How Tibetan Singing Bowls Helped a Group of Veterans; This “Keeper of Stories” Tells Us

By Charli Prather, MSW LCSW OSW-C Aka:  Military Zen Mom

As a therapist who specializes in deployment and also oncology, I find myself in the position of being the Keeper of Stories. Week after week, warrior after warrior and widow after widow, trust me to offer them a shoulder, an ear, or a safe place to just be. I believe it is a sacred job I have. Just to hold the space for them and keep it safe is vitally important to their healing. 

Sometimes, I have to take a step back and seek my own sacred space. I need to temporarily shed other’s stories and refresh my soul so that I can process the new stories awaiting me at my next session. I am grateful to have Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) practices to rely on and to offer to my clients when the stories become too difficult for them to tell. 

Recently, a group of veterans I see in my practice decided to forego our traditional Saturday session and take a field trip to a local yoga center and experience the healing forces of a Tibetan Singing Bowl session. They were very open to my suggestion. I carefully set up mats for my guests near the door and let them know that if for any reason they needed to leave the room; that was always an option. A simple tap on my mat would let me know they needed to leave. 

Once there I knew we were in good hands as the sound therapist who runs the session is a beloved friend of mine, Patti Pellerito of Healing Bowls and Gongs. During the hour and a half session, we listened and felt the vibrations and frequencies surrounding us. I felt peaceful throughout the session. Occasionally, my mind would wander, but I just let those moments come and out like a wave – noticing them, then clearing my mind again.

When our session was over, we sat in a circle and debriefed about it, sharing how the different tones affected us in different ways. One of my clients, a Falujah veteran, was wounded in combat. said: “This was amazing. I can’t believe how relaxed I feel, I want to try this again.”  In the weeks after the field trips, many of my clients have reported that the experience of holistic therapies is a welcome break from their day-to-day memories of past experiences of war. 

Many medical professionals believe that sound can release energy blockages throughout the body. Dr. Herbert Benson, of Harvard’s Mind Body Institute has been studying stress reduction for 35 years. His research finds that regular elicitation of the relaxation response has been scientifically proven to be an effective treatment for a wide range of stress-related disorders. He relates how the bowls assist patients with processing traumatic events.  Clients report how they can let go of their emotional and physical pain during a session.   

Many of my clients are now asking me for more information on mindfulness-based techniques and how they can incorporate them into their treatment plan. Weaving these techniques in with Cognitive Processing Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy as well as ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) can assist clients in identifying specific feelings or memories that they may not have even known existed.  Many times, veterans cannot recall the detail of their experiences, but only that they feel “different, disconnected or “numb” upon returning to civilian life. These feelings can be particularly difficult for National Guardsman/women returning who don’t have the same support systems in place as active duty military. Different mindfulness-based techniques can help to identify those feelings.

My son, a SSgt. on a permanent rotation in the Middle East once said to me “Some stories can never be told, mom.”  My son is right. So the silences during talk therapy sessions and the healing vibrations during sound healing sessions dancing between the warriors and me become just as sacred as the stories themselves.

Charli Prather is a licensed clinical social worker and a board-certified oncology social worker. In addition, she specializes in deployment psychology. She’s a TRICARE provider and a Give an Hour provider. She keeps a blog called Military Zen Mom.