I’d like to introduce Lucy, Michael’s 10-year old Yorkie (by Michael I mean Michael Joly, who created the Tone Therapy System). Three days ago we had to put Lucy down rather unexpectedly, after complications developed during a surgery to retrieve tissue for a biopsy. She was a soft, golden, fun and friendly character and a deeply intelligent dog, able to respond to the names of many people, and make her thoughts and opinions known. She was a great communicator. And she has been with us every step of the way in developing the n.o.w. Tone Therapy System.

What a strange thing it is when someone important, known and beloved, leaves. It is just strange strange strange. The pain of grief is its own crazy thing: it comes in as surprising shocks when you repeatedly discover that a certain someone no longer exists. Lucy is not here anymore to receive her special treat at night, she is just not here. The waves of feeling come and they recede, but there is nothing routine or practiced about this sort of sadness. No matter the belief systems, the faith and acceptance, or the comfort of a relationship that was a beautiful thing to experience, it just hits in ways that have no words—the utter gone-ness of a loved one makes the head spin and the tears hurt in a way that is different from all else.

Lucy adored Michael with all she had. I recall when he was first recording the Tones, I had to get creative to blockade her away from the room where he worked. It never made sense to her to be separated from him, and her joy in reconnecting—even after very short partings—was evident in her squeals and kisses. I was part of Lucy’s world for 5 years, and she and I had grown to love each other without question. But nobody was Michael to her—he completed life where she was concerned.

Michael rises early in the morning (I do not), and Lucy and he would listen to the Tone Therapy System together. She was a highly-strung individual, but would settle in to listen with contentment alongside Michael. It always seems to me that n.o.w., when played for its 3 minutes by ourselves within the environment, or when with others, creates a symbiosis; we not only connect to the moment, but we connect to that which is within the moment—if others are there listening with us, we sort of “blend” for that time. Lucy was a part of this kind of moment more than any other living being besides Michael; she heard the Tones a lot. Thousands of sessions. And so, when I listen now, I hear my way into my connection to her. What does that mean? It’s sort of like, I feel her within the Tones. But is that simply because she was around and listened with us to the Tones? Well…

No—it is not because Lucy listened to the Tones. It is because, by listening to the Tones myself, I find my way to the release of thoughts for a moment and sometimes more. And in that release, I connect, for that moment, with all that is. And in the moment of all that is, even that which appears to have passed is alive. The present moment ends up being the symbiosis of all, and so anything or anyone that “was,” ends up contained in the “is” of the moment—the moment when I transcend thought. The Tones are a huge leap into this kind of release. Whether you listen a thousand times, like Lucy, or one time, you can have the experience of connecting to All.

Using the Tones doesn’t take pain away. But it can in fact make pain a part of all that is not wrong in the Universe, and it reveals a pathway to peace. I don’t mean peace that is because nothing bad happens, I mean peace in the face of life’s complexities.

If those words make no sense, well, peace also makes no sense when you hold it up against everything that is chaos in our world, large and small. Yet, peace is so real that when you hit it you know you have found the Holy Grail, a thing that you cannot cling to no matter how you try, but is there to be found again and again. Peace, joy, kindness—these three life-changers are very interrelated and worthy of more blog space another time. For now, we’ll keep this blog to remembering Lucy. Her spirit resides in the n.o.w. Tone Therapy System, just as yours ALL do. All of us, together. Take a breath and listen for yourself HERE to begin experiencing your own connection to the Tones, to a release of thought, to peace.

Lucy, thank you. I love you. –Alene 

Today I’d like to discuss just one word: “soothing.”

Soothing! It’s sort of bland, isn’t it? I nearly just pass it by, like a little dandelion on the roadside—perfectly pleasant and sunny, but hardly worth my notice. “Soothing” altogether lacks pop and drama.

And yet, that is the point. This modest little word keeps showing up, gently nudging me to see it, to hear its whispered presence and know its incredible, undeniable (and dare I say exciting?) impact.

I suppose I could have just asked any baby. “What is the best thing,” I’d ask the baby, “when you’re tired and haven’t been able to rest, when you’re feeling frustrated and crying, and maybe you don’t even know why; what would you like to feel?”

The baby looks at me like I’m crazy, because to the baby the answer is the most obvious one in the world: “I would like to feel soothed,” it tells me frankly. Ah! And just like that I begin to resonate with the wonders of this word, its reality. I get it. There is nothing bland about it!

Now we’ll let the baby nap and I’ll show you why this word has demanded my notice, in the form of feedback that comes our way regularly. It amazes me what people get, collectively, from their individual experiences with the n.o.w. Tone Therapy System. Here we go:

“…speakers that emit soothing, clear tones that help in relaxing the body and mind.”

“The tones these speakers produce are very soothing… Focusing on the sounds is very calming.”

“I love the soothing tones.”

“They (the Tones) relax and soothe his entire body.”

“I love how the tones are different each time and they truly are soothing.”

“…the practice of focusing in on one to see if I still hear it plus paying attention to how many times the other makes tones is soothing for me.”

“Once I have settled into a comfortable position and turn on the speakers, the soothing sounds help me relax and let go of thoughts instantly.”

“The musical tones are beautiful, rich, and soothing.” 

“I love the sound of these. I put them on before I start work in my home office and the tones soothe and center me.

 “The tones are very soothing which makes the devices excellent for meditation mood setting.”

“These are very unique! Beautiful, peaceful and grounding! A simple and effective tool for regulation, healing and peace! I work with a group of teen age trauma survivors, teaching yoga and meditation. They LOVE these and we have found them to be helpful in calming their nervous system. They not only have these soothing sounds, they are calming to hold.”

Gah! There are so many more, but you get the idea. With each review that I read, I swell up more with emotion, and I am touched to the core. People, living these lives which are steeped in such profound levels of stress, are getting relief. They feel soothed. SOOTHED! This is hard-core goodness.

Have you ever been stuck in a room with a buzzing fluorescent light? After a while your brain will adapt, more or less, and maybe at some point you aren’t consciously aware of the noise. But have you experienced what it feels like when someone turns the light switch off and the buzzing suddenly stops? It is the sweetest relief on earth, altogether better, a huge “ahhhh, phew—peace.” This is what “soothing” means to mean.

I really do get it now: soothing is better than its absence. And its effects can last long past where the relief came in, to be the beginning of many things “better” to follow. Without if for ourselves we can barely be expected to bring it to another! It is in fact the opposite of bland, now that I think of it, and is more kick-A** radical at shaping a new world, one soothed person at a time.

Thanks for reading, and thank you for continuing to inspire me and give me a chance to figure out even more about the wonders of n.o.w.! And I appreciate the customers who leave feedback and have been pelting me with this one word like it is snowballs, til I finally took it between the eyes and woke up.

The n.o.w. Tones sure do help us to be better people on the inside, so that we can be our most wonderful selves on the outside. Also, I vow to start noticing and appreciating dandelions more. What a good day!  –Alene

Go ahead and treat yourself to a 3 minute session of the Tones right HERE!

Review of n.o.w. Tone Therapy System:
“I have been using these for myself and with groups of children. It is pure magic because it cannot be described with words how these sounds get inside your mind and soothe you. I was at a school working with 150 restless children. I told the Principal I was going to meditate with them for 3 minutes. Her response: ‘Good luck.’ Well, I stood there with my eyes closed. To my right and to my left a child held each speaker. The room grew still as the children focused on the gentle tones. I could physically feel their minds slowing down. By the time we were done it was like the clouds had lifted. We were all in the same room, in the same school, on the same planet. Instant clarity.”
–Barry Lane