April 3, 2008 Issue                                       

©2007 The Chestnut Hill Local

New technology a ‘Windfall’ for stress reduction clients
by AMANDA KOEHLER

Kaye Baluarte, long-time owner of Windfall Gallery on the Hill (left) and Shawn Althauser are “energy medicine enthusiasts” whose new business is at 7322 Rural Lane in West Mt. Airy. (Photo by Amanda Koehler)

Some people relax by reading a good book. Others enjoy a cup of tea or a bubble bath. Soon, some people may say they unwind with sessions in the Vibro-Acoustic System. With their new business at 7322 Rural Lane in West Mt. Airy, energy medicine enthusiasts Shawn Althauser, CBET, and Kaye Baluarte will be giving clients the relaxation they need by introducing them to this novel technology.

Even though her work now focuses on energy medicine, Althauser started out in the biomedical/clinical engineering field, although she doesn’t believe the two areas are that different.

“The switch over wasn’t really a switch in my mind,” she said. “It’s all in the field of energy and working with the electromagnetic field.”

Shawn worked for Thomas Jefferson University Hospital for 14 years and later worked for Surgical Laser Technologies, a medical laser company. She started to move toward energy medicine when she became involved with Reiki, a Japanese form of spiritual practice focusing on stress reduction and relaxation.

Wanting to learn more about healing techniques, Althauser went to the Barbara Brennan School of Healing in Boca Raton, Florida. There she met Kaye Baluarte, who had worked in clinical pathology for 12 years before becoming a business owner by creating the Windfall Gallery in Chestnut Hill 25 years ago. She was also interested in studying spiritual beliefs and energy modalities, becoming a Reiki Master.

After the two friends obtained their four-year degrees in 2002, Baluarte went back to Philadelphia and developed a private practice as a Brennan Energy Practitioner. Althauser moved to Lenox, Massachusetts, to work as an energy practitioner at Canyon Ranch, a health resort.

While at Canyon Ranch in October of 2007, Althauser got her first glimpse at a new piece of energy medicine equipment, the Vibro-Acoustic System. Althauser contacted Baluarte and filled her in about this cutting-edge technology.

“Shawn called me and told me about it,” Baluarte said. “We just got to talking, and she decided to move back and we’d start a business.”

The Vibro-Acoustic System includes an anti-gravity chair, a sound system and an audio-visual modulator. These three aspects work together to put a person into a deep state of relaxation. The system was created by Dr. Jeffrey Thompson, who studied the brainwave activity of Zen masters, gurus, Buddist monks, composers and musicians. He then developed music that produces the same frequencies as brainwaves. 

The gently vibrating chair is in sync with the music, and the special glasses one wears plays an important role, too.

“The LED light patterns synchronize the hemispheres in our brain and open up the pathways for communication between the left and right hemispheres,” Althauser explained.

It took only a few weeks for Althauser and Baluarte to order the system, put it together and test it out. Baluarte fell in love with the system right away.

“The equipment fascinates me. I personally love the chair,” she said. “It’s a wonderful experience for people.”

The system is in only a few locations in the country, including one in a medical facility in Atlantic City, where it is used for patients going through chemotherapy. “There are similar systems out there, but Dr. Thompson’s is the one that has resonated with people the most,” Althauser said. She contends that some of the other systems on the market have actually been found to be harmful to people.

Althauser and Baluarte are currently working on collecting Dr. Thompson’s 90-plus audio collection for the system. The different types of music can put a person into varied states of relaxation. They are also targeted at different life experiences.

For example, there is music for someone who has recently lost a loved one or ended a relationship. Additionally, Althauser said they have four CDs that are perfect for pregnant women. These CDs contain water, dolphin, earth and NASA space sounds.

“These are sounds that would be relaxing for the mom and baby,” Althauser said. “We’ve tried the CDs on clients, and they said it helped them with morning sickness.”

Both women agree that the Vibro-Acoustic System is for everyone, although certain groups may benefit more than others, such as people with illnesses and those with stressful lives.

“Anyone can benefit from this, but the person most interested would be someone seeking wellness,” Baluarte said. “Also, if someone is a meditator, it enhances it to a deeper level. It’s also a great way to learn and begin the meditation process if you’re interested.”

Even the skeptical may eventually succumb to the healing techniques of the Vibro-Acoustic System.

“When you are trying something new, you can be resistant,” Althauser said. “But because of the way the music gets to you, you will relax on some level.”

Vibroacoustic Healing is offering half-hour and one-hour sessions to new clients. For more information or to set up an appointment, call 215-242-5292 or www.vibroacoustichealing.com.