Toby Christensen - The Healing Drummer

Toby Christensen - The Healing Drummer

Toby Christensen, The Healing Drummer, is a recognized expert and innovator in the field of healing music. "Change Your Rhythm and Change Your Life" is the foundation of his healing therapies, his teachings and his music. Toby uses sound energy from the drum to create a force that disrupts unhealthy patterns and then combines elemental rhythms to restore and realign the mind, body and spirit. Toby travels across the country reaching thousands of people through his healing sessions, drumming circles, workshops, and interactive concerts. His mission is to show people the healing power and transformative energy of drumming.

How does it work? Science has already shown that we are energetic beings vibrating to rhythms on both a cellular and sub-atomic level. Toby's combination of ancient drumming and modern science called, Sound Attunement Therapy, helps to reconfigure your bio-energetic structure promoting healing and restoring energy. Recent studies acknowledge that therapeutic drumming is effective in dealing with a wide range of mental, physical and emotional issues including: pain and stress relief, immune system function, AIDS, high blood pressure, adrenal failure, cancer, depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. But you only need to talk to Toby's clients to be convinced of the healing power of drumming. Time and time again, people report feeling magically transformed with unbelievable energy after an experience with Toby, to live a more healthy and satisfying life.

Toby is a study in contrasts, part rock drummer part ancient healer and a bundle of kinetic joyous energy. He has taken a long and amazing journey to find his passion and mission in life. A childhood drumming prodigy he grew up playing in professional bands and he still brings that boyish energy to his current work. Always religious, he went to divinity school and became a pastor of one of the largest churches on the west coast. After becoming disillusioned with the big business of religion, Toby changed his life dramatically. He plunged into business and found success as a senior executive for a major corporation and then as an entrepreneur with a successful line of coffee stores, Greyhawk Coffee.

Throughout all of this, Toby continued to search a greater meaning in his life. At a retreat he was introduced to the African teacher and drummer, Malidoma Some', the connection was instantaneous and they drummed together long into the night. "It was as if everything woke up in me all at once. My new life began that day." Toby began intensive study in both Healing Drumming and Shamanism. He went to Africa to study with Malidoma and Ritual Master Sobonfu Some'. He also studied Native American Drumming and at the Foundation for Shamanic Studies. After years of study under these experts and with their blessings, he went out on his own.

Toby has authored books and articles and recorded many CD's and his concerts are energetic interactive experiences of music, drumming and dancing. He travels from his home in Portland, Oregon across the country to conduct individual and group healing sessions, drumming circles, classes and workshops. Toby is the inventor of Sound Attunement Therapy. His latest therapeutic invention is the Crystal Healing Bed, an amazing construct of copper, crystals, and sacred geometry that intensifies the healing forces of the drum. Toby has just introduced the 5 Element Drumming DVD and CD where he teaches you how to use your drum as a tool of personal empowerment. He also shares the meaning and energy of the 5 Elements of the Dagara West African Medicine Wheel. Toby also works with organizations and groups in numerous communities. From speeches and corporate team-building to out-reach programs for youth and the elderly.

www.healingdrummer.com
toby@healingdrummer.com

Whole-Self Well-Being

I got this via email and want to pass it on
Whole-Self Well-Being
How The Body Clears Energy
Whole-self well-being is, in part, the result of a harmonious flow of energy between our physical and mental selves. When this flow is thrown out of balance for any reason, the body and mind react to one another rather than act cooperatively. Ongoing stress, sadness, anxiety, excitement, and fear can overwhelm the cerebral self, causing traumatic energy to be channeled into the body. The body then responds by taking steps to organically dispel the energy that has burdened it and expressing it by means of physical symptoms such as illness, fatigue, or disease. In some cases, these symptoms can simply be allowed to run their natural course and recovery will come about naturally. In most instances, however, health and wellness can only be restored by a dual course of treatment that acknowledges both the physical manifestations of energy clearing and the underlying emotional causes.

Many of the ailments we experience over the course of our lives can be indicative of the body's attempts to process intellectual and emotional energy. Swollen glands, for example, can signal that you are going through a period of emotional cleansing. Even something as simple as a pimple can indicate that your body is ridding itself of toxins and old energy. In Chinese medicine, intense emotions are held in the body's organs as a matter of course. Grief lurks in the lungs, anger inhabits the liver, fretfulness lingers in the heart, worry is held in the stomach, and the kidneys harbor fright. Particular illnesses and symptoms represent the body's attempts to clear emotional energy. Coughs or bronchitis can signify that the physical self is clearing away grief while a loss of appetite may signal that worry is being actively addressed.

