Once a month, in the traditional setting of Clarendon County, comes the not-so-traditional meeting of friends and strangers gathering around a fire and listening to the sound of their shared drum beats. The Clarendon County Drum Circle was formed around one year ago and had its last meeting on December 10th. Family-friendly, the circle has a mission to promote vibrational healing in the community and provide a safe space for people to share their struggles and successes over the last month. The group offers a very positive and accepting atmosphere for anyone needing to unwind or vent.
Vibrational healing or vibrational sound therapy helps to restore the central nervous system and create deep relaxation. According to a certified vibrational sound therapist, Sandy LaBianco-Brown, the body is affected on a cellular level when listening to soothing sounds and vibrations. Stress creates an unhealthy flow throughout your mind and body, first appearing as low energy and later as bad health. Sound can open energy flow to move you back toward healthy alignment. By devoting just a few hours a month to something as easy as hitting a drum, you could reduce stress, among a number of other health benefits.
Ben Thames said, “Everybody has problems here. Right now, I see there’s six of us, that’s six different problems going around, but when we all sit down, all our problems are gone… It’s very soothing.”
“Everybody gets something different from it, I’ve seen young people get so hyper, and then some people get very relaxed and laid back,” according to Donna Marie Pesce-Matthews, one of the group’s organizers.
Ann Thames is another one of the collaborators in the circle. She spoke in detail about the circle’s benefits for those struggling with depression, stress, high blood pressure, and it can even improve motor skills.
When asked if they had one message to share about the drum circle with others, they said, “Come help us raise vibration!” and “You can use anything for an instrument that you can think of.”
The Clarendon County Drum Circle invites everyone to join their next meeting in January! Please bring a chair or blanket and an instrument if you have one, or they will provide one if needed. Check out their Facebook page @Clarendon County Drum Circle for more information on the date and location of the next meeting!
