The GONG is one of the most important instruments used for healing — that is, restoring the energetic-vibrational balance lost or compromised because of everything that can traumatize us during life’s journey in our physical body — and it is also one of the oldest instruments ever created by humankind. This musical instrument, which belongs to the idiophone family (an instrument whose vibrating body is the very body of the instrument itself), is generally circular in shape and made from a very specific metal alloy, mainly copper and tin, with the addition of nickel for higher-quality GONGs and, more recently, steel (an alloy of iron and carbon).
The higher the quality of the GONG, the wider the range of frequencies it produces, extending to cover the entire audible range of the human ear — from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz — and reaching into the inaudible range that includes Infrasound — below 20 Hz – and Ultrasound — above 20,000 Hz –.
The GONG, at the peak of its resonant activity, is a channel for Vibrational Waves of Energy. As these energy waves (Sound) are produced, they spread further and further into the surrounding space, saturating it and creating a growing density in which the subject becomes completely immersed. But these waves are not only auditory; they are also kinesthetic, meaning they are perceived physically through the body and all its sense organs. Used by shamans thousands of years ago, it leads its listeners into a meditative state of great mental lightness and almost total calm compared to the noise that — especially in these times — nearly all of us are oppressed by. But that’s not all.
By stimulating waves from Alpha through Theta and Delta — the states between sleep and wakefulness — it favors the resurfacing of past experiences, releasing inner tensions or blockages stemming from repressed traumas or crystallized emotions, and allows for their rebalancing and removal from our system, differently for each person, through the Laws of Resonance — by virtue of which “like attracts like”, so everything that resonates with us is activated, while everything we do not vibrate at the same frequency with is set aside, simply because it is not yet the time.
It is up to us to allow this healing process through our ever-growing capacity to surrender to What Is in the Here and Now.
This is not, therefore, a musical or artistic performance (!) through which one appreciates the musical creativity and harmony of the melodies created by the Gong Master in order to enjoy the player’s technical virtuosity. I return once again to a phrase by Don Conreaux, who says:
“It is the GONG that plays us, not the other way around!”
So while a basic technical awareness of how to use the mallets to strike the GONG, and which points to strike on the metal disc, is useful, it fades into the background as soon as one enters into a true connection with the instrument — which is, in fact, much more than a musical instrument. So absolute “non-expectation” is the key — as on the spiritual path — to the service rendered to those receiving the Sound Bath, to oneself, and last but not least to the GONG itself!
Without any predetermination, one “touches” the GONG with great Respect, Reverence, and Love for what it Is and what it can give back to us! It is essential simply to vary the volume, speed, and intensity of our strikes to offer listeners a variety of sensory stimulations suited to guiding them toward different altered states of consciousness — “mental places” in which True Transformation becomes possible. This is especially true when combined with an initial meditation in which one clarifies one’s own goals for growth, evolution and transformation: the Sound of the Gong sharpens our Awareness and focuses our Energy on the real change we desire — that our Higher Self desires! — for ourselves. The Sound of the Gong enables this transformation through the “path of least resistance”, a psychophysical condition in which great “openings” toward Transformation and Change occur, because it works directly on our subconscious, bypassing much of our conscious resistance. Moreover, by acting on the intracellular water which, as we know, holds the greatest amount of emotional information in our system, this integration is greatly facilitated.
We are deeply aware that playing the GONG is a great responsibility, and it is therefore important to do so with humility and respect. Not only because the GONG is a Sacred Instrument to be honored as it deserves, but also because being able to play it is a gift we give ourselves — a privilege in being able to transmit that Energy and that Information which, in the most successful cases, as has been written, will go on to transform the lives of those who receive these Vibrations.
Indeed, conscious listening — with all five senses, yes, but also with our inner perception — to the sounds produced by this disc made from a particular metal alloy, leads to a meditative state induced by a trance, free of conscious or compulsive thought, and mental lightness. This “trance effect” comes from the stimulation of waves ranging from Alpha to Theta and Delta, at times allowing past experiences buried in our unconscious to resurface, giving us a powerful integration of buried emotions, blocks caused by old emotional freezes, or allowing visions or insights of great liberation and awareness.
During my sound baths over the past two years, many people who have experienced them have shared unusual accounts with me. Out-of-body experiences, returning to the mother’s womb, dematerializations, and much more — enough to make me understand the enormous potential of this healing instrument. Among the many, one experience I remember particularly was shared by a very sensitive young man who felt himself lifted about half a meter off the mat and passed through, parallel to the floor, in time with specific GONG sounds, by incredible, shifting beams of colored light!
The Sound of the GONG influences, at various levels and intensities, all our cognitive abilities as studied by neuroscience: multisensory interactions, memory, learning, attention, creativity and emotions — beyond the classic auditory systems obviously involved in sound perception. High-pitched sounds — from 15 MHz to 20 MHz — recharge the brain, while low sounds — from 30 to 140 Hz — work more on transforming painful conditions in the physical body, restoring its balance.
It is worth remembering that during a “sound journey” with the GONG and/or other instruments, every single cell in the body is massaged by the Sound, re-harmonizing with the others. Even though Sound works differently on each person, its benefits can be summarized as follows:
- Sharpening and dissolving of long-held physical pain;
- Release of the individual’s creative potential and development of soul power;
- New perceptions, insights, visions of past lives, deep emotion and euphoria;
- Stimulation of physical and psychological well-being, leading to states of intense joy or deep peace, up to states of great spiritual ecstasy.
Naturally, as already mentioned, by virtue of the Golden Laws of Resonance, Sound is perceived and brings its beneficial “healing” — or, more accurately, “re-harmonizing” — effects in relation to each listener’s own experiences, needs, and possibilities for energetic transformation at that particular moment in their existence.
(…) “the Gong and the human being are living machines that release cosmic power or holistic resonance. Both are designed to fill space with vibrations of fullness, in both the material and non-material worlds.” (…)
from “Don Conreaux – Magnus Opus of the Gong,” Italian 2019 edition, translated by F. Belometti
The GONG, then, can be defined as a “transpersonal” instrument, as it allows us to completely bypass our Ego, our Personality, and connect with the — now revealed — needs of our Soul: in this sense, it can be considered a philosopher’s stone.
The GONG allows us to remove our judgments, allowing Higher Intelligence to transform the energetic state of our subtle bodies and thus promote so-called “healing.” When played with the openness and simplicity of a child, mind and personality are bypassed, allowing us to be more truthful in the Sound we create, without seeking performance. Letting go of the adult mindset, where performance can be something to achieve, we return to that innocence which allows us to be the perfect channel for the Informed Energy of Higher Consciousness. The more we manage to block judgment and the rationalization of our thoughts, the less attention we give to our mind, which wants to know, manage, control the outcome. Children don’t do this!
When we strike the GONG with no expectation at all, in complete spontaneity, we are at the highest possible frequency — that of Selfless Service with Love toward others, toward the ONE.
The GONG takes us out of our “comfort zone,” continuously shifting harmonics, starting slowly and then increasing in intensity as the sounds layer together, producing completely different tones before returning to silence by passing through a kind of chaos. It makes us completely detach from our mind, which is fundamentally Fear-Need for Control, and which would always keep us within our comfort zone.