Can Sound Rewire The Body At A Cellular Level?

What if sound could do more than shift your mood? What if it could influence the body at the cellular level?

Emerging research suggests exactly this. Scientists at Kyoto University found that exposing cells to certain frequencies altered gene expression, including those related to inflammation and fat cell development. Earlier findings (Kumeta et al., 2018) also showed that both audible sound and ultrasound can affect genes linked to healing and bone formation.

Sound as Cellular Communication

Sound isn’t only heard through the ears — it can also be detected by cells, trigger responses in the nervous system, and influence how our genes behave. This opens up exciting possibilities for how harmonic frequencies might support health and wellbeing in the future.

A single session with Tibetan singing bowls, for example, has been shown to reduce stress and pain (Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine, 2017). And oncologist Dr. Mitchell Gaynor incorporated Himalayan bowls into cancer care, reporting reduced anxiety and improved immune function.

Harmony, Dissonance, and Entrainment

Practitioners like Eileen Day McKusick and Jonathan Goldman show how harmonic sound can restore coherence in the body — regulating the nervous system and helping release emotional blockages. Even dissonant sounds, when used with skill, can support emotional release — as long as they are resolved back into harmony.

At the heart of sound healing is entrainment — the way our brainwaves, heart rate, and breath begin to synchronise with external rhythm. When you rest in a sound bath, your system moves toward balance by entraining to the instruments, bringing the body and mind back into coherence and calm. You can read more about how sound healing works in the FAQs.

Experience It for Yourself

Whether through birdsong, calming music, or a guided sound bath, sound has the power to bring us back to ourselves — to coherence, calm, and sometimes even emotional release. (I wrote more about this in “Can Sound Healing Make You Cry?”).

If you’d like to experience it directly, join one of our group sound baths in Greenwich, Sevenoaks, or Bristol.

View All Upcoming Sound Bath Events Here or Book a 1-2-1

Table of References & Citations

Author / Source	Title / Description	Type	Year	Link / Publisher
Kyoto University	Your Cells Can Hear: How Sound Waves Rewire the Body	Scientific Study / News	2025	Kyoto University Research
Kumeta et al.	Cell Type-Specific Suppression of Mechanosensitive Genes by Audible Sound Stimulation	Peer-Reviewed Study (PLOS)	2018	View Study
McKusick, Eileen Day	Tuning the Human Biofield	Book (Healing Arts Press)	2014	Healing Arts Press
Goldman, Jonathan	Healing Sounds: The Power of Harmonics	Book	1992	Healing Arts Press
Gaynor, Mitchell L.	The Healing Power of Sound	Book	2002	Shambhala Publications
Treasure, Julian	Sound Affects: How Sound Shapes Our Lives	Book	2024	Hachette Book Group
Treasure, Julian	The 4 Ways Sound Affects Us (TED Talk)	TED Talk	2011	Watch
Emoto, Masaru	The Hidden Messages in Water	Book	2004	Atria Books
PNAS	Dissonant Music Increases Neural Alertness	Scientific Study	2023	Read Study
Bonde, Lars Ole	Health Musicking: Music Therapy or Music and Health?	Academic Journal	2011	British Journal of Music Therapy
TEDx: Dr. Lee Bartel	Music Medicine: Sound at a Cellular Level	TEDx Talk	—	Watch
TEDx: Dr. Neal Kassell	Curing with Sound (Focused Ultrasound)	TEDx Talk	—	Watch
TEDx: Anthony Holland	Shattering Cancer with Resonant Frequencies	TEDx Talk	—	Watch
Journal of Evidence-Based CAM	Effects of Singing Bowl Sound Meditation on Mood and Pain