As music washes over the body, the mind is transported into a state of deep relaxation, where pent-up tension can be released and the mind, body and spirit re-align. 

People are constantly searching for ways to bring calm to a chaotic world. As the pandemic rages on, the use of sound vibrations, an ancient, noninvasive healing method, is drawing increasingly more attention and making waves in rehabilitation clinics, in the corporate world, and within the general population.

Sound therapy, also known as sound healing or sound vibrational therapy, is defined as “sound, music and special instruments played in therapeutic ways, combined with deep self-reflection techniques to improve health and well-being,” according to the British Academy of Sound Therapy. 

Sound vibration therapy practitioners utilize singing bowls, gongs, tuning forks and/or drums to create specific rhythms and frequencies, enabling a person’s brainwaves to shift. During a session, a person’s state of mind can move from waking consciousness to relaxed consciousness, to a meditative state and, potentially, to sleep. When a person is in their deepest state of relaxation, the body’s natural healing process is activated.

For example, osteophonic tuning forks can stimulate the release of nitric oxide, which relaxes the blood vessels’ inner muscles, enabling them to widen, which in turn leads to increased circulation. The use of crystal bowls, too, can affect the body’s seven chakras, and the sound generated by a gong is said to stimulate the body’s nervous and glandular systems.

Sound therapy facilitators offer sessions for sleep disorders, anxiety, depression, stress, PTSD and fibromyalgia as well as for pain management and digestive issues. The practice can also improve mobility and reduce muscle pain and stiffness.

The age-old healing technique has been utilized by ancient Greeks, Native Americans and Aboriginal Australians, who have used a didgeridoo as a healing tool for more than 40,000 years. The human body is comprised of 75 percent water, making it an optimal sound conductor, so sound vibrations can easily move through the body, increasing circulation and energy flow. Many people describe sound therapy as “trippy” or hallucinogenic. Some have even reported having visions and experiencing the release of deep-seated traumatic experiences.

Companies that provide staff with sound therapy sessions have a higher rate of productivity, increased retention rates as well as reduced employee burnout, according to GabrielNelson Sears, an Atlanta-based, certified vibration sound healing touch therapist and founder of Gabriel of the Light. Apple, Casper Bedding, Chick-fil-A, Coca-Cola, Google, Kiehl’s, Lululemon, Microsoft, Nike and Reebok are just a few corporate entities that offer sound therapy to their employees.

Some companies provide sound therapy opportunities to employees through special events, which is a “fad” that sound vibration therapist Danielle Hall would like to see disappear. Hall is the founder of Atlanta-based SoundEmbrace, a sound healing certification program.

“With any type of therapy, it’s cumulative. So many of these places are missing the mark,” she says, adding that, as with any therapeutic treatment, if a person doesn’t get to the root cause of the issue they want to solve, nothing will change. 

The number of sessions needed to reap rewards depends on the person and their issue. For example, says Hall, if a person has sleep issues, the client will feel a bit more rested after one session. At the conclusion of a second or third session, the person will notice increased sleep quality. Following six treatments, they typically can expect to sleep through the night.

While sound therapy has been proven beneficial for a wide range of people and a wide range of ailments, high-strung endurance athletes don’t seem to gain much from it. “Their systems are wound so tight,” says Sears. As soon as the sound vibration therapy session ends, they’ll pop right up and run headfirst into the rest of their day. “They’re hardwired to do, not be,” he says.

Addiction lives in a person’s mind, body and spirit, while its coinciding toxic energy parks itself in joints and muscles, inhibiting recovery, according to New Jersey-based addiction treatment center Enlightened Solutions, which utilizes sound therapy in its program. When addicts go into withdrawal, it takes a toll on their body and emotions, which can be overwhelming. But when sound therapy is introduced, it helps neutralize the brain, facilitating the healing process. According to Enlightened Solutions, prolonged sound therapy treatments can also help a patient understand the impact their substance abuse has had on them, their friends and family. 

A treatment center for children that Hall worked with was seeking ways to include noninvasive, nonchemical therapeutic treatments in their program, so Hall introduced sound treatments. With her help, the children were able to work out some of their complex emotions and have more in-depth conversations with their therapists, accelerating their progress in treatment. 

Like so many other entrepreneurs, sound vibration therapists have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many facilitators have shifted to offer treatments remotely, which has served to broaden their client base. But according to Hall, remote sessions aren’t the same because the environment isn’t as controlled and the sound isn’t as good as when it’s provided in person. On the other hand, if it’s the only option, it’s better than nothing. 

“The superpower of sound therapy sessions is that we are creating a sound environment that envelops the whole body to induce the relaxation response,” says Hall. “Our nervous system can only take in so much information at a time. When someone is listening to it through headphones, we can’t change the signals coming into the physical body. But in an in-person sound bath, we can change the input of the environment.” ❧

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For more information:

Danielle Hall

GabrielNelson Sears