When you feel ill or imbalanced, treating your whole self rather than treating the physical self alone can empower you to determine the root cause of sickness. Since you understand that your physical symptoms may be an expression of emotional discomfort, you can establish a balanced treatment regimen to ensure that you quickly recover your good health.

Toby Christensen is a Master Drummer and Shamanic Practitioner, who has over 30 years of professional drumming experience. He has toured internationally with rock and gospel music groups and has performed frequently as a ritual drummer in both African and Native American ceremony. He is trained on the trap set, the African Djembe, congas and the hoop drum also known as the Shaman's Drum. He has studied in Africa with Sobonfu and Malidoma Some’ from the Dagara Tribe in Burkina Faso, Chief Nana Depah of Ghana, and in the U.S. with a Chief of the Lakota Nation and other Native American teachers. He is a Ritual drummer for Sobonfu Some’ here in the U.S. and has studied Shamanism with Michael Harner and the Foundation for Shamanic Studies.

SOUND ATTUNEMENT THERAPY

Sound attunement Therapy is the use of vibrational energy in a process which brings the mind, body, emotions, and psyche of an individual or group into harmony.

Recent studies suggest that therapeutic drumming increases immune system function, controls pain, relieves stress, and has been successful in treating serious conditions such as substance abuse, alcoholism, AIDS, adrenal failure, high blood pressure and cancer.

Other research suggests that therapeutic drumming is also effective for treating emotional disorders such as depression, anger, and anxiety.

Sound Attunement Therapy works by producing a bio-energetic reconfiguration of a persons energy system which effects the physical body, mind, and emotions. It produces the energetic structure to promote heal and restore a person’s natural healthy rhythms. Bio-Energetic Reconfiguration‘is the transformation or rearrangement of energy in and between living organisms and between living organisms and their environment, to enhance self-awareness, well-being and relieve physical, spiritual, and emotional maladies.

www.healingdrummer.com
toby@healingdrummer.com

Hawk Medicine - From Daily OM

Hawk Medicine
The Power Of Perspective
Hawks have the power to soar high above the earth, giving them a perspective previously only available to the inhabitants of the heavens above. Because of this, people from various cultures throughout history have seen them as messengers of spirit, bringing wisdom from the heavens and the value of their higher vision down to earth. From their vantage point, riding on the wind and sunlight, they remind us today that there is a bigger picture to be seen. When we get bogged down with the details of what is right in front of us, hawks help us remember that we are part of a larger plan and that everything fits together beautifully and perfectly. Once in this expanded frame of mind, we can harness their reputation as visionaries, using their keen eyesight to focus on the exact spot that truly needs our attention. With inspiration and focus on our goal, hawks teach us how to interpret and then follow our personal vision.

Hawks were thought to be able to look directly into the sun and see what is not visible to the rest of us. Using our spiritual vision, we too can look deeply into the inner light that guides us, seeing clearly what is not visible unless sought: our personal truth glowing within us. With that knowledge, we, like the hawk, can confidently ride the winds of chance, moving as one with the flow of whirling energy. This ability is what inspired the Egyptians to make hawks the hieroglyphic symbol for the wind.

The hawk's ability to live on land but visit the sky is a good reminder for us all. They remind us that their strength and survival comes from communing regularly with the spirit and bringing the guidance received into earthly affairs. Soaring in the province of the heavenly bodies of the sun, the stars, and the wind that moves the clouds reminds us to consider a larger perspective, one that inspires us to move through the world we inhabit with strength, certainty, and grace.

