How Does Sound Healing Work?

Sound healing is a type of therapy that uses vibration and frequency to synchronize brain waves. This achieves a profound sense of relaxation that soothes the vibratory frequencies within our bodies. Researchers are finding that our sense of hearing plays a vital role in healing and restoring good health.
In Ayurveda healing traditions, sound and hearing are used along with the other senses as a way to determine the quality of our thoughts and emotions. Conversely, people who live in crowded, noisy urban areas, often experience increased stress and a lowered immunity.

Different Forms of Sound Healing or Sound Therapy

There are a variety of techniques used by sound therapists and you need to find the one that works best for you. Each modality focuses on a different purpose. For instance, crystal bowls are tuned to the vibrations of the seven chakras, while gongs stimulate the nervous and glandular systems.

Some of the different forms might include:

Singing Bowls, Tibetan Bowls, and Crystal Bowls

Dating back to the 12th Century in Tibet, metal or crystal singing bowls of different sizes have been used to create deep resonating tones. These tones affect different parts of your body and unique areas of the brain. This therapy stimulates circulation and muscle relaxation, while also improving your lymphatic flow.
Tuning Forks

Used to tune other instruments, tuning forks are activated and then held against specific parts of the body. This sends calibrated vibrations through the area releasing tension and opening blocked energy channels.

Gongs and Drums

With their deep vibration and rich sound, gongs and drums are often used to work on the mind-body connection. "Gong baths", where you are "bathed" in sound and vibration, are used for clearing emotional blocks and fears. Both can stimulate the vagus nerve sending vibrations through the entire body.
Music Therapy

Like singing bowls, music therapy can take a variety of forms. From listening to soothing music to playing instruments, drumming, guided imagery, or composing, music plays an important part in healing through sound. 

Chanting

In Buddism, the mantra Om is a good example of chanting that creates an internal vibration that can shift the frequency in the body. Finding the right mantra is a matter of personal choice and some people have several that they use interchangeably depending on their current circumstance.
Meditation and Sound

Meditating on a specific sound or calming music can be very effective in healing the body, promoting a sense of well-being, and easing stress or anxiety. Sound meditation creates a "sound bath" that allows a whole-body relaxation that is beneficial to long-term health.

 

Health Benefits of Sound Healing

Remember that song from high school? The one that made you so happy and filled you with energy and excitement. Or the one that recalls an old love story and is filled with sadness and regret.
There's no doubt about it! Sound has deep meaning and touches people on a cellular level. There is healing power in sound and anyone can experience the body-boosting health benefits of sound healing.

Sound Improves Health & Well-being

People have reported increased health and well-being, including improved sleep, reduced blood pressure, and fewer chronic aches or discomfort issues. There can also be decreased risk of heart disease or stroke.

Used ongoing or as needed, sound therapy can reduce inflammation from arthritis, postoperative discomfort, menstrual pain, as well as improve mobility, reduce muscle stiffness and pain, and dramatically increase blood circulation. From diabetics to the chronically ill, sound healing therapy can make life more manageable and even joyful.
 
Supports Your Mental, Emotional, and Spiritual Self

Taking a nice, long "sound bath" can restore a breezy calm. It can balance and clear your mind and lead to a renewed sense of purpose. Your mental, emotional, and spiritual self can be reinvigorated to engage with the world from a new and healthy place.
The real beauty in this type of self-care is that you can develop your own personal practice that includes meditation, music, and healing to bring down your stress levels and live a more fulfilling life.
Balances Your Energy and Clears Energetic Blockages

People often experience a deep, comforting, and restorative calm during sound healing that they can't explain. Experts in alternative health might call it an "energetic deep tissue massage". One that balances your energy and clears any blocked chakras. You might call it "feeling fantastic"!

Creates a Sense of Deep Relaxation

There is often a sense of serene, tranquil peacefulness that accompanies sound healing. The kind of renewed focus and clarity that leads to improved choices and decisions mentally and physically.

 

Sound Healing as a Supportive Alternative in Western Medicine

Cancer patients, patients with long-term, chronic pain issues, and people with clinical depression and anxiety have found tremendous benefits in sound healing and sound therapy. In fact, a recent study on fibromyalgia patients found that their pain was significantly reduced following just ten treatments (for 5 weeks, twice per week). Three-quarters of the participants experienced enough relief to allow them to reduce their pain medication.
While not a substitute for medical care, sound healing is a world-class supportive therapy that improves people's lives.

To Sum Up

Whether you want to improve your overall health or up your performance at your job, sound healing presents multiple options for finding a centered, calming place to do your best work.