FAQ
Do events have to be outside?
Events will be both indoor & outdoor but will focus on outdoor events when possible.
Are you anti-tech?
Gentle Elemental is not an anti-device or anti-technology organization, but we believe that the constant flow of fast-paced sounds and images can cause us to miss the gentler sounds and sights around us.
Gentle Elemental is mainly for listening and "taking in," but participants may become more mindful of the sounds they add to their daily soundscape, too.
Do sounds and sights really affect us?
Sounds and sights of all kinds affect our nervous system, and our nervous system responds in ways that affect our organs & our ability to function and learn.
Everything we hear & frequencies we can’t hear affect us. Sometimes the effect is psychological or emotional & sometimes sound can cause serious physical conditions.
On the other hand, peaceful sounds can help people feel relaxed and recover from life’s every day stress or after a particularly stressful situation or experience. (Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2872309/)
But--Gentle Elemental isn’t on a mission to diagnose or tell people to “turn it down.”
We just want to help people reconnect with the simple, gentle sounds and sights that can make us happier--and in a better position to do what we need to do in a day at school, work, family time, or other activities.
How do we learn to hear and recall gentle sounds and sights?
Most people’s brains do something called auditory sensory gating. If our brains didn’t “filter” out certain sounds, we would become overwhelmed.
For most of us, auditory sensory gating is an automatic process. But there can also be an element of “training” involved based on what we’ve learned to hear in our environment.
But on that note, Gentle Elemental will not be diagnosing anyone’s auditory sensory gating abilities or counseling people who have issues with sensory gating.
We will, however, be guiding people to a place of introducing or reintroducing these gentle sounds and sights back into their daily lives, even through visualization & recall.
By immersion and practice, we can help our brains “hear” these sounds and "see" the images...and experience some tranquility that may be associated with them.
What about people who can’t filter or have attention deficit challenges?
Gentle Elemental is an educational organization. As such, we will refrain from diagnosis or counseling.
The development of additional events (for people with autism or ADD/ADHD, for example) will involve educators & specialists, and the goal will be mostly recreational and/or educational.
Learning to “hear” these sounds through imagery or imagination in order to feel more settled is something we view as an educational process--and that is how Gentle Elemental would deliver programming (vs. therapy).
For upcoming events, click here.
