Resonant Silence Technique

Resonant Silence Technique (RST) ® is a trademarked therapeutic program created by Miriam Fein for those with dementia and other cognitive and neurological conditions.

RST is also a path to inner peace with quieting sound and breathing exercises to bring us into stillness.

Miriam Fein has shared RST tm with those with dementia and other conditions for over 20 years and has consistently seen positive behavioral change and improvement during and after sharing Resonant Silence Technique.

Miriam Fein's Education and Background

In 1972 she attended New York University earning a Bachelor of Comparative Religion degree.

In 1979 she graduated from The Jewish Theological Seminary as a Cantor/Minister/Educator with a Bachelor of Sacred Music. Cantors are music ministers using chant and music and to comfort the sick and officiate for worship services and life cycle events.

During this time she also studied the sonic prayer research of Rabbi/physicist Aryeh Kaplan. And, for the next twenty years, attended Buddhist silent meditation retreats.

Intrigued and inspired by Aryeh Kaplan's research, she shared these same sounds first with people without dementia and then with people with dementia and discovered their unique healing qualities. She then began sharing these vocal sounds along with her soothing and calming instruments in her therapeutic dementia groups.

In 2001, she graduated from the Music for Healing and Transition Program (MHTP) as a Therapeutic Musician trained to play at the bedside in hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, memory care centers and hospice.

As a Cantor, she was already visiting synagogue community members in hospitals and skilled nursing facilities and her new MHTP training deepened this ministry for her.

At a MHTP continuing education conference in 2002, she experienced the deep healing potential of silence and in 2003, created Resonant Silence Technique (RST) ®.

From 2004-2012 she directed the Therapeutic Music and RST Program at Peace Health/United General Hospital sharing in their Cancer Center and with patients with dementia in their Senior Behavioral Health Center.

In 2018, she published an article on Resonant Silence Technique (RST) in Dementia: the international journal of social research and practice and in 2019, went to Frankfurt, Germany to speak on RST at an International Alzheimer’s Conference.

Her article appears on this website in the "Understanding RST" page and on the National Institutes of Health website at https://www.ncbi.nlm.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7088230/.

The NIH website is a gathering place for the most update and innovative health approaches worldwide.

In 2020-2022, as a Clinical Musician for Hospice of the Northwest, she shared RST with patients and taught it to the doctors,
nurses and all the therapists at hospice.

She was a featured speaker, explaining and demonstrating Resonant Silence Technique at the 2022 Zoom Conference on Healthy Aging in New Delhi, India.

Resonant Silence Technique (RST) ® received a trademark from the United States Patent and Trademark office on September 29th, 2020 in CLASS 44. The description of the trademark is as follows, "Therapeutic intervention services incorporating silence, breathing, sound and music for individuals with dementia and other cognitive and neurological conditions."

This trademark covers the use of the name "Resonant Silence Technique (RST) ® " and sharing Resonant Silence Technique in professional therapeutic settings.

My new book on Resonant Silence Technique is coming out soon. The book describes RST and gives examples of the significant positive change and improvement that I have witnessed during and after sharing RST. The book is also a guide to finding inner peace through using the 18 RST sound to silence exercises in the book.

In RST, we create a calm and quieting environment around those with dementia while we quiet their minds with scientifically researched sounds to silence exercises.

The new book provides three exercises that anyone can share with their loved ones and friends with dementia to help comfort and quiet them.

In order to practice Resonant Silence Technique in professional therapeutic settings, though, it is necessary to complete my training to become a Certified Resonant Silence Practitioner (CRSP).

A description and course outline of the training, with times, instruments involved, required reading and payment can be found in the “RST Events” page of this website.

Resonant Silence Technique will be used in Alzheimer's research in early 2024.

Later this year and going forward, Miriam will be training graduate nursing students to become Certified Resonant Silence Practitioners (CRSP) at the Augsburg University School of Nursing.

READ THE NEW ARTICLE ABOUT RESONANT SILENCE TECHNIQUE in Dementia: the international journal of social research and practice (July 2018):
A new dementia treatment with quieting focus, subtle sound vibration, and intentional shared silence: Introducing Resonant Silence Technique: Innovative practice by Miriam Fein, BSM

The use of a quieting environment, subtle sound and intentional silence is reported to help people with dementia feel less anxious, more relaxed and cooperative, emotionally appreciative, empathetic and to improve eye contact, concentration and communication.

Silence has been scientifically shown to be relaxing and therapeutic, restoring body equilibrium and reducing brain wave frequency while lowering blood pressure, heart and respiratory rates.

Aspects of sound called vibrato and harmonics have also been scientifically shown to reduce brain wave frequency.

Cedar and bamboo flute, guitar and voice, singing bowl and Tibetan ting-shas (small, rounded chimes) all produce easily heard vibrato and harmonics and this is why they are chosen for RST.

Miriam Fein is the creator of Resonant Silence Technique (RST). She holds a Bachelor of Sacred Music (BSM) from The Jewish Theological Seminary and is a certified Cantor/Minister/Educator. She is a Certified Music Practitioner as well as a Clinical Musician for Hospice of the Northwest.
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