John St. Claire
Mar 10, 2023
A literary review
Another potential mechanism of therapeutic action from the gong is the direct effect of vibration on water molecules. Although human bodies are 65% to 70% water by volume, they are 99% water by number of molecules (Pollack, 2013). If only 1% of the molecules of our bodies are not water; pursuing a careful examination of the remaining 99% may provide useful insights.
The “fourth phase of water” is the term coined by Gerald Pollack to describe how water forms into hexagonal structures and the effects these structures have on metabolic processes (Pollack, 2013). The water in every living cell is structured into clusters with hexagonal rings being the most prevalent (Pollack, 2013). It’s been found that water clusters vibrate at specific resonant frequencies, and these frequencies can help restore homeostasis to cell structures in the body through signal transduction (Bistolfi, 1990).
German biophysicist Fritz-Albert Popp, who conducted research concerning cellular communication, came to the conclusion that the body communicates with the help of cell vibrations, producing biophotons (Popp, 2003). Popp has shown that it is possible to steer biochemical processes in the cells by influencing vibration in their area (Benveniste, 1999).
The structure of water can create clusters, from which we can build "water counterpart copies" of DNA and RNA (Bulenkov, 1991). Nobel laureate Luc Montagnier, has done extensive research and published numerous papers on the effects of water, demonstrating how water has a memory that can directly influence DNA production (Montagnier, 2015) (Montagnier, 2017).
Eminent consciousness researchers, Stuart Hameroff and Sir Roger Penrose, proposed the Orch Or theory in which consciousness comes into existence via the entanglement of photons in the microtubules of neuronal brain cells and this can only take place in the medium of structured water (Hameroff, 1998). Hammerof’s work with trans-cranial ultra-sound has shown improvements in mood, which may be from the stimulation of this entanglement process (Hameroff, 2013). The belief that consciousness resides in the brain is perhaps why the Orch Or theory limits it to the CSK in the brain. If consciousness results from entangled photons in microtubules of neurons; it is equally as likely that consciousness is distributed through out the entire body and not just the neurons in the brain. If this is in fact the case, it may point to a mechanism in which direct exposure of the entire body to powerful vibration from a large gong produces profound altered states of consciousness.
Dr. Franco Bistolfi has described what he terms the Bioelectronic (or bioconductive) Connectional System (Bistolfi, 1990). The components of this system include the cell's protein cytoskeleton and extracellular proteins such as collagen fibers and keratin filaments.
Together with structured water, Bistolfi proposes that these structures "are the morphological expressions of a large and unitary cooperative system for coherent communications among cells, by means of piezoelectric interactions and photon/phonon transduction of signals, of both endogenous and exogenous origin” (Bistolfi, 1990). He has devised a "musical" model which compares the vibrations and oscillations of hydrogen bonds to the strings of a string instrument, the harp (Bistolfi, 1989). The length, number, and resonance of these “strings” (hydrogen harps) is correlated with the frequency and quality of “sound” which in this case is electromagnetic emission. This information is used to explain some essential aspects of proteins and DNA function (Bistolfi, 1989).
Structured water within the cell acts as a transducer of chemical and bioelectric energy (Haussinger 1994). The resonant frequency produced by the transduction organizes nucleic acids and proteins, providing a unified system for cell repair and replication (Haussinger 1994).
Metabolic efficiency can be enhanced by restoring tissue levels of clustered water, and this water can impart beneficial effects throughout the body via signal transduction (Lorenzen 1989). Cymatics is the visualization of sound in water. The aesthetically pleasing designs speak to a non-verbal understanding of sound. The investigation into this has been pioneered by John Stuart Reid, an engineer who has developed and improved upon the cymascope over the last 10 years. The current state of the device allows for capturing a 3 dimensional image of sound in water (cymascope.com). When dolphin echolocation sounds were played into the cymascope the image produced was directly correlated with the shape, texture, and contrast of the objects the dolphins were imaging (Kasowitz, 2016).
A recent study at the Salk Institute implies that cognition and memory is not limited to specific neurons and neuronal patterns. Instead, it is the interference patterns of brain waves which may be a mechanism responsible for memory and cognition (Gepshtein, 2022). The gong is a source of very coherent vibrations felt in cells throughout the body. It has been proposed that all cellular communication is a language in the form of waves which can be measured by the cymascope (Ji, 2017). This cellular language, and human language, are proposed to be derived from a cosmic language, entirely based upon waves and patterns (Ji, 2017). Could this be one of the reasons people often report the sensation of “being in the cosmos” when enveloped in the sound waves of the gong? Is there an intuitive understanding of this cosmic language? Many gong players consider the sound gong to be the language of the cosmos.
The cymatic mandala-like patterns created by the gong in the water comprising 99% of our molecules are stimulating biomechanical transduction of the cell to create a cascade of cellular biophysical activity. Could it be that the cymatic stimulation of the most predominant molecule in our bodies restores intercellular tensegrity?
A systematic review and meta-analysis of energy medicine (Ross, 2019) states, “All systems in the human being, from the atomic to the molecular level, are constantly in motion creating resonance. This resonance is important to understanding how subtle energy directs and maintains health and wellness in the human being.” The trillions of cells of the human body are each undergoing countless biophysical processes every second and this can be compared to a symphony of resonant interactions (Muehsem, & Ventura, 2014).
Mandalas were first used in therapy by Carl Jung, who found that they had a calming effect on patients while at the same time facilitating psychic integration (Henderson, 2007). Alan Watts said, “A mandala is a picture that tells a story, it is a sacred space, often a circle which reveals some inner truth about yourself and the world’ (Watts, 2000, p 6).
Could the cymatic mandala patterns created by the gong in cellular water be related to the reported feelings of calm, inner knowing, and self integration? What would it feel like if 99% of the molecules in your body were doing this?