Alternative Therapy
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A Day of Healing Sound with Nea’ McKinney
July 2025
Photo Credit: James Autrey
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“If we accept that sound is vibration, and we know that vibration touches every part of our physical being, then we understand that sound is heard not only through our ears but through every cell in our bodies.”
~ Dr. Mitchell Gaynor, a Manhattan oncologist who pioneered the use of soothing music to supplement conventional medicine |
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By MJ Hanley-Goff
Intuitive sound healer Nea’ Mckinney makes regular visits to the Hudson River near her Hudson, New York, community. In her rolling cart, she carries singing bowls, rattles, chimes, tuning forks, and wands of various sizes. With a table covered with cloths handmade in India, called kantha, she sets up her instruments one by one. She’s never sure which ones she’ll be called on to use. After grounding herself, she readies for spirit to lead her in an energy healing practice, using the tones of her instruments in a “frequency sequence” to bless the earth and waters of the river. Much of what she does is hard to put into words, and even the ones she chooses don’t always work. Such is the case for healing practitioners in describing what comes intuitively. It’s what she’s been doing since a young child, attending the Pow Wows of her tribes, specifically, New England’s Narragansett/Wampanoag and Shinnecock people. It was at these family gatherings and ceremonies that her gift for this spiritual work was revealed. “I sensed my ancestors,” she says. “I knew them. I saw what they looked like and received messages from them.” It was the start of a life of powerful intuitions and the desire to heal. |
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Nea' Using Various Instruments to Demonstrate Healing Sound
Video Credit: James Autrey
Video Credit: James Autrey
She practiced on a variety of instruments in her backyard, quieting herself to understand their effect on the world around her. Not having a lot of childhood playmates in her Connecticut community, the local animals became her friends and nature became her playground. “I’d communicate with them much like Snow White did,” she laughs. “The animals became drawn to me; the deer and squirrels would sit by my side. My aunt once said that after sitting beside me as I played, her arthritis felt better.” There were times when she played at the Hudson River that fish would become energized and start flip-flopping to the surface. The local fisherman would ask her to keep playing.
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Nea’ is also known as Sister Redhawk, a name given to her by her father. “He used to see a redtail hawk on our back porch, and felt I had the same spirit.” She’s the owner and founder of Natural 7 Alchemy, a healing sound practice she founded around 2022. It was because of the COVID pandemic that she began playing at the Hudson River with her instruments to escape the lockdown. Clients now seek her out with a variety of concerns, aches and stress to receive the healing energies of her bowls, chimes and rattles.
A Reiki master, she channels the universal life force energy to promote relaxation, reduce stress, and ignite the body’s natural healing abilities. There’s a “chair sound immersion massage” which combines the benefits of a sound and meditation, and — because of the unusual set up of the chair — Nea’ gains full access to the lower back where stress is stored. |
"The body, she explains, has its own set of natural frequencies, and so external frequencies will interact with the internal ones. Low frequencies can bring on calm, slow the heart rate; higher frequencies increase alertness, heart rate. With sound therapy, these frequencies bring about healing and well-being. " |
Except for her Reiki training, she is self-taught, coming from a long line of medicine women including her mother and her grandmother. Because of her intuitive gifts, she senses what’s going on with a client during their initial conversation. “I had one client who came to me and said his energy was off,” she remembers, “and wasn’t sure what he needed.” With eyes closed, she grounded herself, visualized a white light, and asked, “show me what I need to know.” The knowledge comes to her; she knows which instruments to use, what tones to bring forth, and a session is scheduled.
Much of the healing is done through these frequencies. The body, she explains, has its own set of natural frequencies, and so external frequencies will interact with the internal ones. Low frequencies can bring on calm, slow the heart rate; higher frequencies increase alertness, heart rate. With sound therapy, these frequencies bring about healing and well-being.
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"As the bowls and chimes sound, the body absorbs the vibrations, and the nervous system feels safe and relaxed. Deep, rich tones slow down the brain’s chatter and quiets the mind." ~ Nea' McKinney |
One of her most popular services is the group sound bath. Clients lie on the floor with the instruments around them in an energy circle (or vortex). Each instrument has a unique purpose and brings its own healing and energy. “I sense what the general need is and ask each person to think of an intention, and I then bring them along on a meditation. As the bowls and chimes sound, the body absorbs the vibrations, and the nervous system feels safe and relaxed. Deep, rich tones slow down the brain’s chatter and quiets the mind.”
On this day at the Hudson River, Nea’ walks around the table in quiet harmony with the tones of the handheld instruments or the ringing of the bowls. The sound floats in the air, and some pulse like being carried on a wave. There’s a feeling of stillness around us. After a while, the tones quiet, and she knows she’s finished. “I feel spirit nodding, which means they’re pleased.” Back in the cart go the instruments. The blessing is done. |
For those who would like to try their own sound frequency practice, she recommends looking into purchasing a single bowl that emits either a “528” or a “432” frequency which is, she says, “the tone of the universe.”
Nea' McKinney
Photo Credit: James Autrey |
Nea' McKinney (a.k.a. Sister Redhawk) is an indigenous medicine woman of the tribes of New England (Narragansett/Wampanoag, Pequot & Shinnecock).
Her dedicated offerings harmonize the body, mind and spirit through the ancient indigenous power of sound. With a background in music therapy and extensive training in various sound healing modalities — including Tibetan singing bowls, crystal bowls, and tuning forks -- her approach to healing and transformation of her trademarked method is known as Natural 7 Alchemy, which is an artistic sound immersion/sound healing process. This method facilitates relaxation, stress reduction, and emotional release. Her sessions and retreats often combine the use of different instruments and techniques tailored to the specific needs of her clients, whether they're seeking relief from physical pain, emotional trauma, or simply looking to deepen their spiritual practice. Follow Nea' on:
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MJ Hanley-Goff has been writing on a variety of topics, including wellness and spirituality, for over twenty years. She is a regular contributor to WomanAroundTown.com and offers writing workshops for those looking to expand their writing projects. MJ is thrilled to write for Sanctuary magazine for its ability to empower women and shed light on those in “humanitarian pursuits.”
