by Joanne Reimer
In the afternoons on retreat, participants are offered individual sessions with facilitators to work on specific personal issues related to healing. I offer sessions to explore how music and sound can be used to bring openings and insight into the healing process. Sometimes we create a song together that becomes a healing resource for after the retreat.
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One of the fundamental needs for any human being is to be seen and heard at our most fundamental level of existence. One early origin of the word “listen” comes from “lysna” (Northumbrian), meaning ‘attending to.’ When we create a song, the ‘attending to,’ or what could be called the ‘deep listening’ between the two of us, often brings surprise, inspiration and even delight in what appears.
The session starts with an explorative conversation with a prompt such as: What is the specific intention for this song? The song may become a support for grieving; or an opening for unresolvable challenges in a person’s life; or a pathway to heal deeply hidden wounds that have been waiting for loving attention.
Simply by reason of embarking with a heartfelt intention, combined with intuitive listening and the immediacy of music, what is created can allow unanticipated possibilities.
The link below is an example of one of these songs created within the safe surround of a Callanish retreat. The intention for this song was to remember to call up courage and resilience when needed along the cancer path.
May this song be an invitation for you to attend to what matters most to you as you listen and receive this sonic experience.
Song collaboration with Nancy McKinstry, May 2025 Callanish Retreat.
Joanne Reimer has been connected to Callanish since its inception in 1995 and has been a program assistant and baker at Callanish for the past several years. She brings many years of experience working in the healthcare system as a clinical nurse specialist in palliative care and researcher.