Vibro Acoustic Therapy User Manual – PROFESSIONAL VERSION By Olav Skille

VAT USER MANUAL. PROFESSIONAL. VERSION September 2000.

Olav Skille, Telefon: 477 58 112

Vibroacoustic therapy,e-post: olav@skille@org Postboks 381, 3101 Tønsberg

NB: Never change medication prescribed by your physician without prior consultation – even if you should experience reduction of discomfort!!

The ACOUVE mattresses and cushion are the latest development of Vibroacoustic ® Therapy equipment combination and method. The special frequencies are developed by Olav Skille during the last 30 years Further research and development of equipment combinations and frequencies is still going on.

Listen to your body.

Most of us have every-day issues which are reducing our life quality.. When our ailments become too bothersome, we seek help from our physician in order to get medical help. Even with good and adequate medication it can happen that we are not able to keep the discomfort at bay. Our body still is complaining. Vibroacoustic ® Therapy (VAT) – Low Frequency Sound Massage – can reduce pains and discomfort and enhance life quality considerably.

We know that sound is perceived by the ear. Most of us are little aware of the fact that we can receive sound via the whole body – but we usually perceive sound transferred to the body as vibrations. VAT is developed in order to be harmless and to give the body full benefit of the positive effect of controlled low frequency sound.

Vibrations are one of the properties of life – and are a necessary prerequisition for development of all life. We are surrounded by sounds and vibrations, but all our verbal concepts about sound are irrevocably assicoated with binaural perception of sound. We do not have concepts in our language describing the positive effects of low frequency sound. The adult body has not forgotten the positive effect of the life-developing sound vibrations in the uterus. The memories remain in us on a cellular level. Evoking these memories can contribute to re-establish the harmonic state of a human being in positive development. VAT is re-creating the inborn re-creational systems in our organism.

ACOUVE and Olav Skille have developed a controlled method of transferring this low frequency sound massage directly to our body. Our bodies consist mainly of water, and can – acoustically – be compared with a water-filled sack. Sound transferred to any single point of the sack will be transferred by the watery substances to any part of the body – and will give mechanical massage to virtually every cell of the body. Even the brain will receive vibrations when we apply sound along the spine.

A suffering body is sending signals that some thing is not as it ought to be – and it remembers the soothing cell-massaging intrauterine sound environment.

Vibroacoustic ® Therapy (VAT)

The basic theory of Vibroacoustic ® Therapy was first defined by Olav Skille and Juliette Alvin in 1968 in an attempt to envision a possible development of the theory and practise of traditional music therapy. The first prototypes of equipment were assembled in 1980 and – as a result of Skille’s presentations in congresses, symposia, articles in journals, lectures in universities and presentation on Internet, the method and equipment were modified by several therapists and producers of equipment. Body perception of sound has been used for communicative purposes in the education of deaf children. However, sound perception is mainly associated with binaural perception and harmful effects of environmental noise. The harmful effect of noise exposure has been thoroughly described in several contexts.

Music has an even more complicated frequency spectrum than noise and speech. The variety of frequency elements is so great that it is impossible to define which musical elements that are effective in a music therapy session.

Tony Wigrams wrote his PhD based on the first VAT sound cassettes, which contained a mixture of music and frequencies. He named this mixture “Vibroacoustic Music” (VAM) and most therapists around the world are using VAM or pure musical stimuli in their work.

Olav Skille refined the concept of VAT to the use of one, amplitude modulated, sinusoidal tone in order to have exact control over the stimuli that are transferred to the human body. Both VAT and VAM can use the same technical equipment to transfer the stimuli.

VAT has only one sound element and makes it possible to define which frequencies have specific therapeutic effects. VAT programs are made with varying distance between the monotonous amplitude tops. The pulsation speed is interfering with the disturbed intrapersonal communication signals and tries to harmonize mental and physical disharmony in order to create a general feeling of well-being.

