Robert Monroe s a composer and inventor, a pioneer in the field of using sound to alter states of consciousness. His research led to the development of a noninvasive and easy to use audio-guidance technology known as hemispheric synchronization or Hemi-Sync®. In 1974, the original research group was expanded to become The Monroe Institute, an organization dedicated to conducting seminars in the control and exploration of human consciousness. A year later, Monroe was issued the first of three patents for the Hemi-Sync® method of altering brain states through sound. Visit the website. Listen to samples.

Russill Paul Born in India, trained as a monk and yogi, musician, composer, author and teacher, Russill has been a master link to the accurate use of mantra and Indian music for healing. His book, The Yoga of Sound is a definitive work on the subject. Born in a Christian family and raised and schooled under Indian spiritual traditions has afforded him a unique perspective that bridges East and West. He is an in demand teacher primarily in California’s Bay Area, San Francisco. Visit his website. Sample some of his compositions:

Dr. Jeffrey Thompson Has been an experimenter with sound since the 1980’s. His experiments were in using exact sound frequencies to make Chiropractic spinal and cranial adjustments, to stimulate and normalize organ function and to balance Acupuncture Meridians. He has established a method for using modulated sound-pulses for changing states of consciousness for optimal "Mind-Body" healing. His work has been adopted by the American Hypnotherapy Association and is a well known medium in the self help field. Visit his website. Listen to a sample of his creations.

Hans Cousto, a Swiss mathematician and musicologist discovered the natural law of the "Cosmic Octave" as the link between different kinds of periodically occurring natural phenomena, such as the orbit of the planets, the weather, colors, rhythms and tones. His extensive research and tuning fork creations give specific frequencies to all the planets and sun and moon. These frequencies are utilized with color to impact the chakras and meridians to recreate health. Visit his website. Listen to some of the tones:

Laurel Elizabeth Keyes Is a teacher and author who discovered, for the West, the ancient process of toning, or using the voice to purposely clear unexpressed inner energetic memories. It is simply letting the body speak. This process forms a foundational piece for working with sound for the healer. There are multiple elements to the toning process, which will be explored in depth in a later block. Listen to one sample here of the siren technique to do a general energetic cleanse.

Rudolph Steiner Was a German philosopher and creator of Anthroposophy and founder of Waldorf Education. His extensive “channelling” of the wisdom of the cosmos brought forth a prolific amount of esoteric information . His perspectives on the evolution of humanity through the capacity to embrace only certain musical intervals is a fascinating exploration of our journey from the spiritual to the physical. The evolutionary incarnation process for humankind is valuable in having perspective on these times in 2011. We will explore his teachings in the section on Esoterics of Sound and Healing. Visit a website archive of his writings.