The Blog
A tone poem is a simple song made from non-sensical language. They need to be easy to sing and join in with and simple to share. The aim is to unite people in song, dissolve barriers and open hearts and minds. Tone poems are non-sensic...
As we approach our 20th anniversary at BAST I’ve been reflecting on how far we’ve come since I started working with sound therapy. Lyz in 1995 I first started looking into sound therapy in 1994 when I was diagnosed with ME and found ...
Mental health is important at every stage of your life, it includes your emotional, psychological, and social well-being and affects how you think, feel, the choices you make and your behaviour. It also has an influence on how you bounce...
These days it is widely accepted that ‘wellbeing’ is just as important as ‘health’, but what does it mean to be mentally ‘well’, how do we know when something isn’t right and what can we do about it? Lyz Cooper, founder of ...
There is an increasing amount of research that shows the benefits of arts-based activities on health and wellbeing. With social prescribing being a hot topic within the NHS there has never been a better time to work within the arts in he...
Back in November, Lyz wrote SOMNUS X is a 10 minute piece of Consciously Designed Music specifically designed to help induce sleep. We asked our friends, followers and members of the public to take part in a sleep study to test the track...
The therapeutic sound field is vast – there are so many different approaches from different backgrounds. At BAST, we use the BAST Method of Sound Therapy, but what is it and how is it used? We have two main ways of working at BAST, pas...
I’m very pleased to say that I have now created a sleep track called ‘SOMNUS’ and I’d love you to be among the first to hear it! Somnus is the Roman god of sleep so when thinking of a name for the track it seemed appropriate. There ...
It is thought that the Hominins of the Middle Pleistocence era (781,000 – 126,000 years ago) were capable of vocalisation, making the voice one of the oldest instruments in existence. Over the hundreds of thousands of years that have f...
Written in 1884, Root refers to the healing power of the voice – in this case both physically and emotionally. Fast forward almost 135 years and we now know more than ever before about the healing potential of the human voice. Sound an...
Where Art and Therapy Collide – Sound and Voice Arts for Health and Wellbeing
October 19, 2018Latest Posts
There is a growing understanding of the positive impact that arts-based therapeutic sessions can have on health and wellbeing. There are now many different organisations championing the arts for health and wellbeing in many different way...
Our brand new prospectus is ready and it features more courses and choices than ever before! We’ve really enjoyed putting this programme together – it has been quite the mental agility test to get everything to work, but it has been so w...
This year I’ve spent a fair amount of time in the studio working on a brand new relaxation programme incorporating therapeutic music and sound therapy. This programme is called ‘LifeSonics Relax’ and it will be launched in the New ...
Do you use music in your therapy room? If so, what is your preference – classical, new age, traditional, contemporary? Something else? Have you ever how and why certain tracks or sounds are better at relaxation than others? Hav...
Smart devices are not only there to tell you the weather, what the traffic is doing etc they can be used to create wonderful health-boosting ‘sonic atmospheres’ at home. Using sound therapy as a method of relaxation has helped people wit...
I have just received an email asking me how and why I developed the voice and movement techniques called ‘Vocal Processing Techniques’ used in the Holistic Voice Therapy and Transformational Voice Therapy Diploma Courses. Having worked w...
As it’s migraine awareness week and as someone who experiences migraine myself, I know how debilitating they can be. Mine tend to be silent, that is, a migraine without the pain, but over the years I have developed ways to use therapeu...
In 2017 the Royal Society of Public Health (RSPH) called for the introduction of a national sleep strategy and what they referred to as a “slumber number” – the ideal amount of sleep people should be aiming for each night. However,...
Sound to Make Your Love Taste Sweeter
February 14, 2017Latest Posts, #lovesound, #valentinesday, lyz cooper, music and emotions, music and mood, music for love, music psychology, sound healing, sound therapy, synaesthesia, Therapeutic Sound
If music be the food of love play on William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night Tonight all over the world millions of lovers are tucking into their Valentine’s day meal, or a box of choccies that their nearest and dearest has lavished on them. ...
When You’re Feeling Down, Get Down! Sound & Music to Boost Your Mood
February 2, 2017Latest Posts, #TimetoTalk, Group Sound Therapy, Health Benefits, latest, mental health, mood, Music, music therapy, sound therapy, Therapeutic Sound, Wellbeing
“…music occupies more areas of our brain than language does – humans are a musical species” Oliver Sacks Sound is such a powerful vehicle for eliciting and communicating human emotion. In this post I will talk about how, as a ...
Can complementary therapies improve your mental health?
October 10, 2016Latest Posts, creativity, Drums, Group Sound Therapy, Health Benefits, Holistic Therapy, lyz cooper, mental health, music and consciousness, sound therapy, sound therapy research, Therapeutic Sound, Wellbeing
Millions of people worldwide benefit from managing their health and wellbeing with alternative approaches, many of which are thousands of years old. I have been involved in holistic therapies for over 30 years and it is wonderful to see ...
