Derbyshire carer spreading the word on sound-bath therapy after brain tumour diagnosis

Former NHS carer Kay McMenamin recently held one of her holistic healing sessions at the Clay Cross Social Centre, where people seeking relief from anxieties – or just an excuse to relax – had the chance to bath in sound and good vibrations.

Lasting around an hour, Kay’s sound baths are a guided meditation aimed at encouraging people to rest and settle before taking them on a journey to a more relaxed and peaceful state of mind.

Armed with an assortment of instruments, including a wind gong, thunder drum and Himalayan singing bowls sourced from China and Nepal. Each instrument is picked for its own unique vibrational quality to resonate with the participant’s chakra points.

Kay first discovered Sound Baths five years ago whilst exploring alternative therapies for anxiety issues, through a friend in Sheffield. “I wanted to try something different,” says Kay, “and I was shocked by how much healing could come from sound, gratitude, meditation and just taking time for myself.”

A former palliative carer for the NHS, Kay’s life was changed dramatically two years ago when she was diagnosed with a meningioma brain tumor. Using sound baths as part of her recovery, Kay believes it proved “really good for my brain health, and it has opened pathways that had been damaged after my surgeries.”

Unable to return to her caring career after her diagnosis, Kay took a course in Selby and set up her first session in Ashbourne shortly after. “It helped me to recover a lot faster,” says Kay, adding: “I could see it could help others, but we didn’t have anything like it in our area.”

Kay hopes to keep expanding, and to encourage even more people to attend her sessions. She points out: “Covid showed us all that we need to lean on each other. Being locked down caused a lot of anxiety and depression and stress amongst people and my hope is to coax people out a bit, using sound and heal them in a different way.”

Kay also put emphasis on getting more men to come to her sound bath sessions. She adds: “Men don’t often talk about their anxiety and there isn’t as much in the way of mental health care for men. Sound baths are really good for them as they don’t have to talk but it gives their mind a break.”

Based out of her Summerhouse in Holmgate, Kay’s company, Serenity Yard runs private sound bath clinics for up to three people. This is alongside group sessions she puts on in multiple locations across Derbyshire, including Ashbourne, Brackenfield and Clay Cross. Other services offered at Serenity Yard include Chakra balancing, massage therapy and Aqua Sonos, a unique treatment were clients float in a tranquil pool to the soft, ambient sounds of quartz crystal and Himalayan singing bowls.

You can find out more about the sessions Kay runs at www.serenity-yard.com