After a decade of research in physics, ancient eastern cultures, and binaural frequencies, sixth-generation Memphian Anna Cardona added another skill to her repertoire — sound healing.
Also known as Vibrational Sound Therapy, the modality utilizes tuning forks — two-pronged, u-shaped metal devices that elicit a “pure” sound pitch when struck.
“This is the ultimate form of self-care because it is working on you from the inside out, where the healing goes down to your cellular level to create balance in your body,” the commercial designer explains.
Although the tool carries modern-day uses such as tuning instruments, measuring time, and operating sensors, its acupuncture and Chinese medicinal roots travel much farther back.
“Our bodies are composed of frequencies specific to every organ, bone, gland, and cell, with each one naturally resonating at specific sound frequencies,” Anna explains.
These resonances are offset by stress, toxin buildup, or unresolved trauma, often manifesting as hormonal imbalances, pain, or illness.
Thanks to a concept known as brainwave entrainment, internal imbalances can be reset to synchronize with the tuning forks’ external vibrations.
To induce the body’s healing response and restore its natural biorhythms, Anna begins by running the tuning forks along the body, listening closely for differences in overtones, a perceptive auditory skill she’s spent the past three years honing since launching her business in 2020.
She then oscillates the device in those areas clockwise until a pure tone sounds, signaling the blockage has been energetically released.
The fact that sound moves four times more quickly through water makes this modality particularly effective for the human body’s 70% water composition to bring the glands back to homeostasis.
“At the root of most ailments I treat, there’s an emotional component that hasn’t been healthfully processed. So I’m feeling down into the root of what is going on. Usually, it’s a stuck emotion we have picked up along the way that needs to be pushed through.”
Patients can expect to feel lighter, sleep better, and feel less anxious, among other results, after one 45-60 minute session, but can benefit from two to three for more persistent concerns. Those who are seeking acupressure work should carve out about 90 minutes.
Anna often works with several instruments simultaneously, as the organs, muscles, and bones benefit from the weighted forks she applies to skin nerves.
To stay healthy, happy, and grounded, Anna enjoys weekly Kundalini yoga sessions at Delta Groove and walks around Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park with her husband Chris, kids Bella, Timothy, and Gabriel, and their adopted pup Kangaroo. She prefers nourishing her body with a Mediterranean-inspired diet emphasizing fresh foods and light seasonings, such as her family’s dinner takeout plan – Greek chicken salad with lemon dressing and roasted Rosemary potatoes from Greek chain Tazikis in Germantown.
“Sound healing was a major part of my healing in overcoming obstacles. Now I need to look backward and help others overcome their mountains, too.”
To book a session, visit Thememphissoundhealer.com.IG: the_memphis_sound_healer
By Shlomit Ovadia
Photo by Rebecca Jaffe
