PUBLISHED ONJuly 06, 2023 11:24 AMByKhoo Yi-HangSome may hope to be doctors or therapists to rake in cash, but for Cynthia Koh, her venture into healing isn't for the sake of earning a tidy sum.
In the latest episode of Celebrity Doing Things, the 49-year-old veteran actress let AsiaOne try out a session of sound therapy, also explaining to us why she's decided to take on this unconventional role.
"Healing work is not about earning money — I consider sound therapy as my retirement hobby," she said.
"I'm not playing main roles, so I have more time as a supporting actress. What do I want to do with the rest of my time?"
She began to look into education and thought that learning something different and "making ourselves useful" is a good and productive way to pass time.
"You know that you are learning something new and you're helping the community," Cynthia commented.
How it began
Back in 2019, Cynthia was touring Scotland when a member of the group had a headache after touring some catacombs.
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A woman then pulled out a tuning fork and began using that to treat the tour member, which intrigued her.
Since then, she's learned more about sound therapy, culminating in a trip to Spain with a friend in April this year after the duo made a "pact" to study the topic together.
They went to a two-week, stay-in course in Alicante with Harmonic Sounds — an international association for sound therapy — during which they got in touch with multiple instruments.
"What I found most powerful during those two weeks was the… foundational work on ourselves.
"I didn't know that our name is machiam like a blueprint — a blueprint of our character, of everything about us."
Vocalising her own name during the course was "liberating" for her, and she discovered things about herself that she didn't know before.
For instance, Cynthia realised she "didn't value herself enough" and "doesn't give herself enough credit", which allowed her to work on her flaws.
'A limitation is how you feel'
But her journey into self-care hasn't only aided her on a personal level, but also in the work she does as well.
Sharing that she began seven years ago with Bach flower remedies, Cynthia recalled how she had tried out various forms of self-care, including reiki and even Angel Card readings.
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Despite her branching her experiences out and learning more self-care methods through the years, she still kept her profession in mind.
"I find that all this… actually helped me with acting. The 38 flower remedies actually represent your mood and character type, so when I look into a script and the character I'm supposed to play, I'd look at the remedies and say, 'Okay, what kind of remedy can I put on this character?'"
Cynthia also has no intention of taking a step back from acting, she told AsiaOne.
She said: "It's such a good outlet for me to veer off and just do something I like — it's like an expression, it's still art.
"As long as I don't get dementia or anything like that and I can still remember, yes, I will still act."
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She doesn't feel like her career is being limited by local showbiz either, as she explained that there are many ways that shows can travel around the world nowadays.
Surreptitiously giving a shout-out to her latest movie Confinement, Cynthia added that she's certain people will end up watching it when it's out on [the inflight entertainment on] Singapore Airlines — thus technically making her movie global.
"I wouldn't say it (acting in Singapore) is a limitation. A limitation is how you feel, if you feel that, 'Okay, everything I'm doing is limited', then how? What's the point?
"Just do it, and see how the universe will collaborate with you to bring your work elsewhere — that's what I always believe."
Giving sound therapy a try
Cynthia's sound therapy session was eye-opening, to say the least — although my eyes were closed throughout most of it.
Upon hearing that I'm an insomniac, Cynthia went to work with her instruments, attempting to help me unblock any chakras that were clogged within my body.
But as she also explained before and after the session, she's no magician and her instruments aren't some miraculous tinctures that could cure any and all ailments.
Instead, what she could do was offer advice after coming to an understanding of how my body worked, and she gave me specific advice on lifestyle changes that I ought to try and make in order to improve my mental state.
Additionally, she also delivered on what she had claimed: her instruments did help me calm down, and I did have a rare good night of sleep afterwards.
"My work is just to convey… I can pass you the messages and I can pass you my insight, but it's still up to you. It's your choice," Cynthia said.
Watch our Celebrity Doing Things video for the full interview.
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