VAT as an adjunct to medical therapy

VAT is poison free and does not use foreign substances. The sound stimuli which are used are increasing the production of stress hormones (Beta-endorphine, ACTH and Cortisol) in the body. The primary effect of VAT is that it adds mechanical stress to our organism,- just as we add stress to our body when we are jogging. Afterwards we experience relaxation and well-being. When we experience VAT stress, the brain starts producing stress hormones, and we reach the stress-hormone peak after about 15 minutes. At the same time the body feels the positive effect of the gentle, all-encompassing sound massage which unconsciously is interpreted as calming and relaxing. The positive , “silent jogging” effect of VAT can give positive effect on persons who are sitting in a wheelchair, are lying in bed, or are understimulated physically or neurologically. It can give them a positive hormonal substitute for physical exercise.

VAT is a positive ”add-on” for any other therapy we use – it does not matter if it is medicines, physiotherapy, chiropractic, acupuncture or other alternative therapies. The Estonian pediatrician Saima Tamm described VAT as ”adaptogenic therapy” – a therapy which has effects which makes the body “choose” the effects it needs in almost all circumstances, The organism feels the signals which are on the outlook for total harmony, and creates reactions in the body than can satisfy the signalled needs.

When shall we NOT use VAT?

By presence of a recent thrombosis which can start moving to the lungs or brain..

By psychotic or pre-psychotic symptoms.

Use with care if the blood pressure is very low (hypotonia).

Use with extreme care if there is a recent physical trauma.

Description of equipment.

A full-body bedpad from ACOUVE Inc..

An amplifier connected to CD/MP3 player

5 VAT-VISIC therapy CDs or a medium containing equivalent frequency files

What is on the CDs?

Each therapy CD has normally one track for professional use. Each track has a duration of 23 minutes.

Each sound-track consists of one, pulsating, frequency. This is a pure technical sound and can not be said to be music, even if it is a sound track. The pulsation is even and unchanged through the entire therapy session.

Monotony is recognized to be a very important element in VAT.

After 40.000 hours of collective experience we have, empirically, chosen 5 frequencies which may be considered to be the basic frequencies of VAT. For more specialized use, we can make customized therapy programs. All programs have an analgetic and relaxing effect.

RED. Stimulates blood circulation, reduces spasms, increases sleep, reduces blood pressure. Abdominal massage, sport injuries,

ORANGE. Massage for lung issues, Asthma bronchiale, Cystic Fibrosis and COPD..

YELLOW. Reduces most low back pains. Reduces menstrual pains. Can reduce climacterial problems. Softening of scar tissue.

GREEN. Analgetic effect on medium sized muscles. Reduces tensions in neck and shoulder muscles. Frozen shoulder.

BLUE. May have positive effect on headache, migraine, post stroke and some neurological issues.

These CDs have their main effect on the specific areas which are described here, but it is not harmful to try the other frequencies in order to test their effect instead of the first choice. If you in cooperation with the patient find it necessary to double the length of the therapy session, you can use two different CDs in succession – or repeat the firat session.

Each CD is labelled with the colours of the situations for which the CD has proved to have the most profound effect. When you have more experience with the effect of the CDs you can freely switch between frequencies – because many symptoms of distress come from a combination of problematic areas.

Remember:

You may find differences in the volume effect of the CDs- even if the recording level is the same on all CDs. If the patient feels uneasy, reduce volume or try another frequency.

The whole body is sponging up the effect of the one frequency which is in use. You may experience that the effect is felt differently in different parts of the body. This is because the body can need different frequencies in different organs.

It is because of the harmonizing effect of the sound massage that the effect can be felt stronger in the parts of the body which benefit most from the therapy

Heat effect.

Some patients experience heat during the therapy session. This is because the body is receiving mechanical energy, and will absorb about 2 % of the transferred energy.

Both amplifier and mattress will develop some heat during use. Use your hand and feel the heat on the surface of the amplifier. Be careful so it will not be too warm. You can reduce the heat production by reducing the volume somewhat. You will not damage the amplifier if you use it at normal volume level. (Unpleasant vibration or sound = too loud volume level)

How do I use the BedPad?

Assemble the equipment according to the manual packed with the BedPad. Choose CD according to the therapeutic procedure effect you want to obtain..

