Sound healing has become increasingly popular in New Age Wellness, but it is hardly a new form of therapy. The ancient Greeks used music to treat digestion and mental disorders, and Tibetans have used sound bowls for over 2,000 years for meditation purposes. In fact, the use of sound as a healing technique is as old as recorded history and is mentioned in the oldest spiritual texts. Ancient rituals often involved chanting and drumming to bring about emotionally charged states. It is now that modern science is beginning to uncover what ancient civilizations knew all along.
While there is scientific evidence to prove the influence of sound on our emotional states, we intuitively know the power of sound in the way that we feel. The calm we feel while listening to rainfall as we drift into sleep, the euphoria we get while blasting our favorite song in the car with our friends, and the comfort of our mother’s voice as she reads us a bedtime story.
As humans, we have always turned to music, whether we unconsciously seek it to match our current state or to elevate our vibration so that we feel a rush of dopamine. Thanks to modern science, we now understand sound better and the effect different frequencies have on our mental and physical bodies. We can now physically see how the brain lights up when listening to different sounds while undergoing an MRI. We have even decoded the musical expression of our DNA further proving that we are, indeed, made up of vibrations and, therefore, influenced by sound.
I’m sure by now you’ve noticed how sound baths have hit the mainstream. And like most trends that come and go, I’m sure you’re probably wondering, what are sound baths? Do they actually have healing effects and how exactly do they work?
The great thing about most of these emerging wellness “trends” is that there is some truth to them, especially if we take the time to understand them and to present them as they are intended. There is a lot of research on the benefits of sound baths. More specifically, the effects they have on our brainwaves and our bodies.
What are sound baths and how do they work?
A sound bath is a deeply immersive listening experience where you are surrounded by different sound waves aimed at inducing a relaxed, meditative state and providing healing to different areas of the body. In a traditional sound bath experience, a variety of Tibetan singing bowls are used to emit different tones and frequencies. A sound healing experience can also use other instruments like gongs, crystal quartz bowls, chimes, tuning forks, drums, rain sticks, shakers, meditation bells, and the human voice.
What are the effects of singing bowls on the body?
Studies have shown that people have reported significantly less tension, anger, fatigue, and depression as well as increased feelings of spiritual well-being after doing a sound meditation with a singing bowl. The effects were most notable amongst first timers who had never tried sound therapy before. There is also evidence that shows singing bowls can lower blood pressure and heart rate due to the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system - the part of the body that allows the body to relax and rest. These soothing sounds also activate sensory pathways that compete with pain pathways, further relaxing the body and reducing stress & discomfort. While a sound bath isn’t going to cure you of dis-ease, it can ease symptoms for many conditions exacerbated by stress, whether it be chronic pain, anxiety, depression, or irritable bowel syndrome.
What are the effects of sound baths on the brain?
The sound vibrations of singing bowls allow your brain waves to slow, shifting from a more active state to a more relaxed state, or even a dreamlike state. As we unplug from external stimuli and are fully immersed in sound, we are able to enter a deeper state of consciousness, where healing occurs. Most of us spend most of our waking moments in beta brain waves, involved in conscious thought, logical thinking, and problem-solving. Too much thinking and worrying can have a stimulating effect that can activate the body’s stress response. Sound healing allows for us to shift out of beta brain waves into Alpha or Theta brain waves. Alpha brain waves happen when our minds are relaxed and quiet, and theta brain waves occur when we are in a deep meditative state. For those who struggle with finding stillness in meditation, sound therapies can help you move into a deep state of relaxation and meditation much more quickly and effortlessly.
How do these sound vibrations affect the energetic body?
These healing instruments align our vibration back into balance. You see, we are mostly infinitesimal particles of vibrating energy. When our energy is out of balance for so long, we begin to become unhealthy both physically and mentally. Physics tells us that vibrations affect each other, which is why we are affected by the vibration of sound. When we allow our vibrating energy to match the frequencies of these high vibrational sounds, then shifts in our health can happen naturally and we can feel better.
If you’ve ever heard of Chakras before, they are like an energy network throughout your body. There are seven major energetic centers including the root, sacral, solar plexus, heart, throat, third eye, and crown. When the Chakras are in balance, you are in harmony, your health is good, and your life, in general, flows better. When your Chakras are out of balance because too much energy flows through them or not enough energy does, then you may experience emotional distress or disease. The energetic chakra system works much like your biological organ system, they must be in balance so that the entire organism can flow more effortlessly.
Fortunately, you can bring each chakra back into balance with the help of sound.
Each Chakra vibrates at its own unique frequency. When you give that same frequency to your body through the use of sound therapy, your chakra realigns to it, and you will get the energy you need to be vibrant and healthy.
So if you’ve been thinking about following just one more trend, take a dive into a sound bath meditation, buy yourself a soundowl or simply download one of thousands of sound frequency meditations online. If you want us to walk the journey with you, join us whenever you like. At Coral Gables Hypnosis, we utilize sound therapy to assist in our guided meditations, breathwork, soundbowls, chanting and reiki to help slow your brain waves and get you in a relaxed state, and to assist any energy that needs to be released or supported.
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