Toby Christensen is a facilitator of healing and positive change using the power of sound. He is a Master Drummer, Spiritual Teacher, Shamanic Practitioner, and an Ordained Minister. With experience as a corporate executive, entrepreneur, public speaker, musician, and spiritual leader, Toby relates to a wide range of human experience. He connects with compassion and deep understanding to the struggles and challenges of everyday life with a proactive, solution oriented methodology. In his work with indigenous shamans, healers, medicine people and contemporary teachers, Toby has developed a treatment modality known as “Sound Attunement Therapy” which initiates the process he calls “Bio-Energetic Reconfiguration.” This process integrates the powerful methods of old world shamanism with the most cutting edge understanding of quantum physics. Empowered through the treatment of “Sound Attunement Therapy” (SAT) Toby uses sound and drum healing as a container for people to shed their old patterns of ill health, dissatisfaction and dysfunction and shift their energy to create a new healthy and satisfying life.

Toby Christensen is a Master Drummer and Shamanic Practitioner, who has over 30 years of professional drumming experience. He has toured internationally with rock and gospel music groups and has performed frequently as a ritual drummer in both African and Native American ceremony. He is trained on the trap set, the African Djembe, congas and the hoop drum also known as the Shaman's Drum. He has studied in Africa with Sobonfu and Malidoma Some’ from the Dagara Tribe in Burkina Faso, Chief Nana Depah of Ghana, and in the U.S. with a Chief of the Lakota Nation and other Native American teachers. He is a Ritual drummer for Sobonfu Some’ here in the U.S. and has studied Shamanism with Michael Harner and the Foundation for Shamanic Studies.

SOUND ATTUNEMENT THERAPY

Sound attunement Therapy is the use of vibrational energy in a process which brings the mind, body, emotions, and psyche of an individual or group into harmony.

Recent studies suggest that therapeutic drumming increases immune system function, controls pain, relieves stress, and has been successful in treating serious conditions such as substance abuse, alcoholism, AIDS, adrenal failure, high blood pressure and cancer.

Other research suggests that therapeutic drumming is also effective for treating emotional disorders such as depression, anger, and anxiety.

Sound Attunement Therapy works by producing a bio-energetic reconfiguration of a persons energy system which effects the physical body, mind, and emotions. It produces the energetic structure to promote heal and restore a person’s natural healthy rhythms. Bio-Energetic Reconfiguration‘is the transformation or rearrangement of energy in and between living organisms and between living organisms and their environment, to enhance self-awareness, well-being and relieve physical, spiritual, and emotional maladies.

www.healingdrummer.com
toby@healingdrummer.com

Being Your Own Village

Residing At The Helm
Being Your Own Village
Simple survival requires us to be in possession of many skills. The pursuit of dreams requires many more. Most individuals rely on the support of a village, whether peopled by relatives or community members, to effectively address the numerous ways we need assistance. This can mean anything from asking favors of acquaintances and leaning on loved ones for support to paying a skilled artisan to handle specialized tasks. However, each human being is born with the capacity to be their own village. We embody many roles throughout our lifetimes, all of which are representative of our capacity for self-sufficiency and self-determination. In different moments in our lives, we are our own counselor, janitor, caregiver, cook, healer, teacher, and student. Our willingness to joyfully take on these roles grants us the power to maintain control over the direction our life's journey takes.

In times past, human beings learned all of the skills needed for survival. Today, the majority of people specialize in a single discipline, which they hone throughout their lives. Thus, many of us feel uncomfortable standing at the helm of our own existence. We question our ability to make decisions concerning our own health, happiness, and welfare, and are left feeling dependent and powerless. But the authority to take ultimate responsibility for our lives is simply a matter of believing that we have the necessary faith and intelligence to cope with any circumstance the universe chooses to place in our path. Proving that we can each be our own villages through action enables us to accept that we are strong enough to exist autonomously. Cooking, cultivating a garden of fruits and vegetables, undertaking minor home repair, or adopting a healthier lifestyle can help you reassert your will.

Being your own village does not mean embracing isolation, for a balanced life is built upon the dual foundations of the inner and the outer villages. Rather, being your own village is a celebration of your wondrous inner strength and resourcefulness, as well as an acknowledgment of your innate ability to capably steer the course of your life.

Toby Christensen is a facilitator of healing and positive change using the power of sound. He is a Master Drummer, Spiritual Teacher, Shamanic Practitioner, and an Ordained Minister. With experience as a corporate executive, entrepreneur, public speaker, musician, and spiritual leader, Toby relates to a wide range of human experience. He connects with compassion and deep understanding to the struggles and challenges of everyday life with a proactive, solution oriented methodology. In his work with indigenous shamans, healers, medicine people and contemporary teachers, Toby has developed a treatment modality known as “Sound Attunement Therapy” which initiates the process he calls “Bio-Energetic Reconfiguration.” This process integrates the powerful methods of old world shamanism with the most cutting edge understanding of quantum physics. Empowered through the treatment of “Sound Attunement Therapy” (SAT) Toby uses sound and drum healing as a container for people to shed their old patterns of ill health, dissatisfaction and dysfunction and shift their energy to create a new healthy and satisfying life.

