Gong Practitioner Training

Prerequisites
It is helpful if participants have had some experience of healing before attending the course.

Assessment
There will be a practical evaluation during Session 3 in which the participants will have to give a supervised gong therapy treatment to another student. Thirty-six practice treatments (Case studies) will need to be carried out and written up to complete the course. Students will also need to complete a 2,000 word essay, and pass a short written examination.

Certificate
At the end of the course, if participants have satisfactorily completed their 36 case studies plus all other coursework, and practitioner assessments, with full attendance at all five sessions, they will be presented with their Gong Practitioner's certificate by the College. A fee of £20.00 will be charged by the College for the Certificate.

To receive their Gong Practitioner's certificate students will need to join the College as Student Members.

The College of Sound Healing is a Member of the Complementary Medical Association (CMA) and the Therapeutic Sound Association (TSA). All the College's Practitioner Training Courses are evaluated and approved by the CMA and the TSA.

Sound Healing Workshops
As well as completing the Gong curriculum students will need to complete one or two additional Sound Healing Workshops to become full College members. These workshops can be taken before or during attending the Gong Course.

Students can choose from one of these options:

• Two one day workshops (minimum 6 hours per day)
• One weekend workshop (minimum 12 hours)
• The College Sound Healing Conference

Students need to do their additional Sound Healing Workshops with College Tutors or attend the College Conference. Any day or weekend workshop shown on the College web site counts as an additional sound healing workshop.

Exceptions are made for students coming to do the Practitioner Training from Overseas. They can attend equivalent workshops in their own country.

College Membership
At Part Two of the Practitioner Training Course you will need to become a Student Member of the College. Student Membership is £40.00 and has a duration of two years, giving you plenty of time to complete your Practitioner Training.
To become a Student Member please go to the Student Membership page.

Once you have completed the Practitioner Training you can become a Member of the College of Sound Healing (MCSH) and the Therapeutic Sound Association (TSA). The cost of College Membership is £50.00 per annum (if paid before February 28th) or £60.00 if paid after February 28th.

Anatomy And Physiology
Students are expected to have a basic knowledge of anatomy and physiology and hold a current first aid certificate.

CPD
Once they have qualified, College Members are expected to choose activities to fulfil a minimum of 20 hours Continuing Professional Development.

Cost
The cost is £290 per weekend workshop. The total cost of the Gong Practitioner Training course is £1,450. Any payments made for the course are non refundable.

Students will need to join the College as a Student Member (Student Membership costs £40.00 for two years which will allow you sufficient time to complete the course) and have insurance cover while they are training. Students will need to purchase a gong, mallets and other instruments for use during the course.

Insurance
The College has a Block Insurance Scheme. The premiums are £35.50 for Student Members and £56.50 for Graduates in the UK. Students need to have insurance cover while they are undergoing the Gong Practitioner Training. Practitioners who already have insurance cover may be able to add Gong Healing to their existing policy at no extra charge.

Books
Gong Practitioner Training Tutor Sheila Whittaker's books ‘Sound Healing With Gongs’ and ‘In the Heart of the Gong Space’ can be ordered by going to - www.sheilawhittaker.com - and then following the links to the Online Shop, Books section.

Gong Volume by Sheila Whittaker

Many of the gongs I use are large high quality gongs made principally by the Paiste Company, as well as the Broder Oetken and Meinl gongs (also made by Broder). Most of the gongs used at my workshops will be over 32 inches in diameter. We do use smaller gongs too. The large gongs have a huge range of tones and are, therefore, capable of producing an enormous amount of sound.

There is a huge amount of power in a large gong. However, I never use the full volume of a large gong. It just is not necessary to bring the sound right up to "the flame" (white noise). I rarely take the sound over 70% of the volume that the gong is capable of. Occasionally during a course I may demonstrate to my students bringing the volume up to the flame, so that they know how it feels.

Playing the gong is a very sacred and profound experience, not to be done for show or theatrical effect. The gong is an ancient sacred healing instrument capable of enormous healing power, and needs to be treated with respect and reverence at all times. In all the years I have been playing, I have used the flame in performance or gongbath situations maybe only 6 times, when it felt right.

We don't need to use the whole volume of a large symphonic gong that has the broadest range of tones. If the gong is played sensitively and well, building up the layers of sound gradually and allowing the gong sound to blossom in its own way and time we will have copious layers of healing overtones and harmonics produced without needing to bring the volume up high.

It's all in the way the gong is played. We can do great healing work at lower volumes, if we play it in the right way and with a respectful attitude, gradually coaxing out the layers of sound. A slow build-up can be incredibly powerful and dramatic if it is done gradually over several minutes or longer. Waves of rising and falling sound can be produced in this way too.

Obviously we need a certain amount of volume in order to achieve the many layers of sound that can be brought out of the gong by sensitive playing, but it should not be overdone. Taking time to build up the sound and bring in the many layers is a skill, and one which does not come overnight. It takes practise, and we get better at it the more we do, and the more experienced we become.

We need to remember that the gong is in charge, and we are just there facilitating. The gong should not be played from the ego; this allows no room for the natural flow, which happens spontaneously when we let the gong lead us. The gong produces the sounds that are needed, and rarely, if ever, will the gong need to be brought up to anything like full volume. If done insensitively or suddenly, this can be shocking and traumatic.

The size of the space we are using, and the proximity of the attendees, also needs to be taken into account when playing a gong. If you are playing outside for instance, higher volumes are necessary as the sound has a larger space to fill. In a large inside space, like a concert hall or church, higher volumes are needed to fill the space.

Conversely, in a small inside space more care is needed, so as not to overwhelm those listening with too much sound. If your client is right next to the gongs, even more care is required, especially near the head and ears. With new clients who haven't experienced the gongs before (always ask before starting if anyone is new to the gong), more care is needed. Sensitivity and adapting to the situation is the key.

Regarding the centre of the gong, my feeling is that the centre is the heart of the gong, and is hallowed ground, a sacred space. I rarely play in the centre for this reason, and feel it's not really appropriate. The main playing area on a Paiste gong is the scraped part, and the rim. These areas offer ample opportunities to make a hugely varied range of sounds (also using a variety of mallets) without needing to play in the centre.

Sheila Whittaker (22.9.2015)

• Gong practitioner finds a sound way to help people deal with stresses of life - Derbyshire Times - 19th March 2019
• Sound and vision: how gongs are bringing inner peace to city dwellers - Amy Fleming, The Guardian - 8th December 2018
• Why Sound Healing?  (pdf 49.0 kBytes)
• Advice To New Gong Players  (pdf 32.97 kBytes)
• Guidelines for Giving a Gongbath  (pdf 67.5 kBytes)
• Buying a Gong by Sheila Whittaker  (pdf 78.5 kBytes)
• The Science, Mystery and Magic of a ‘Gong Bath’
• Books and CDs by Sheila Whittaker