
When it's time to de-stress, some people like to soak in a warm bath. Others prefer listening to music or soothing sounds from nature.
Mission Viejo sound healer Chelsey Whitaker offers a different kind of experience: the sound bath.Sound baths help people manage anxiety, soothe the nervous system and reconnect with themselves. Instruments such as singing bowls, bells, chimes and ocean drums create soothing sounds and vibrations that promote natural relaxation and heightened levels of contemplation and awareness.
Whitaker learned about sound baths through her own personal journey of substance abuse recovery. "It's what helped me begin my healing journey from addiction," she said.
After experiencing the benefits of sound healing in rehab, Whitaker started helping her facilitator in group sessions. Studying musical theory and formally training in sound bath technique convinced her she wanted to use sound baths to help others in their recovery—and simply to unwind in our stressful world.
Whitaker moved to Mission Viejo from Los Angeles just a few months ago to be close to her job at Crystal Cove Recovery, a residential addiction treatment center in Laguna Beach. She also leads private sound-healing sessions in people's homes—and even at the park or the beach."
This is what I was meant to be doing," she said.