Sound healing therapy is having a moment at present. Although it has been practiced for centuries, there is a newfound awareness of its benefits. Music as a therapy realigns the body’s vibrations, improves mental health, and enhances emotional well-being. Ancient Greece had the practice of using music to cure mental disorders. Modern military establishments use sound therapy to boost morale in troops. Even studies suggest that music can aid people living with dementia and Alzheimer’s.
This article digs deeper to understand what sound healing is all about and how it works.
What is sound healing?
Sound healing involves using music vibrations to relax the mind and body. According to experts, our body is conditioned to respond to different sound frequencies differently. It is an evolutionary trait that helped humans survive and thrive for centuries. While we may not need to rely on our sensory inhibitions to survive anymore, they still exist. Human emotions, too, respond to sound frequencies. Lower energy sound waves stimulate a sense of guilt and fear, while higher vibrations correspond to love and joy. Utilizing the different aspects of music improves physical and emotional health.
A sound healer can use various tools to release vibrations to help patients relax and enter a state of ease. Music therapy sessions can be group or one-to-one, depending on what approach is being used by the sound healer. Usually, a sound healing therapy session involves the person being treated partaking in the experience in a guided manner along with the trained practitioner. The therapy may include patients:
- Singing with the sound of music
- Moving to the rhythm of the instrument
- Sound meditating
- Playing a musical instrument
- Sitting ideally in a comfortable position and listening to the music
Some sound healers argue that as 75% of the adult human body is water, it is a great conductor of sound vibrations. The positive vibrations can be directed through the body using guided sound healing therapy by experienced practitioners. It results in enhanced circulation of energy, stimulating rejuvenation. In studies, music therapy is found to affect the human body physically. Such is the effect of sound treatment that not only for adults but can also improve the health of premature babies.
What conditions can be treated with sound healing therapy?
Sound healing has applications in the physical, mental, and emotional realms. Psychiatrists use music therapy as a medium to put patients in a state of transcend to heal their mental state. Hospitals use music as a pain reliever for patients with conditions such as cancer and arthritis. Sound healers use their skills to improve the emotional well-being of patients.
The most common use of music therapy is to treat symptoms associated with several medical conditions. The treatment can be used to manage the following conditions:
- Depression
- Anxiety disorders
- Dementia
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Cancer pain
- Learning difficulties
- Autism spectrum disorder
- Behavioral and psychiatric disorders
While sound healing therapy finds its most applications in mental and emotional health management, there are other benefits. Guided music therapy can be used to:
- Lower cholesterol levels
- Lower stress
- Decrease mood swings
- Lower blood pressure
- Teach pain management
- Improve sleep
- Lower the risk of coronary artery disease and stroke
- Manage headaches
To better understand the benefits of sound therapy, we need to know how it works.
How sound healing therapy works?
A sound healer can use several methods and utilize different aspects of sound for the therapy. How the treatment will work depends on the method being used. Most sound healing therapy sessions will be one-on-one guided sessions.
A typical sound healing therapy session involves a specially trained practitioner using music or sounds to stimulate the body. The patient must sit or lay down listening to music from a speaker or an instrument. Depending on the method, patients can be encouraged to participate by singing, dancing, moving, or playing a musical instrument. Some sound healers use special tools like a tuning fork to apply vibrations to a particular body region.
However, sound meditation sessions employ a more passive approach in which patients remain still while the vibrations of sounds take effect. Most people can practice sound meditation on their own through an online guided session. These sessions are known to be very effective.
Takeaway
Sound healing therapy can benefit your physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Depending on your condition, a sound healer can use sound treatments such as guided meditations, neurologic music therapy, tuning fork therapy, or brainwave entrainment to stimulate a specific state. At its core, music therapy encourages brain waves to align with the frequency of the vibration to induce enhanced focus, state of relaxation, entranced state, and sleep.
If you are struggling with any of the health issues listed above, you can discuss music therapy as an option with your doctor.
