Silent Sounds
The Chinese have an ancient healing art which involves the making of sounds, which are sometimes vocalised and sometimes not. Each sound is associated with a particular organ, which in turn is associated with a particular emotion.
There are more than half a dozen different methods, dating back over a thousand years, detailing and disagreeing on every aspect of the practice. It is not that some are right and some wrong, but rather that the reasons for their efficacy are not properly explained.
Our physical emotional responses in times of duress, are natural mechanisms designed to cope with the situation. Afterwards, these responses are always associated with the duress. The conscious enacting of these responses at other times, can serve as a strong reinforcer to an associated desired intention, and it is this yoking that is the purpose of these healing sounds.
It is all about yoking sensations and thoughts, linking emotions which have a physical aspect, with intentioned mental reworking, and thereby transfusing negative emotions into positive ones. This is the manipulation of the psycho-somatic mechanism.
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The organs of the body are contained within sacks which literally hang from suspensions inside the body's cavity. Their free motility within this system is necessary to keep them healthy, and this can be achieved with an internal massaging of them. The method is by focusing attention on them by using subtle manipulation of the breath, as is used in making sounds.
If you place your hand on the back of your neck, just under the skull, and move your eyes to the left and right, you should be able to feel the muscles in your neck twitch in readiness for the head to move in the direction your eyes are turning to. There is no direct neural connection between your eyes and your neck; the response is a conditioned anticipation from normal every day activity. This illustrates the same type of thing happening with the making of the silent sounds, and the feeling of the internal organs being moved by the sinews and tendons and whatever, that accompany the anticipated action, and why the feeling still occurs when the sound is absent but initiated. It is a conditioned reaction, and as it is the organs motility that we are trying to instantiate for health purposes, once the technique is acquired, there isn't even any need to go through with the motions of the actual sound making—audible or not. Once a handle to the effect has been achieved, we can use it directly without any method to assist us. The sounds and their inaudible equivalent are very useful in the beginning to learn this organ massage, but they are not necessary once you have learnt the technique, as they are just the way of teaching us so that we can access the feeling—a pointer to what is to be done. Whether the sound is actually made or just pretended, has caused much confusion over the centuries, and has been caused by teachers who teach what they have been taught, but only repeat the litany and don't explain what is really happening, because they don't really know.
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Lungs
In a state of great grief, you may have noticed that you have a particular sensation in the chest, as if it is being squeezed and contracted. Like resistance, a refusal to acknowledge what has happened. This seems to be a natural response and is the same sensation that is achieved by using the technique of forcing air out of your lungs while making a "ssss" sound. If you pretend to make this "ssss" sound but actually don't, you can feel the lungs going through the intended motion, with the consequent massaging effect.
This is why there is disagreement on whether the sound should be silent or not, because it is only a precursor to the action, and once the feeling has been acquired and can be invoked, there is no need for the sound or even the pretending of it as in the sub-vocal performance—you can just do it.
I do not believe that the physical performing of this will alleviate any sorrow, but rather it is a recognition that this is what the body does naturally in this situation. If it is accompanied by imaginations that are healing or beneficial in some way, then they would be strengthened by the physical sensation acquired from the performance. There is also a continuity of sensation to the colon, which is paired with the lungs in Chinese medicine,
The sound "sss" is also the sound that we make when we don't like something. "Boo" and "Hiss", both initiate the same feeling in the chest. I wonder if this has anything to do with not wanting something.
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The hissing sound that the letter 's' makes while speaking was annoying to me before I could talk, and I resolved to not perpetuate the silly hissing sounds that everyone made unnecessarily. I was aware that the lengths of the sounds of all other letters were relatively short apart from the letter 's', which seemed too drawn out, and produced an almost painful experience from the high frequencies to the sensitive ears of a baby. I was determined that I would not do this, and so when I began speaking, I consciously used a very short 's' with minimal hissing. This was interpreted as a speech defect and I was taken to a speech therapist who made me make exaggerated hisses while saying 'snake', to compensate for my perceived incapability. I thought that they were all wrong but did not have the verbal skills necessary to argue my point and so compromised myself and did it purely to appease everyone. I now hiss all over the place just like everyone else and am as unaware of it as the hissing adults who insisted that this was how it was done. Just remember, that to the pre-talk infant you appear to them to be really quite stupid!
