Gong therapy is more about feeling than hearing. Judy Strauss, associate professor of marketing for the University’s College of Business, has been playing gongs and Himalayan bowls for a year and a half and will be using her skills in gong playing and marketing to raise money for the University of Nevada School of Medicine’s free Student Outreach Clinic.

At 1 p.m., Nov. 21, Strauss will be playing at Reno’s Circle’s Edge Center for Spiritual Living, where Mel Minarik, lecturer in the University’s School of Community Health Science, also serves as Reverend. Half of all the proceeds raised at the performance will be given to the Outreach Clinic. After the meditation, Strauss will give a short presentation on the science of vibrational healing and sound as an alternative therapy for mind, body and soul.

“I hope this will be inspirational and informative for medical students, since their role is to heal,” Strauss said. “I read about the Outreach Clinic in Nevada News and learned that the clinic offers free services to Washoe County’s medically uninsured population. During Thanksgiving and the upcoming holiday season, this selfless service needs to be appreciated and recognized.”

Gongs have been used by Buddhists for over 2000 years and recently have become more frequently used in western culture as a form of physical, spiritual, and mental therapy and healing. The strong, deep vibrations move through the body and are not just heard, but also felt.

“I have had deaf people attend gong meditations and they reported feeling the vibrations although they couldn’t hear,” Strauss said.

General tickets are available for $20, and University student tickets are $5, paid at the door. The Circle’s Edge Center for Spiritual Living is at 117 California Ave., Reno. For more information on gong therapy, visit Path To Bliss.