Toby Christensen is a Master Drummer and Shamanic Practitioner, who has over 30 years of professional drumming experience. He has toured internationally with rock and gospel music groups and has performed frequently as a ritual drummer in both African and Native American ceremony. He is trained on the trap set, the African Djembe, congas and the hoop drum also known as the Shaman's Drum. He has studied in Africa with Sobonfu and Malidoma Some’ from the Dagara Tribe in Burkina Faso, Chief Nana Depah of Ghana, and in the U.S. with a Chief of the Lakota Nation and other Native American teachers. He is a Ritual drummer for Sobonfu Some’ here in the U.S. and has studied Shamanism with Michael Harner and the Foundation for Shamanic Studies.

SOUND ATTUNEMENT THERAPY

Sound attunement Therapy is the use of vibrational energy in a process which brings the mind, body, emotions, and psyche of an individual or group into harmony.

Recent studies suggest that therapeutic drumming increases immune system function, controls pain, relieves stress, and has been successful in treating serious conditions such as substance abuse, alcoholism, AIDS, adrenal failure, high blood pressure and cancer.

Other research suggests that therapeutic drumming is also effective for treating emotional disorders such as depression, anger, and anxiety.

Sound Attunement Therapy works by producing a bio-energetic reconfiguration of a persons energy system which effects the physical body, mind, and emotions. It produces the energetic structure to promote heal and restore a person’s natural healthy rhythms. Bio-Energetic Reconfiguration‘is the transformation or rearrangement of energy in and between living organisms and between living organisms and their environment, to enhance self-awareness, well-being and relieve physical, spiritual, and emotional maladies.

www.healingdrummer.com
toby@healingdrummer.com

Peace

Pure Peace
Why do we find it hard to be at peace with ourselves, each other and the world? Imagine a lake that is flat and calm and pure - it is so clear you can see the bottom. Even when the wind blows it only ruffles the surface. All is still and peaceful in its depth. Then the first polluting chemicals of the new factory and farm come rolling down the hill and into the water. Immediately it starts to cloud over and bubble a little. Chemical reactions are taking place and the purity is lost. When purity is lost peace is lost. It is the same with human consciousness. We are innately peaceful beings. Peace is our deepest inner state of being, our true nature. To be at peace is to be in our natural state, but only when our consciousness is pure and clean and true. As soon as the pollutants of any negative images are allowed in, or we allow old memories and experiences to disturb us into negative thinking, our purity and therefore our inner peace are gone. It's not the external event or person that takes our peace away - it's because we give them permission to enter and give them life in our minds. Keep your mind and heart free of all pollution, and peace will always be with you.


www.healingdrummer.com
toby@healingdrummer.com

To Be Human

Putting People On Pedestals
When we fall in love with someone or make a new friend, we sometimes see that person in a glowing light. Their good qualities dominate the foreground of our perception and their negative qualities. They just don't seem to have any. This temporary state of grace is commonly known as putting someone on a pedestal. Often times we put spiritual leaders and our gurus on pedestals. We have all done this to someone at one time or another, and as long as we remember that no one is actually "perfect," the pedestal phase of a relationship can be enjoyed for what it is-a phase. It's when we actually believe our own projection that troubles arise.

Everyone has problems, flaws, and blind spots, just as we do. When we entertain the illusion that someone is perfect, we don't allow them room to be human, so when they make an error in judgment or act in contradiction to our idea of perfection, we become disillusioned. We may get angry or distance ourselves in response. In the end, they are not to blame for the fact that we idealized them. Granted, they may have enjoyed seeing themselves as perfect through our eyes, but we are the ones who chose to believe an illusion. If you go through this process enough times, you learn that no one is perfect. We are all a combination of divine and human qualities and we all struggle. When we treat the people we love with this awareness, we actually allow for a much greater intimacy than when we held them aloft on an airy throne. The moment you see through your idealized projection is the moment you begin to see your loved one as he or she truly is.

