Although we are surrounded by sound everyday, we do not realize the vibrations that are produced have powerful healing properties. The ancient meditative process, known as sound healing, uses different musical implements in order to create healing vibrations around the body while in a meditative state.
Sound healing is used to help activate the body’s natural healing system. It leads to deep restorative healing on not only a cellular level but also an emotional one. The harmonizing sounds generate a soothing effect throughout the whole body. The different vibrations and frequencies promote deep relaxation, induce total relaxation, release emotional trauma, and relieve stress and anxiety.
The vibrations themselves alter the brain waves. The sounds made during sound healing techniques shift your body’s frequencies from low energy to higher vibrations of love and joy. “Sound healing synchronizes brain waves to achieve profound states of relaxation, helping to restore the normal vibratory frequencies of the cells in our bodies” (Bhaumik).
The superior olivary complex is the first part of the brain to process sounds when we hear them. This is the part of the brain which synchronizes multiple activities of the neurons in our brains. The complex responds when it hears two close frequencies by creating a binaural beat. This beat in turn changes the brain waves. When participating in sound healing, the vibrations and sounds created activates this part of the brain in order to put the mind into a state of tranquility.
Many scientific articles found strong evidence on the benefits of music as medicine. Sound healing reduces pain, anxiety, and stress. “One study published in the Journal of Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine found that an hour long sound meditation helped people reduce tension, anger, fatigue, anxiety, and depression while increasing a sense of spiritual well-being” (Well). This study found significant benefits of using sound healing in order to create a feeling of overall well-being. The sound bowls are used to create different tones which inturn leads the brain into brainwave states of deep relaxation. This type of meditation reduces stress, induces the relaxation response, and potentially stress-related diseases in the body.
Sound meditation is great for finding a moment of mindfulness. Check out our sound healing and meditation classes on Caravan Wellness!
References:
Effects of Singing Bowl Sound Meditation on Mood, Tension, and Well-being: An Observational Study. (2016, September 30). https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2156587216668109.
Sound Healing – How it Works and Its Health Benefits. (2021, December 18). https://destinationdeluxe.com/sound-healing-health-benefits/.
The Healing Power of Sound as Meditation. (2019, July 5). https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/urban-survival/201907/the-healing-power-sound-meditation.
What are Binaural Beats? (2021, April 12). https://www.webmd.com/balance/what-are-binaural-beats.
What is Sound Healing? (2022). http://www.wellset.co/glossary/what-is-sound-healing.