knowledge skillfully and made sure
everyone
understood the material. Much of it was experiential with actual sounding
exercises and
using instruments. This was balanced by scientific cognitive knowledge
as well, teaching
us about the actual physical effects of music & sound within the brain,
body & energy
fields.”
____________________________________________________________
“Zacciah is
incredibly knowledgeable. I particularly appreciated his ability to weave
knowledge and
common ideas from a variety of philosophies and disciplines & he often
would support what
he was teaching with slides and references - offering resources for
further
exploration which was incredibly helpful.”
_________________________________________________________________
“Zacciah's depth
of knowledge and experience was tremendous and felt like it was
grounded in his
own life experience and practice. I felt very supported during the class
time and the
guidance given was clear and concise.”
_________________________________________________________________
“For the 7-8 years
that I have been attending Zacciahʼs programs, he has always
presented himself
as a life-long learner, diving deeper in the subject matter for personal
and professional
growth and for new developing new material to bring forth to the world.
He follows the
scientific, social, cultural, historical, metaphysical, and other information
“out there” that
is being disseminated in the mainstream as well as the peripheral. He
offers the student
food for thought, inviting them to make sense of it and further
exploring it on
their own. Cognitive information is woven in with experiential practices.
Information is
provided in broad strokes with the details added throughout the session to
reduce the student
from becoming overwhelmed with “information overload”. Concepts
are flushed out,
so by the end of the program, an “ah ha” is realized. The weaving of
the cognitive
information with the experiential activities and practices is an educational
endeavor in of
itself. It models a new type of learning paradigm that engages the brain
as well the
physical and energetic bodies – to “own it”. The student is provided with the
opportunity to
gain knowledge/understanding as well as have a kinesthetic/ physical/
emotional
remembrance. If the cognition piece does not come easy to recall, the
experience will.”
____________________________________________________________
“The Sound Healing
Classes are a wonderful integration of knowledge, skill building,
and exploration.
Zacciah avails himself to give further direct instructions to those who
need it, while
allowing the class to practice techniques. Questions are encouraged that
dive deeper into
the exploration of the topic. As the student processes information,
formulating
questions for clarification. Zacciah has a gifted ability to “talk” a student
through such a
process which benefits the student as well as others in the class. What I
have observed with
Zacciah is that he openly shares information, knowledge, and
techniques.”
1. The Work
2. Zacciahʼs Facilitation
3. How has this work benefited me?
4. How am I applying this work to my professional practice?
3. How has this work benefited me?
· at a personal and professional level
· what work skills
did you develop?
· any business
skills you learned in the program, and how are they
applied?
“Personally
empowering. Professional empathy. Developed the skill and confidence to
work with
therapeutic sound both with the individual and in a group.”
_________________________________________________________________
“My intent in
attending the Sound Healing Level I classes was for my own personal
growth and
secondly for possibly utilizing the skills and practices with clients. I was
immediately
impressed with Zacciahʼs dedication to the work and my desire to assist
him
disseminating.”
_________________________________________________________________
“Everyday, I do
some sort of personal practice with instruments, toning/chanting, and
quiet meditation,
whenever the opportunity presents itself.”
_________________________________________________________________
“As serious
student, I took his homework, suggestions, techniques, and strategies
seriously,
practicing and implementing them in my daily life. In so doing, I have had
profound shifts in
how I view the world and where I am in it. With the completion of the
Level II and III
classes, I began offering soundwork in my community.”
_________________________________________________________________
“I see Zacciah as
role model and do my best to emulate these qualities, being a keen
observer of how he
is moving forward to bring his work into the mainstream.”
____________________________________________________________
“I have Definitely
benefited from the knowledge that I received and the fresh energy that
has infused my
practice - I am slowly working my voice (via toning) into the practice. I
continue to
explore the Tibetan Singing bowls and Gongs as well as soon my amazing
Totem Drum”
1. The Work
2. Zacciahʼs Facilitation
3. How has this work benefited me?
4. How am I applying this work to my professional practice?
4. How am I applying this work to my professional practice?
“Because of the
excellent comprehensive curriculum that Zacciah offers I have
become a Sound
practitioner in VT. I found Zacciahʼs teaching in Sound Healing to
cover all the
scientific fundamentals needed & I now have a solid foundation to work
professionally
with sound.”
________________________________________________________________
“I am LICSW in the
state of Massachusetts and as mentioned above have looked for
ways over the
years to assist clients with new ways of expressing strong emotions and
sound has proven
to be one of those mediums that can be tremendously helpful to
some clients.
Whether it is the physical aspect of drumming or hearing oneʼs voice
join with others
and loosing inhibition while “finding oneʼs voice”, I believe sound is a
medium for therapy
that is just beginning to be appreciated.”
_________________________________________________________________
“I now utilize
what I had learned and embodied from Zacciah's practices to write and
perform original
music (of mixed styles) as well at teach music in a very intentional way.
Zacciah offers a
beautiful example of a human being who became the change that he
felt needed to be
in the world.”
