Sunday, March 26, 2017

Beth Dielle Ciesco - Shamanic Voicework

Please tell our readers something about your background, interests and lifestyle.
I graduated with a Masters in Education, but I quickly realized that the kinds of things I wanted to teach weren't taught in school and probably never would be! If anyone had asked me what I intended to do, I never would have conceived of 'Shamanic Voicework'. It's really been an unfolding of a mystery. Even while I was "in training", I was often confused by what seemed to be yet another direction or new interest. Eventually, though, it all came together. I'm grateful I trusted the process. So, my work is a combination of my studies in shamanism, sound healing, Tibetan Buddhism, yoga, and energy work.


How did you get involved with this type of practice and what training have you had?  
I was misdiagnosed with fibromyalgia and depression. These were the entry points for me into the world of healing. Something told me these labels weren't the whole story but were covering up the truth of my body's innate intelligence and its ability to heal itself. It was screaming for my full attention. Thankfully, I listened and soon discovered the depth of  programming and hard-wiring in the body that was working against me. I  learned to meditate, I made dietary changes, I went to workshops and read books. I tried many different healing techniques. I started a yoga practice. I just wanted to be happy and healthy and able to fully live my life. I had a mystical experience in Canyon de Shelley, Arizona when I realized the true potential of the voice as an entry point into healing. This set my course via vocal toning and voice analysis. Singing has always been a big part of my self-expression, so exploration in vocal toning and sound were a natural fit. Sound also came up frequently in my other studies...especially Buddhism and yoga where mantra is of great importance.

Does your method differ from other practitioners, and in what way? 
I actually don't know of anyone who does what I do. There are a handful of people out there working with the voice and breath, and I'm sure some of what we offer is similar, but I came upon what I do rather organically, so it is difficult to compare it to anything else. I love it for many reasons, the most important being that the responsibility (and ability) for healing is placed back on the client where it belongs.
Clients are fully clothed and there are several postures, depending upon the particular technique I use...standing, sitting or on the floor. It really depends on the client, the issue for which they came to me, and how deeply they are ready to work.

A rudimentary awareness of and understanding of how the body heals itself is always helpful. The clients that progress the furthest tend to be healers themselves. They are already familiar with subtle energies and can more easily "read" the information they get from their own bodies They also tend to know firsthand the benefits of pushing through the unfamiliar or uncomfortable. 

However, I have written two books on this topic, The Unknown Mother: A Magical Walk with the Goddess of Sound and Your True Voice: Tools to Embrace a Fully-Expressed Life. So if someone wanted to understand the particulars either in advance of working with me or concurrently, those two books explain a lot and put everything into perspective via the 10 Gates of Sound: The Vocal Channel, the Breath, Letters, Words, Storytelling, Listening, Vibration, Vocal Toning, True Voice, and Rainbow Light.

What is involved and how does the healing occur?
Shamanic Voicework incorporates movement, breath, and voice. Where I start with a client really depends on his or her level of self-awareness. We may start with something very structured...working with the chakra system. Or, we may do something very body-centered. The healing comes directly from the body; it's very powerful and beautiful.

Does it work especially well for particular clients?
The only real necessity is that the client is ready. They don't have to understand anything. They don't have to know anything about it. They just have to be willing to open up, and for many people, this is quite a challenge. I find the people who come to me because "something inside told them to" are often the best clients. They have no idea what they are in for; they just know they have to do it.

Is there advice or counselling involved?
I sometimes share my own experience or a story I feel might be helpful. I also make suggestions regarding practices that might further the process. But I deeply hold the opinion that one's answers must ultimately come from within, so I'd rather facilitate a client's ability to tune into their own wisdom. I'll share reflections (what I see) sometimes, but I make it clear it might have nothing to do with the person's truth. I'll share my opinion if asked, but I won't offer it unsolicited.
 
How does this method differ from other types of healing?
Typically, healing modalities are receptive. The client receives energy work, body work, or treatments of some kind. This method of healing is active. It not only requires but relies on participation. I'm really just a facilitator guiding the client and holding space to allow the magic to unfold.The techniques are something like EFT in that people can do them on their own once they learn it, though. That's one of the things I love about it. 

What can be achieved? Are there times when it does not work?
I've worked with clients with life-long stuttering issues that were overcome in one session and with others who made micro-improvements over many sessions. No one has ever said that a session didn't benefit, so that's good, though I've had people say things like, "I don' t know what's happened, but I feel different." I've also worked with people feeling creatively blocked who left our sessions ready to write or able to sing. It really depends on the readiness of the client and how well the client and I are able to work together.

Excerpt from The Unknown Mother 

Something is conscious of us. It listens as it plays upon the instruments that we are. It takes delight in the cacophony, an orchestration so grand it is far beyond our contemplation. It is masterful, elegant, swift, and awesome. It is the Song of the Universe—and more. It is our Composer, and one who loves beyond conditions, beyond the beyond. If the law of ‘as above, so below’ holds true, then we too are composers. We too sing songs that breathe shape into reality. But are we listening? Are we paying attention to the compositions we create?
From Your True Voice

Attunement of the 1st Gate: 
adventure down the vocal tube through which all sounds we make arise
just like Alice as she tumbles, you too can change your size
shrinking smaller into each atom, the ticket for admission

to witness the birth of sounds and words, springing from deep within
find the marks of past traumas stored, energies distorted
residues of long forgotten expressions once aborted
give these hungry ghosts their say and watch the river rise
removing implants, cleansing fears, bringing light to all the lies
this creative center awakens, giving voice to our feelings, ideas, and dreams
now you are ready, initiation, to rip your cage’s seams
so open up, let it out, sing out, “This sound is me!” and celebrate the reclaiming of your voice with a capital V!



Biography: Dielle Ciesco is a Kundalini Yoga enthusiast and creator of Shamanic Voicework which she shares in her two books, The Unknown Mother: A Magical Walk with the Goddess of Sound and Your True Voice: Tools to Embrace a Fully Expressed Life (written as Dielle Ciesco). She is also influenced by teachings of the Bon tradition of Tibet (pre-Buddhist) including Ngöndro and Chöd as well as Peruvian traditions; various forms of meditation and sound healing; Reiki I & II and Reiki Tummo I & II and most recently, Tera Mai I. She values beauty, light, and creativity. The combination of tools she has learned and practiced have proven essential in bringing resilience and balance to her body, mind, emotions, and spirit, some of her favorite tools being the mirror, breath, voice, movement, and limpia (or energetic cleansing). Now, she shares those tools and helps you find your own answers.

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