Let the patient lie on the BedPad. Put a small pillow under the patient’s neck. The patient can lie on the back, the side or in prone position. The sound waves will in any case penetrate and massage every cell of the body. If necessary, use pillow support to obtain a comfortable position. Normally, the transducer section is placed under the torso. Along the spine.

If you are treating leg sores, varicose veins, or other conditions which require maximum massage effect to the lower extremities, turn the BedPad so that the part of the BedPad with most transducers is under the part of the body that needs most concentrated vibrations. This can also be done to treat muscular overuse symptoms from sport, or heavy gardening.

You can use your own experience to find conditions which will respond positively to low frequency sound massage. The main areas of use are connected with relaxation, spasm reduction, stress reduction and vasodilatory effects. VAT stimulates the brain and has a psycho-physiologic effect much like normal skin contact/stimulation. VAT is calming and anxiolytic at lower volume levels.

What is VAT doing with us?

We are being massaged by low frequency (low/deep) sound waves which are felt as vibrations. The vibrations can also be heard. BLUE is perceived to be louder than RED , and the volume has to be adjusted accordingly. The sound waves are so long that they penetrate all body tissue – which absorbs about 2 % of the energy that is transferred. The effect can be described in a few main points – and all conditions which respond positively on VAT therapy will come from one or more of the effects that aredescribed below.

Skin surface massage and deep tissue massage.

Changing the viscosity of phlegm in lungs.

Deep massage of intestines.

Effect on smooth and striped muscles.

Analgesia

Stimulating blood circulation.

Has a marked effect on systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

Has a marked effect on stress-hormone levels.

Marked effect on the vegetative nervous system..

General stimulation of the body has a central stimulating effect.

The effect on COPD, Cystic Fibrosis or Asthma can be explained by the reduced viscosity of the phlegm in the bronchies and lungs. The spasmolytic effect also has effect on bronchospasms. Correct choice of frequency may also stimulate the coughing reflex. VAT can have the same physiologic result as heat treatment and physical massage, but the vibration effect is evenly distributed, smooth, and lasts for 23 minutes.

NB: VAT-VISIC has an immediate pleasurable effect, but some therapeutical effects can appear several hours, maybe the day after the therapy session. Repeated therapy sessions will increase the cumulative effect of the therapy series.

Which symptoms have been treated ?

VAT has been in daily use since the beginning of the 1980ies by therapists and inventors all over the world. Some of them have published theses and reports on different populations and conditions. Many reports are of anecdotal nature. Large-scale medical projects are non-existent. Most reports have been written about ailments/pains/spasms in the muscle-skeletal system.

VAT is used in several brands of vibroacoustic equipment. There is until no unified use of frequencies. The therapists who have been cooperating with Olav Skille are using identical sound stimuli. Their results can be compared with all other therapists using the same frequencies.

The most usual positive effects have – until now – been found when treating symptoms in:

Ashtma/Bronchitis/COPD/Cystic Fibrosis.

Back pains.

Cerebral Paresis.

Decubitus ulcers.

Depression

Fibromyalgia/Fibrositis

Frozen shoulder

Headache.

Impaired blood circulation.

Insomnia

Menstrual pains – dysmenhorrea.

Morbus Bechterew

Multiple Sclerosis. .

Muscular over-use syndrome. .

Neck/shoulder pains.

Parkinsonism.

Polyartritis.

Post-operative conditions – scarring.

Pre-menstrual tension (PMT)

Rheumatism

Spastic conditions/cramps.

Sport injuries.

Stomach pains/constipation/colic.

Stress .

Stroke

Old scarring discomfort

This does not mean that these conditions will heal. But usually we find that the patients are experiencing considerably improved life quality. Not only for the primary reason the seek us, but after a series of 10 sessions, they often report positive effect on other conditions. Keep a note of these observations, and share them with other VAT therapists, f. ex. on the http://isva.info website.

Normally therapy starts with 2 sessions per week for 5 weeks. Thereafter maintenance intervals must be found for each person. Some patients will need many daily sessions in order to keep quality at a desirable level. In such cases, recommend VAT equipment for home use. The VAT cushion is ideal for home use.