We cannot truly connect with a person when we idealize them. In life, there are no pedestals-we are all walking on the same ground together. When we realize this, we can own our own divinity and our humanity. This is the key to balance and wholeness within ourselves and our relationships.

Toby Christensen is a facilitator of healing and positive change using the power of sound. He is a Master Drummer, Spiritual Teacher, Shamanic Practitioner, and an Ordained Minister. With experience as a corporate executive, entrepreneur, public speaker, musician, and spiritual leader, Toby relates to a wide range of human experience. He connects with compassion and deep understanding to the struggles and challenges of everyday life with a proactive, solution oriented methodology. In his work with indigenous shamans, healers, medicine people and contemporary teachers, Toby has developed a treatment modality known as “Sound Attunement Therapy” which initiates the process he calls “Bio-Energetic Reconfiguration.” This process integrates the powerful methods of old world shamanism with the most cutting edge understanding of quantum physics. Empowered through the treatment of “Sound Attunement Therapy” (SAT) Toby uses sound and drum healing as a container for people to shed their old patterns of ill health, dissatisfaction and dysfunction and shift their energy to create a new healthy and satisfying life.

Toby Christensen is a Master Drummer and Shamanic Practitioner, who has over 30 years of professional drumming experience. He has toured internationally with rock and gospel music groups and has performed frequently as a ritual drummer in both African and Native American ceremony. He is trained on the trap set, the African Djembe, congas and the hoop drum also known as the Shaman's Drum. He has studied in Africa with Sobonfu and Malidoma Some’ from the Dagara Tribe in Burkina Faso, Chief Nana Depah of Ghana, and in the U.S. with a Chief of the Lakota Nation and other Native American teachers. He is a Ritual drummer for Sobonfu Some’ here in the U.S. and has studied Shamanism with Michael Harner and the Foundation for Shamanic Studies.

SOUND ATTUNEMENT THERAPY

Sound attunement Therapy is the use of vibrational energy in a process which brings the mind, body, emotions, and psyche of an individual or group into harmony.

Recent studies suggest that therapeutic drumming increases immune system function, controls pain, relieves stress, and has been successful in treating serious conditions such as substance abuse, alcoholism, AIDS, adrenal failure, high blood pressure and cancer.

Other research suggests that therapeutic drumming is also effective for treating emotional disorders such as depression, anger, and anxiety.

Sound Attunement Therapy works by producing a bio-energetic reconfiguration of a persons energy system which effects the physical body, mind, and emotions. It produces the energetic structure to promote heal and restore a person’s natural healthy rhythms. Bio-Energetic Reconfiguration‘is the transformation or rearrangement of energy in and between living organisms and between living organisms and their environment, to enhance self-awareness, well-being and relieve physical, spiritual, and emotional maladies.

www.healingdrummer.com
toby@healingdrummer.com

A Soulful Cure

A Soulful Cure
Working With A Shaman
Since time immemorial, certain men and women have felt called to heal the sick, to safeguard knowledge, to guide the lost, and to commune with the spirit world. These unique individuals, known as shamans, were mystics and seers, repositories of wisdom, and keepers of herbal lore. During those periods when ignorance loomed large in the world, shamans across the globe bided their time, peacefully practicing their practical yet refined arts in the jungle, mountains, deserts, and tundra that protected them from those who misunderstood shamanism. Today, however, shamanism has reemerged, as modern men and women feel the same call to service that their ancestors felt long ago. Also, as more individuals explore the notion that healing necessarily involves the soul as well as the physical self, people are consulting shamans in their search for wellness, wisdom, and guidance.

The word shaman literally means "he or she who knows." Shamanism is an art that has not changed in any quantifiable way for millennia and is not bound to any particular form of spirituality. It is grounded on the principle that the visible world is saturated with unseen forces that influence the lives of human beings. Shamans, in addition to acting as fonts of wisdom, are dedicated to diagnosing and curing human suffering-whether emotional, physical, or spiritual. To treat an illness, a shaman may communicate with the spirit world in order to connect more directly with the soul of their patient or with the force causing ill health. They often work closely with animal guides, plant and earth spirits, or your spirit guides, and may make use of use of herbal remedies to supplement other forms of treatment. Shamans, as intermediaries between the physical and spiritual realms, recognize that all objects are in manner alive and retain information that can be utilized to heal.