Top 4 ways to improve your creativity
October 6, 2016Latest Posts, creativity, Drums, Gong, Health, Holistic Therapy, medicine, Music, self improvement, sonic, sound therapy, Wellbeing
This week we’re focussing on getting creative, and in particular how you can use sound to get the creative juices flowing. We hope you’ll see how versatile sound can be, and how it can help with relaxation as well as improving the imagin...
A Q&A with Sound Therapy leader Lyz Cooper
September 26, 2016Latest Posts, chickens, chronic fatigue, creativity, Drums, Gong, Health, Holistic Therapy, illness, medicine, Music, sonic, sound therapy, Wellbeing
This week’s blog is dedicated to our very own Lyz Cooper who has been revolutionising the world of holistic health through sound therapy for more than 20 years. With a wealth of knowledge and a position as a research leader in her field,...
7 ways that you can benefit from a Sound Therapy Diploma
September 7, 2016Latest Posts, Group Sound Therapy, Health Benefits, Holistic Therapy, sound therapy
As the holistic and alternative medicine fields expand, there’s never been a better time to get involved and develop your skill set through a Sound Therapy Diploma course. Whether you’re an occupational therapist, nurse, or just someone...
Sound Therapy Affects Consciousness
March 1, 2016Events, Latest Posts, altered states of consciousness, consciousness, music and consciousness, sound bath, sound healing, sound therapy, sound therapy research, Therapeutic SoundHow a simple session with a specific therapeutic sound sequence can reduce pain, improve emotional well-being, calm and clear the mind and a whole host of other positive benefits. BAST now has data to support the effectiveness of...
Lyz Cooper MA, MSc, FICNM Introduction This article intends to provide some insight into musical expectancy and how we, at The British Academy of Sound Therapy (BAST), use it to help improve health and well-being. I will also give some t...
The Origin of Language and the Power of the Voice
March 22, 2016Events, Latest Posts, altered states of consciousness, early language, music and consciousness, origins of language, sound healing, sound therapy, sound therapy research, Therapeutic Sound, voice healing, vowel sounds and healing
Find out how and why the way our language evolved over millennia has resulted in our voices being so beneficial for improving health and well being....
BAST helps Morrisons in search of ‘the cheeriest voice in Britain’
November 23, 2015Events, Cheeriest voice, Christmas, holidaysWe all know how stressful Christmas shopping could be. This is why Morrisons is trying to make this year’s holiday season a little bit more cheerful for us all. In collaboration with Lyz Cooper, founder of The British Academy of Sound...
Have you ever been moved to tears or had goosebumps or chills when listening to your favourite track? Do you find high pitched sounds such as alarms or nails down a blackboard really intrusive or even annoying? Have you ever wondered...
Sounding the Mind of God Description
October 2, 2015Latest Posts, lyz cooper, Sounding the Mind of God, Therapeutic Sound, Therapeutic Sound bookThis is an exciting time to be alive! Advancements in science are helping to support, and add a new dimension to, thousands of years of spiritual teachings. This process is helping to increase the awareness and credibility of holistic...
Energising Yourself
July 30, 2015Latest Posts, music psychology, sound healing, sound therapy, voice healing, Voice therapy
As I write this long overdue post I am in an apartment in Byron Bay, Australia. I have just finished running a five day intensive diploma in voice therapy in Brisbane, drove to Byron and spent a long but enjoyable day today playing and c...
The power of the human voice never ceases to amaze me. Not only does it enable us to communicate, to tell great stories, to share our problems and our successes but it also helps boost our immune system – more of this later in this post....
7th & 8th February 2015 – Module 1 – Gongbaths, Soundbaths and Relaxation Sessions
September 4, 2014Latest Posts, latest
Module 1 – Gongbaths, Soundbaths and Relaxation Sessions – We will explore how to give relaxing sessions using the gong, Himalayan and crystal bowls and how these relaxation sessions affect neurology, biology and...
28th February – 1st March – Module 2 – Rhythm Group Facilitation
September 4, 2014Latest Posts, latest
Module 2 – Rhythm Group Facilitation – Express your story in a rhythmscape offering an outlet for communication beyond words, explore the application of rhythm in a therapeutic context and the use of rhythm games to develop...
Module 3 – Soundscapes, Interactive Sessions, Sonic Art – Explore how to use sound as a dynamic ‘healthy art’ form. Soundscape sessions are interactive, dynamic and fun, encouraging communication, collaboration and artistic...
Module 4 – Working with Unhelpful Narrative – How many of us go through life with unhelpful beliefs that hold us back? This module offers a powerful way to question these beliefs and offers an outlet for expression beyond words. As a re...