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Liver
The liver is traditionally associated with anger and irritability and the syllable "shh". Other people have given the sound as "hsu", "shu", "shoo", "xu", but these are all just spelling differences and there is quite consistent agreement on the actual sound made. I have found that it is the initial "sh" which produces the locating of the organ and the following vowel sound extends this sensation, but only if vocalized or done with strong focusing.
Frustration or anger is an inability to come to terms with the imperfection of the world or ourselves which we know should be perfect, or at least a lot better than we perceive it to be. It is insisting that things are the way that the mind can see they could be, but unfortunately are not like that at this time. Ultimately, this is not trusting the way things are going, and we need to "shh" ourselves to prevent the misery that occurs from the anachronism. The mind sees the future and insists that it is now. Our winters of discontent are due to our insisting that spring occurs in January.
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Stomach
"Hoo" is linked to the stomach and over thinking. Making the sound reverberate adds to its gravity and earthing effect.
When "Hu" is combined with the liver sound "shh", we get "hush", which we can use to stop the future and past thinking and worrying, and compose ourselves and be quiet. With the stomach being under the left side of the bottom of the rib cage, and the liver being on the right corresponding side, "hush" activates the entire lower thorax internally, and can be used as the sensation for this quiescence. It is quite quieting. It has become a word to be used to quieten others, but it can only work upon oneself.
Another spelling of "Hoo" is "Who". The question "who am I?", brings the recognition that "who" applies only to relative identification between human beings, and is therefore a social question, and this is usually the realm of the brooding thoughts which need to be cessated. The real root under the "who" is no one, and this realisation silences the mind and brings peace. The real you is incomparable.
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As I get older I realize more and more that such a lot of the lessons in other systems are aimed at age related conditions, but are taught regardlessly to all ages. The advice of not exercising after a meal, is a lot about the increasing slackness of the oesophageal sphincters in older people, and not wanting to allow unwanted regurgitation or reflux. As a child I never had any problem running around and playing after a meal.
The Indian bandas are all about strengthening these sphincters. The most important ones are the anal, urinary and oesophageal—all the ones keeping inner contents in. These all need to be exercised and strengthened as tissue integrity diminishes with age.
It is the lower oesophageal sphincter, rather than the upper oesophageal sphincter, that is most in need of controlling for the stomach. The sphincters are muscles which can be accessed consciously if the mind focuses strongly at the point, just like the organs. This lower oesophageal sphincter though, is a little tricky. It lies behind the solar plexus and is surely a key point to focus upon to maintain physical capability (especially for use in the horizontal and upside down positions).
I have found it possible to become aware of the lower oesophageal sphincter, as it seems to contract simultaneously when the upper oesophageal sphincter in the throat is contracted. This is the sensation to tune into which can lead to the capability of control, and I have found that the silent saying of "I" allows attention to focus upon this lower oesophagus by the sensation it engenders, exercising it and hopefully keeping it in better working condition.
All this "who" and "I" in the area considered to be the chakra of ego!
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But perhaps the "Hu" could be pronounced more like "Hur", which gives it a more guttural sound which seems to resonate quite well with this area, similar to the "Haa" of the heart but more lower down and Earthy. It is also the sound that is made when depressed, which is the associated negative emotion with this organ. If so, then perhaps this also should be vocally performed rather than silent as the vibrations may have a part to play. It is a much broader sensation but perhaps too close to the heart sound for it to be effective within a system. I also find that the silent "Hur" is shallower than the silent "Who", with the "Who" feeling deeper and more directed to the area. But who am I to say which one to use?
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Kidneys
The syllable for the kidneys is "Fu", although "Chway", "Chroooeee", "Chu", and "Foo" are also recommended. I find "Chway" to be a broader sensation in the area of the kidneys, and "Fu" to be narrower and more precise and give a better feeling of strength, which is the counter to fear, which is the negative emotion associated with the kidneys. Maybe this is why the word "fuck" is so popular as a swear word as it gives this feeling of power when said. You can feel the "fu" in the middle of your back when you say it.