_________________________________________________________________
“In my
professional life as an Osteopath, my patients of all ages come for various
issues
such as chronic pain,
hormonal imbalances, digestive troubles, fertility issues, anxiety,
stress, ADD,
etc…itʼs a long list and the cases can be difficult. I needed the skills as a
therapist to
create a neutral, safe place for my work as well as other tools to empower
my patients. This
class provides a space to clear my own mental and emotional field in
order to be a more
neutral therapist; ready to greet any patient with more calm, ease
and compassion. It
also provides more therapeutic tools for my practice. Some
examples would be:
different sound frequencies to break up adherences in the fascia connective
tissue (arthritis, fibrosis) or breathing techniques to guide patients into a
more relaxed
brainwave state for stress reduction and to facilitate spinal re-alignment. I
plan on deepening
my professional practice even more in upcoming seminars with
Zacciah with the
use of tuning forks and other sound tools in order to further assist my
patients towards
homeostasis.”
_________________________________________________________________
“Because of the
excellent comprehensive curriculum that Zacciah offers I have
become a Sound
practitioner in VT . I found Zacciahʼs teaching in sound Healing to
cover all the
scientific fundamentals you would need & I now have a solid foundation to
work
professionally with sound.....my personal life as well as my professional life
both
have excelled from
his training. I found Zacciah to be very involved and supportive of
his students
always available to answer any questions I might have had. Some of the
skills I came away
with are as follows:
1.An explanation and instruction on how to use many different instruments.
2..Overall understanding of the body systems and how sound effects them.
3..Detailed look into brain functions and how the ear works.
4..How the Voice works in a healing environment and how to use my voice.
5..intake and an understanding of ethical conduct with clients.
6..Hands on training with live persons.
7..In depth training in etheric and intuitive understandings.
This training
prepared me for a career in sound & I now have a private practice in
Vermont working
with many clients. I am Also leading a weekly sound bath and a
monthly gathering
and I currently just taught a sound program in the school system. I
am also starting a
research project at the Marlboro School looking at the effects binaural
beats have on
children with ADHD.”
_________________________________________________________________
“I currently live
in Eureka Springs, AR and am in private practice as a Massage
Therapist,
licensed in the State of Arkansas. In addition to Therapeutic Massage, I offer
Sound Therapy as
an approach and tool for energy work. It is hard to differentiate
between the use of
these skills on a personal and professional levels. Using Sound is a
part of who I
am..... All of the skills that I learned from Zacciah are incorporated into who
I am and into what
I offer my clients. I am forever grateful for the time I had in Zacciah's
classes and hope
to return in the next year or two for a refresher class (and maybe to
see old friends
again.)
I am deeply grateful
to Zacciah for his teachings and willingness to share so deeply of
himself!!!
_________________________________________________________________
“Professionally,
this is helping to direct and focus my career. I have almost completed
my Recreational
Therapy Degree and will use sound and music as my main therapeutic
modalities.
Studying with Zacciah has given me such a new and different approach
than most other
complementary therapies. It has allowed me to expand as a
professional and
offer a program that is new, upcoming and effective. I feel on “the
cutting edge” of
what, I believe, will be an immense field in the future as more research
is dedicated to
proving how and why sound works.
I am incorporating
the sound work into my current voice studio. The students benefit
greatly from the
relaxation techniques used in the Sound Work. Also, singing can be
quite vulnerable,
as the voice is completely exposed. Therefore, many emotional states
can arise in
lessons, which can then turn into some mindful sound work. I have begun
my own program,
“Finding My Voice,” which concentrates on speaking oneʼs own truth
with great
emphasis on the human voice. In June 2012, I presented my program at
Yaleʼs Smilow
Cancer Hospital.”
________________________________________________________________________________ “Zacciah Blackburnʼs teachings are rich and transformative. The quality,
quantity and
integrity of the information offered in his classes exceed a normal
training or workshop.
With a perfect balance of classroom discussions, practical applications
and experiential
learning, Zacciah expertly guides his students towards becoming adept
Sound Healers.
It is clear that decades of study have produced a great and knowledgeable
teacher in Zacciah Blackburn. He draws on a vast database of both
scientific and
esoteric wisdom. Zacciah facilitates his classes with grace and
professionalism, moving
smoothly from in depth inquiries of the many aspects of what Sound Healing
is and why
it works, to the direct practice of techniques. Always a gentle and
thoughtful teacher,
Zacciah engages each student at his/her level.
I have benefited in a multitude of ways from my work with Zacciah
Blackburn. On
a personal level, it has strengthened my sense of self and taught me how
to live
authentically and compassionately. I also have a personal Sound practice
that I have
carried forward since my studies with Zacciah.
On a professional level, I have been able to apply Zacciahʼs teachings to
each
job I do. In direct reference to my studies with Zacciah at his School of
Sound Healing, I
offer individual and group Sound Healing sessions, as well as Sound
Circles. Many of
my practices draw upon the teachings and experience of my classes with
Zacciah.
Although very little of my livelihood is currently derived from this work,
I have had
profound results in these sessions and expect to grow this portion of my
work in the
coming years.
