If you've ever wondered just how sound healing works, then this blog post is for you!
In summary, sound healing works by using sound waves, vibration & frequency to create a shift in your physiology, nervous system & brainwave state, in the same way that breath can be used in meditation or breath work. But how does it do this you may be wondering…
Whilst science is yet to understand all of the ways in which sound healing works, what we do know is that:
Sound healing activates the relaxation response, which is controlled by the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve is the longest nerve in your body. It runs down your spine, and is connected to every crucial gland and organ in the body. The vagus nerve controls specific body functions such as digestion, heart rate, immunity, and reproduction.
When sound travels through the body, or into the ears, it massages the vagus nerve, which in turn activates the parasympathetic nervous system aka the ‘rest and digest’ response. When activated, we feel safe, secure, and our bodies relax. Digestion turns on, cellular regeneration flourishes, and we start to repair. Stress levels lower as cortisol release is inhibited, our heart rate lowers, and blood pressure lowers, so we feel less anger, irritability, and a sense of peace. The same applies when we sing, chant, or hum for prolonged periods of time, because the voice box is connected to the vagus nerve, and the vibrations of the voice massage it in the same way.
Sound healing alters our energetic & brain wave state via the physics principle of entrainment, originally discovered by Dutch Physicist & Scientist - Christian Huygens. Entrainment is a phenomenon of nature & sound, where one object & rhythm influences another, causing them to harmonise and sync up. We seemingly do this naturally, regularly throughout the day, and without thought or effort, because of our inherent need to conserve energy and survive. Nature is always looking to preserve energy, and therefore the path of least resistance is to sync up, to 'fit in', or 'harmonise' with something else. A great example of this can be seen in women, where women living together will often have a menstrual cycle that synchronises together.
Because of this scientific phenomenon, sound healers can use sound & rhythm to intentionally affect the energetic & brain wave state of another, most commonly shifting it from the high-beta or beta-dominated waking brainwave state, to a slower, more restful & healing ‘alpha’ or ‘theta’-dominant state where healing, repair, and regeneration can occur. In the alpha & theta state, we are also able to access higher states of creativity, clarity, problem-solving skills, insightfulness, and a sense of bliss, peace, and harmony. It’s worth saying that whilst relaxation is the most common goal of sound healing, it can also be used to energise a person and do the opposite, particularly if a person is experiencing a very low mood, or is lacking motivation. We can try to use sound to shift it into a higher brain wave state. You can experience this via a group sound healing session, or a 1-2-1. You can also listen to bi-aural beats, which have been shown to be very effective at this.
Sound healing works through the mechanism of vibration.
To accept this, we first need to understand that the universe is a vibrational one. Everything on this planet has its own vibratory rate, and resonant frequency, or musical note. Everything is is in a constant state of motion and vibration. This includes every organ, cell, and part of your body. They all have their own frequency or note, that when healthy, works in harmony with the rest of the body, sounding like a very beautiful orchestra. When one part is stressed or knocked out of harmony, it affects the whole system.
This is something that famous mathematicians & scientists such as Pythagoras, Nikola Tesla and Albert Einstein discovered & spoke about. This means then that we can use vibration, to affect the vibration of another or another body part, and this links to the point on entrainment above. Sound healing instruments like singing bowls, gongs, the voice, monochord, drum, crystal singing bowls, and tuning forks, all produce vibrations at specific frequencies, or musical notes, that when they interact with the vibrations of the human body, can help it to restore the body back to balance and harmony, quite literally re-tuning it. What causes the body to de-tune/ fall out of balance? Prolonged stress from work, relationships and life, feeling lower vibrational emotions like shame, guilt, and fear for prolonged periods. of time, and resistance are a few examples. But this can be released and balanced with regular sessions with a trained sound therapist.
In summary, sound healing works by using specific vibrational frequencies to entrain and resonate with the body's own frequencies, inducing deep relaxation, reducing stress, and promoting physical, mental, and emotional balance and healing.
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