The purpose of swearing is to use unrelated or unassociated words within a sentence to produce grammatical emphasis. Because the word is used out of context, it has greater impact and emphasises whatever word it has juxtaposition with. If used too frequently the emphasis is lost and it becomes an ineffective use of grammar. Therefore swearing is effectively just bad grammar when the word is used too frequently or inappropriately. It is a useful addition to our vocabulary as a method of communicating our feelings. Society’s over reaction to swearing is quite ridiculous. There can be no bad words; they can only ever be just sounds used to represent things.
The kidneys are paired with the bladder in Chinese medicine, and I have discovered that the sound of "Fu" and "Chway" effect the bladder as well as the kidney area, though both in different ways. If you apply gentle pressure to the bladder with your fingers touching in a "V" shape, you can feel the bladder being moved by the silent sound. The "Fu" lifts it from underneath, while the "Chway" makes it sink and slip away. Both silent sounds must be having some massaging effect on these organs, but also must be doing so while making sound while speaking words. Perhaps talking is giving an internal massage to the organs. Perhaps talking is good for you. Perhaps being silent is better.
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Heart
'Haa' is the sound for the heart, and the emotion of joy. Other recommended sounds are "Hawwwww", "Ho", "Khe", and "Her".
While lying in bed one morning at about the age of 8 or 9, I was playing with my tummy button, which due to my thinness, protruded rather than being of the normal indented form. For some reason I started to pull it upwards, as if to discover its true form, and in response to which I could feel the fibres within my belly tearing a little as the umbilical cord released itself from its congealed collagenous matting and became free once more. This produced a fantastic sense of well-being, which in turn elicited in my making spontaneous "Haaa" sounds, strongly vibrating in my chest and contributing to my wondrous feeling of love and joy. I continued making these "Haaa" sounds (a bit like a donkey), throughout the morning, and couldn't remember ever feeling better.
I wonder if this is a demonstration of the link between the small intestine and the heart, which are paired in Chinese medicine. The acupoint at the navel is called Shenque, with Shen refering to the heart.
It was at about this age that I developed the ability to spontaneously perform the Yoga technique of Nauli, which is an advanced technique of isolating the abdominal muscles, which Yoga adepts do with a lot of fuss and special postures and effort and years of training, but which I was able to do easily and instantaneously, lying down or standing up, at will. The abdominal muscles would just snap into the distinctive narrow central ridge, with an ease just like clicking my fingers (which at that age I actually couldn't do). I showed it to my brother who was 9 years older, and he recognised it from yoga pictures and descriptions, but because it was performed standing up and without any fuss, he presumed it couldn't be the real thing and dismissed it as nothing special, and I never did it again or even showed it to anyone else.
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The 'Haa' sound has a very noticeable reverberating in the chest when performed, which is key to this technique and the reason why this may not be best used as a sub-vocal method. But it is common for me to experience strong vibrations in this area which I used to think were heart palpitations until I was able to differentiate the two, and monitor a quite normal pulse while the vibrations were happening. They usually occur during a hypnagogic or hypnopompic state and surely must be the experience of the heart chakra. I wonder if these chakra vibrations of the heart could be considered to be a non-vocal form of the silent sound, but alas, I have not mastered the ability to create these at will.
Consciously making this "Haaa" sound, is the quickest way of entering into a state of joy and happiness, and never fails to make me make a beaming smile.
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But it is the case that any of these 'sounds' (except maybe the "Haa"), could actually be bent to be associated with any of the organs, because it is ultimately the mind that amplifies the sensation, and their locations are detected thereby. But I have found that the above sounds do have a noticeable physical association with the specific areas, and I do not recommend playing with this, as it is the mental association that is important and what is being acquired here, and needs to be kept consistent and not confused. At the end of the day though, it is all just mental tricks; methods to achieve the focussing of the mind within the body, and it is our mind that creates our reality.
There is such a plethora of different methods to achieve the same thing, as many as there are languages to describe what is happening. Each different method is attributing importance to an aspect of the technique which is often nothing more than an accompaniment; a focus point or even a deliberate distraction. There is a root to it all, that when understood allows you to see through all the facade and extract the core working for your utility, which is what it is all about eventually.
