The Resonance of Transformation: My Journey Through Sound Healing

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After hosting Nicole Gadbois on Strange Talk, I embarked on a profound journey as a volunteer in her case study, participating in four sound healing sessions as part of her studies with The Academy of Sound Healing. While I initially approached this practice with skepticism—having once dismissed sound healing as mere New Age mysticism—I can attest to its proof transformative power. Through these sessions, I have felt an undeniable shift in my creativity, my spiritual awareness, and my physical and mental well-being. Each session stripped away harmful expectations, both self-imposed and societal, leaving me more grounded and authentically myself.

Beyond my psychological and spiritual growth, I’ve also experienced a significant decrease in physical pain. I have lived with chronic ovarian cysts for most of my life, along with hip and back pain worsened by scoliosis and past trauma. Since attending these sessions, my pain has noticeably lessened, especially during my menstrual cycle.

One of the most enriching aspects of these sessions was Nicole’s invitation for my spirit guides and allies to join us. Before each session, I prepared by lighting candles and making offerings, strengthening my connection with them. Together, Nicole and I would set a clear intention, engage in breathing exercises, and then begin the sacred work. Afterward, she would provide me with mantras and assignments to continue aligning and balancing my chakras beyond our time together.

Session One: Emergence from the Earth

During my first session, I experienced a shift in awareness as Nicole played different instruments. I fell into a deep relaxation—until she spoke a mantra that struck me to my core:

“I am able to truly let go and live life on my own terms.”

At that moment, my body twitched and convulsed, as if something within me was being dislodged. A vivid vision unfolded before me: a cicada emerging from its underground shell, stepping into its new form. This image encapsulated the raw emotions of breaking free from past traumas and conditioning, yet it also filled me with an overwhelming sense of pride and liberation. The session ended with a lingering, pleasant buzzing sensation coursing through my body—a whisper of change taking root.

Later, as I practiced my assigned mantra—Lam Ram, repeated 108 times with my mala beads—I contemplated Nicole’s insight: we, like instruments, must be re-tuned after the discord of life. Healing, much like peeling an onion, requires patience and courage to move through its many layers.

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Session Two: The Truth Tree

For my second session, I set the intention:

“I stand strong in my truth and reality.”

As Nicole invoked my spirits for healing, I felt their presence manifest—Apollo on my left, Artemis on my right, Hekate above me, and my ancestors at my feet. Surrounded by golden light, I witnessed a vision of myself merging with a towering tree upon a mountaintop. This Truth Tree was my essence—unyielding, rooted in both earthly and cosmic forces.

Initially, I felt deeply grounded, at peace with the Earth, myself, and the vast universe. But then came the storm. Waves crashed against the cliffside, threatening to rip me away. People appeared, wielding axes to chop down my Truth Tree. Each strike caused it to bleed gold, yet it healed quickly, refusing to fall. Eventually, the attackers departed, and in the silence, I recalled a mantra from Aidan Wachter’s The Reclaiming Rite:

“I call back all my power. All that was taken from me, all that I gave away, all that I lost. I call it back to me. As it was, as it is, and as it shall be.”

Lights and stars coalesced into my tree, reinforcing its strength. As I perched on a sturdy branch, dressed in my everyday attire—a violent storm arose once more. The waves carried a dimly lit object, and a voice boomed from above:

“Don’t bother. She is too broken to love and not worthy.”

Tears welled in my eyes as I shook my head in denial. Despite the weight of these words, I climbed down and reached into the water. A small hand grasped mine—it was my five-year-old self. In the background, I heard Nicole’s voice, urging me to fully accept what is mine and to embrace the resistance.

As the storm raged on, I cried out to the sky:

“She may be broken, but she is mine, and I love her.”

A wave of unconditional love flowed from my heart into hers, wrapping us in warmth. The storm ceased, the sun emerged, and tranquility returned. A gentle breeze lifted us, laying us in the grass. I held my five-year-old self close, feeling entirely at peace, bathed in golden light. Slowly, the child dissolved into shimmering vapor, merging into my heart. I had reclaimed a lost fragment of my soul, and in doing so, I became one with the tree, a golden light shining from within.