Shamanism is powerful in part because its practitioners tailor healing to the individual needs of those who seek them out. A shaman manipulates energy, giving you power where you have lost it and removing misplaced energy lurking within you. When you seek out a shaman, they will endeavor to know and understand you before treating you. In this way, they can provide you with therapies that act on your whole being, positively influencing your body as well as your soul.

Toby Christensen is a facilitator of healing and positive change using the power of sound. He is a Master Drummer, Spiritual Teacher, Shamanic Practitioner, and an Ordained Minister. With experience as a corporate executive, entrepreneur, public speaker, musician, and spiritual leader, Toby relates to a wide range of human experience. He connects with compassion and deep understanding to the struggles and challenges of everyday life with a proactive, solution oriented methodology. In his work with indigenous shamans, healers, medicine people and contemporary teachers, Toby has developed a treatment modality known as “Sound Attunement Therapy” which initiates the process he calls “Bio-Energetic Reconfiguration.” This process integrates the powerful methods of old world shamanism with the most cutting edge understanding of quantum physics. Empowered through the treatment of “Sound Attunement Therapy” (SAT) Toby uses sound and drum healing as a container for people to shed their old patterns of ill health, dissatisfaction and dysfunction and shift their energy to create a new healthy and satisfying life.

Born and Raised in Seattle Washington, Toby started his career as a professional musician at the young age of 16 playing the jazz, rock, and funk clubs of Seattle. After having a spiritual awakening, he moved to Northern California to undergo his ministerial training and was then recruited as an associate pastor at Christian Life Center in Santa Rosa, CA. (At the time one of the largest non-denominational churches in the western United States) Toby left the church disillusioned by the “business of religion” and began a career in the corporate world. He began to work his way up the corporate ladder with Nordstrom with great success. After advancing quickly, Toby was recruited as Executive Vice President of All American Sales, where he was responsible for the sales and marketing of athletic products nationwide.

After years of corporate success at the cost of his soul, Toby woke up to the call of his heart, that ignited his passion and reconnected him to the drum. He now travels the world facilitating positive changes in peoples lives through the power of sound. Although Toby will never refer to himself as a Drum Healer or a Sound Healer. The term is used in reference to his work because of the common understanding of the term Drum Healing or Sound Healing within the context of our culture. As Toby Christensen puts it “I use rhythm and sound to facilitate positive change in all aspects of peoples lives. I am not the healer, the being I am holding space for is. I just hold the space and make some noise so their healer will wake up!”

Toby Christensen is a Master Drummer and Shamanic Practitioner, who has over 30 years of professional drumming experience. He has toured internationally with rock and gospel music groups and has performed frequently as a ritual drummer in both African and Native American ceremony. He is trained on the trap set, the African Djembe, congas and the hoop drum also known as the Shaman's Drum. He has studied in Africa with Sobonfu and Malidoma Some’ from the Dagara Tribe in Burkina Faso, Chief Nana Depah of Ghana, and in the U.S. with a Chief of the Lakota Nation and other Native American teachers. He is a Ritual drummer for Sobonfu Some’ here in the U.S. and has studied Shamanism with Michael Harner and the Foundation for Shamanic Studies.

SOUND ATTUNEMENT THERAPY

Sound attunement Therapy is the use of vibrational energy in a process which brings the mind, body, emotions, and psyche of an individual or group into harmony.

Recent studies suggest that therapeutic drumming increases immune system function, controls pain, relieves stress, and has been successful in treating serious conditions such as substance abuse, alcoholism, AIDS, adrenal failure, high blood pressure and cancer.

Other research suggests that therapeutic drumming is also effective for treating emotional disorders such as depression, anger, and anxiety.

Sound Attunement Therapy works by producing a bio-energetic reconfiguration of a persons energy system which effects the physical body, mind, and emotions. It produces the energetic structure to promote heal and restore a person’s natural healthy rhythms. Bio-Energetic Reconfiguration‘is the transformation or rearrangement of energy in and between living organisms and between living organisms and their environment, to enhance self-awareness, well-being and relieve physical, spiritual, and emotional maladies.

www.healingdrummer.com
toby@healingdrummer.com