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Rabbi Tirzah Firestone, PhD: Harnessing Ancestral Pain...
Our understanding of the severe scope of trauma in our world has greatly expanded in recent years. This includes intergenerational trauma, something that all of us likely carry within. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon speaks with Rabbi Tirzah Firestone about her book Wounds into Wisdom and our collective task to acknowledge, face, and work to heal our invisible wounds and break the cycle of intergenerational trauma.
Tami and Tirzah discuss: the concept of “image deposits” and “task deposits”; dreams containing real-life experiences of our ancestors, and how they are far more common than we might think; the shift from impotence to agency; harnessing our pain as a fuel for growth; how the human nervous system holds on to unresolved trauma despite the debilitating consequences; hypervigilance and the dangers of overactive stress hormones; overcoming self-blame, shame, unworthiness, and isolation; unlearning inherited beliefs that impair our well-being; choosing compassion instead of “othering”; the roots of anti-Semitism; kabbalah, the mystical branch of Judaism; disidentifying from victimhood; the power of being witnessed; why healing intergenerational trauma is a gift to both our ancestors and our descendants; self-regulation and coming back home to ourselves in nurturing ways; a guided practice for finding inner safety amid stressors; alchemizing pain into wisdom (instead of passing it on); and more.
Note: This episode originally aired on Sounds True One, where these special episodes of Insights at the Edge are available to watch live on video and with exclusive access to Q&As with our guests. Learn more at join.soundstrue.com.
E48: Spiritual Awakening: Transcending Lower Self
Spiritual growth involves realizing that our lower self is the ego-driven construct that arises from past experiences, emotional reactions, and stored mental patterns. Most people live disconnected from their true self and are constantly entangled in their thoughts, emotions, and external perceptions. True spirituality is the realization that one’s higher self is the consciousness observing these transient experiences, not the experiences themselves. This leads to liberation from identification with the ego. The ultimate goal is to return to the seat of consciousness and achieve a state of peace, love, and unity while engaging with life as a fully conscious, nonreactive being.
For more information, go to michaelsingerpodcast.com.
© Sounds True Inc. Episodes: © 2025 Michael A. Singer. All Rights Reserved.
E47: Unraveling the Ego: Returning to Pure Awareness
Consciousness is the fundamental essence of your being, distinct from the physical and psychological objects it is conscious of. But your conscious awareness gets so distracted by external objects, thoughts, and emotions, that it becomes identified with them. This identification forms the ego, the false sense of “I.” The spiritual path involves letting go of distractions and false identifications in order to remain in the true “seat of self,” a state of pure awareness and joy. The ultimate realization is reconnecting with the source of consciousness, leading to unity with the divine and a life of peace and ecstasy.
For more information, go to michaelsingerpodcast.com.
© Sounds True Inc. Episodes: © 2025 Michael A. Singer. All Rights Reserved.
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Sah D’Simone: Becoming Spiritually Sassy: Awaken...
Sah D’Simone is a spiritual guide, meditation teacher, transformational speaker, and bestselling author. Born in Brazil, Sah moved to the US when he was 16. Today, he leads a heart-based healing movement rooted in tried-and-true techniques, pioneering a spiritually sassy approach in which joy and authenticity illuminate the spiritual path. In this podcast, Sah speaks with Sounds True founder Tami Simon about his new book, Spiritually Sassy: 8 Radical Steps to Activate Your Innate Superpowers. Tami and Sah also discuss: the importance of reclaiming beauty, playfulness, and lightheartedness on the spiritual path; what it means to be a “joy activist”; Sah’s journey to becoming a spiritual teacher; the innate goodness within each one of us; forgiving the past; the evolution of Indian teachings in the West; the “spiritually sassy” glossary of terms; and much more.
Bret Lyon and Sheila Rubin: Turning Shame into an Ally
Brett Lyon, PhD, SEP, and Sheila Rubin, MA, LMFT, RDT/BCT, are the founders of the Center for Healing Shame and co-creators of the Healing Shame Lyon-Rubin Method. Through their in-person and popular online trainings, they’ve taught hundreds of psychotherapists throughout the world how to more effectively identify and work with shame. With Sounds True, Brett and Sheila have created a new audio series designed for the general public called Healing Shame: How to Work with This Powerful, Mysterious Emotion—and Transform It into an Ally. In this podcast, Sounds True founder Tami Simon speaks with Bret and Sheila about how we can learn to understand and appreciate shame in a deeper way. This healing conversation covers the different types of shame we encounter, normalizes our experiences of shame, and explores how shame, though painful, can actually be a helpful emotion.
Sound Healing & Meditation: How Vocal Toning Can ...
Have you ever sat down to meditate and found it nearly impossible to relax and find the stillness you were hoping for? There’s a little known sound healing secret that may just help you to overcome the initial restlessness when starting your practice.
The secret can actually be found in the opposite of silence, by using the sound of your voice and vocal toning to ground yourself, calm your nervous system, and clear your mind.