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Session Three: The Stained Glass of Self

In my third session in my vision, I found myself within a grand cathedral, donning altar server robes. Before me stood a magnificent stained glass window depicting a tree bathed in celestial light. As I examined the glass, I realized each piece held fragments of my memories, my past selves, my wounds, and my victories.

Having recently read No Bad Parts by Richard Schwartz—an exploration of Internal Family Systems therapy—I recognized this vision as a call to integrate and honor all aspects of myself, even the ones I had long rejected.

A sudden shift transported me to an ancient Japanese landscape beneath a crimson sky, where a monstrous kaiju with piercing yellow eyes roared before me. Though fear gripped me, an inner voice whispered:

“Make friends with it.”

I stepped forward and embraced the beast, watching as it shrank into a small, fluffy creature. This was my rage—long suppressed, misunderstood, yet deserving of acceptance. By acknowledging it, I transformed it into something manageable, something that no longer controlled me.

When I awoke from the session, a tingling sensation filled my chest and arms—an echo of the sun’s warmth after a ritual. Nicole assured me this was a sign of deep healing, prescribing me new mantras: YAM for my heart chakra and OM for my crown, as both had been imbalanced.

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Session Four: Stepping into My Power

Before my session with Nicole, I spent time reflecting on my body and how I wished to connect more deeply with it. I had always desired a piercing but I realized wasn’t about aesthetics alone; it was a symbol of reclaiming my body, marking it as my own, and stepping fully into my sensual power, rather than being confined to the role of a career professional.

I decided to craft a ritual before my piercing appointment. I wanted to honor my body, to reclaim it as sacred, and to celebrate my sensuality. I called upon Aphrodite and Artemis to guide me, and I wrote a prayer to affirm my intentions:

"With this piercing, I reclaim my body.  

I adorn myself as I see fit, without fear or shame.  

I am sensual. I am sovereign. I am powerful."

The ritual was deeply personal, connecting me to my sensual energy and the essence of who I am. After completing the ritual, I felt aligned with my intentions. It was time to take the next step. Later that day I had my session with Nicole after this, with the intention to step into my power and connect with my sensuality. As the session started, I felt like the ocean was washing over me, and I fell asleep fairly quickly which happened in the third session too. This session felt more restful than transformative. The past three sessions have been deeply profound for me, so I see it as a positive sign that I had no major transformative visions.

Later, I did another prayer to Aphrodite and Artemis, reaffirming what my piercing meant to me.

Between each of my sessions with Nicole, I experienced intense emotions that I often journaled about. I took time to contemplate my life, reflecting on the journey I had been on. Through this, I realized how much more I was worth than just my career, my success, or anything external. I had spent so much of my life focused on achievements, on proving my worth through work and accomplishments, but I began to understand that I was worth so much more than that. I experienced unwavering confidence that occurs when one is truly connected to their values and core. I stood strong in my truth, who I was, and honored myself with my personal boundaries.

The most profound realization was that unconditional love—true, raw, unconditioned love—was something I deserved and could give myself. It was a love that wasn't tied to anything external. It was the love of simply being. I’m grateful that in Nicole’s sessions, she encouraged me to think about a time when unconditional love was received. This has helped me see that true acts of love are not based on terms and conditions.

Each of these experiences has reaffirmed that sound healing is far from mere aesthetic mysticism; it is a potent and ancient force of transformation. It has unraveled hidden wounds, guided me to embrace my shadows, and empowered me to reclaim my wholeness. With each session, I have become more attuned to the symphony of my own existence—my past, present, and future harmonizing into a single resonant note.

I invite you to consider where you might be out of tune. What frequencies within you long to be realigned? The answers may not come in words, but in sound, in sensation, in the quiet reverberations of your soul calling you home.