I am also a musician/composer, performer, and music teacher. I currently
work as
a music teacher with preschool aged children in the mornings, leading
music sessions
both in daycares, local libraries and stores. In the afternoons, I teach
private lessons for
guitar and ukulele. My work with Zacciah brought to me the understanding
of placing
intention behind all sounds, including oneʼs tone of voice and the playing
of an
instrument.
Zacciah Blackburnʼs School of Sound Healing enriches the fabric of our
world.
He is a fountain of knowledge and a wonderful teacher, offering practical
and effective
tools to living in peace with oneself and everything else. The support of
VSAC was
essential to my studies with Zacciah. I am grateful for my opportunities and
fully
advocate for continued VSAC support of Zacciah Blackburnʼs School of Sound
Healing.
_________________________________________________________________
“The Sound Healing Training sessions, offered by Zacciah Blackburn, have
been life
altering for me. Zacciah has the most integrity of any teacher I have ever
had. He
expertly guides his students into the understanding that he has formed for
himself
regarding a healing modality that has no real system in this day and age.
It is very clear
to me that you could go to other Sound Healing Teachers and not receive
half of the
information that is available in Zacciah's courses, mainly due to the fact
that he has
traveled the world studying with indigenous elders of many cultures as
well as current
Masters of Sound Healing and he is very knowledgeable about the currrent
science as
well. He has a unique ability to combine all he has been taught &
experienced into a
cohesive body of study. Somehow, he seems to have been able to compile his
learning
in a way that is shareable and teachable which I find remarkable. Mixed
with the
wisdom he has gained from years of being a healer himself, he is a
treasure to the
Healing community and it is an honor to be a student of his. Just when I
think it couldn't
get any better.....it does. I am very grateful.
When I told Zacciah that I would like to study sound healing, he informed
me of the
possibility of getting a grant with VSAC. I was so excited and went right
to work
applying for it & I am so happy to say that I received one. This grant
has enabled me to
do the training which would otherwise have been unaffordable to me.
In the course of any given day at the training there is a powerful blend
of experiential
and cognitive learning with ample breaks for integration. We are not only
given
information but we have plenty of opportunities to apply what we are
learning on
ourselves and each other. We are also taught not only the techniques but
how to have
integrity ourselves when applying the techniques we have learned. A
priceless piece
which is too often missing in the training of healers. I feel that I can
ask any question &
get an honest answer. There is nothing that we don't address and he honors
each
person in the class at their level of ability and knowledge as well. I
often have the
experience of having a question and in the next moment he has already
answered it.
Zacciah has given me a clear understanding of what healing is and what it
means to be
a healer and this has cleared the way for me to walk this path myself.
In the training I have been experiencing incredible healing of my own
body, mind & soul.
I have experienced the healing ability of sound itself when applied
correctly & I have
discovered more of who I really am. My knowledge of what sound is &
the different
ways it can be used to move & release emotions, thoughts, memories,
blocks, trauma,
love, light, beauty will be with me for my whole life & I hope to pass
this wisdom on to
my children & every person that I have the honor of working with. I
have transformed
blocks and ways of being that I thought I would have to live with forever
and I have seen
more of the truth about reality & life on earth than I would have
dreamed. Most
importantly, I am becoming truly free in my voice, my personal expression
& experience
of my spirituality and of my service to others. Having lived a life full
of music growing up
with musician parents & then getting a record deal of my own &
touring with major
artists in the music industry, I am not new to the world of music &
sound & I have seen a
lot. Due to what I am learning from the Sound Healing Training with
Zacciah, I am
getting more and more clear about my own abilities as a Sacred Sound
Technician and
Healer and I am therefore more confident to really do this work in the
world. I am only
half way through the first year of training & I have already started
my own healing
collective & am working in partnership with a Reiki Master doing Reiki
sessions with
Sacred Sound & getting paid for it under that name. We have had
amazing results so
far & I really love it. I also have started teaching a Sacred Movement
& Sound class of
my own in my community which has been very well attended & successful
as well. Only
one year ago, I was unsure of where I was going as the demands of being a
stay at
home mother (of two) pushed me to leave my music career behind & leave
NYC.
Although I have known that I have a new career path waiting for me, thanks
to Zacciah,
I can start it now with real skills to heal & help people. Not to
mention bring in some
income for my family doing something that I love.
I am currently also studying Aura-Soma color therapy & will be
receiving Reiki training
this spring. I am looking forward to combining all of these skills into my
future
professional healing practice with Sound as my main focus. My goal is to
have a
practice of my own here in Vermont, where I offer Sacred Sound Healing
with Aura
Soma & Reiki as well. With the skills I am learning from Zacciah I
will also be recording
a full album of Sacred Sound using all of the sound healing tools I am
learning &
continuing to offer some kind of Sacred Movement & Sound gathering in
my
community.”
STUDENT FEEDBACK:
1. The Work
2. Zacciahʼs Facilitation
3. How has this work benefited me?
4. How am I applying this work to my professional practice? |
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