How Sound Deepens the Silence
Chanting, mantra, and vocal toning have long been practiced in tandem with silent sitting meditation by both ancient and modern yogis and buddhists. You may have experienced this yourself in a yoga class meditation that starts with three AUM’s. There are different reasons why various types of voice are incorporated into the practice, but when it comes to preparing for silence, knowing this one concept can make all the difference.
When we begin a practice by filling our bodies and our meditation environment with sound, whether that be our own voice, the sound of a singing bowl, gong, harmonium, or other instrument, it creates contrast with silence when the sound is gone. There is a big difference in how we experience silence when the silence is preceded by sound, and once the sound is taken away, the silence can be experienced much more deeply.
Peace Is A Stable Consistent Vibration
The foundational practice here is to use your own voice to create a stable consistent vibration within your body. By repeatedly toning a vowel sound such as Eh, Ah, Oh, Uh, or AUM, on the same note, your body and mind will automatically begin to relax and become more calm and focused. The vagus nerve, which runs through your neck, is right next to your vocal chords, and the effect of the voice on nervous system regulation is well studied.
Vocal toning and humming increases nitric oxide, which can reduce blood pressure, slow the heart rate, and slow brain wave speeds from high functioning beta to slower meditative states of alpha, theta, delta. You can even literally sing yourself to sleep (I know because I’ve done this myself by accident while toning!)
Singing IS Breathwork – Breathing IS Sound Healing
Sound healing is not just about audible frequencies, but also about rhythms and the frequency of rhythms within the body. The breath is one of the most fundamental rhythms we can access for reducing stress and restoring peace within the body.
It is well known that extending an exhale longer than the length of the inhale will slow down the heart rate and calm the nervous system. When we’re singing, toning, humming, and extending the length of that sound, we are essentially extending the length of the exhale to be longer than the inhale.
This is why singing IS breathwork taken to the next level with the sound of your voice. While it may seem a bit awkward at first, your body LOVES the sound of your own voice, and you can nourish your body in profound ways using the gift of this internal instrument.
How to Practice Vocal Toning Before Meditation
Go ahead and get into your meditative position, whether sitting or laying down. For best results, I recommend at least 3-5 minutes of toning or humming to really give yourself time to get lost in the sound.
- Using your voice, find a note that feels comfortable in the moment. This will likely be a lower note in your normal speaking range, or maybe even slightly lower than your normal speaking voice. It should be a note that doesn’t create any strain or tension in your voice, and can allow you to relax while maintaining the pitch.
- Find a vowel sound that feels good to you. For the most grounding and calming effect use Ah, Oh, Uh, or a combination of all three such as AUM (Ah, Oh, Um). For more “clearing effect” EE, and Eh sounds can be effective for releasing stuck and negative thoughts or emotions. Humming with the mouth closed is also a very effective method that can be thought of as singing down into your own body by keeping the sound inside rather than projecting it out.
- At the beginning of each cycle of toning, take a long deep breath through the nose to receive as much breath as you can, and then begin to let the sound emerge from your voice in a slow and controlled manner. Try to extend the length of your sound by releasing only enough breath to create the sound. You may find that after a few rounds of toning you are able to take in more breath and extend your sound for longer periods of time.
- If you feel any self-consciousness, awkwardness, embarrassment coming up, this is totally normal, even for experienced singers! Let it be an opportunity for letting go of any self-judgment and try to stick with the practice. You will find that these feelings will soon go away and will be replaced with feelings of peace and even the experience of timelessness.
- See if you can feel the subtle vibrations traveling through your body. You will likely find that you can feel the sound traveling all the way to your toes, fingers, the hair on your head, various parts of your skin. Just notice where the sound is traveling.
- To take things even deeper, bring in the emotions/intentions of gratitude or love and visualize those positive feelings riding on the sound waves from your voice to every cell of your body, filling yourself with beautiful vibrations.
- Practice for 3-5 minutes or however long feels most comfortable to you, and when you are ready, let your final sounds dissipate into silence. Continue to breathe normally and take notice of how much deeper the silence now feels. You may continue your silent meditation practice from there for however long you desire.
Finding Your Homenote and Balancing Energy with the Voice
If you’re enjoying the use of your voice for stress relief and for starting your meditation practice, there are ways to get even more intentional with the voice. We have the amazing ability to clear energetic blockages, restore balance to energetic deficiencies, and return to a state of peace using our own voices. You can learn more on my website 1:11 Sound Healing.
Nicholas Penn
Nicholas Penn is a life-long musician, producer, and sound therapist with a certification in Sound Healing through Globe Sound Healing Institute. Nicholas is passionate about educating and empowering individuals to access the gift of their own voice to restore peace and improve wellness for themselves and loved ones. He is also a producer for Sounds True and leads strategy and content creation for the Sounds True YouTube channel and Eckhart Tolle Spotify Channel. Learn more at 111soundhealing.com
