“I will place small Tibetan bowls on the patient’s bed and have meditation music in the background to change the energy in the room,” says Lahila Oppenheimer, a sound healer and volunteer at UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica in the No One Dies Alone program. “The sound of the Tibetan bowls brings people into a highly meditative state. They are relaxed, and in that state of relaxation, healing happens. I remember one woman, who was in a coma. I was striking the bowls one by one, ever so sensitively, to see if she liked it. Suddenly, she rolled over and looked at me. Her partner was able to come over, hold her hand, and they were able to say goodbye. It was a blessing to give her that last piece of peace and harmony.”

Learn more and become a UCLA Health volunteer: www.uclahealth.org/volunteer

Tags: featured, National Volunteer Week, Relaxation, sound therapy, UCLA Medical Center Santa Monica, Volunteer, volunteer services