Sound healing can be an amazing way to bring healing to the body on every level: spiritual, mental, emotional and physical. It can be done in so many ways. Simply listening to music you love can do the trick!
Ways to Use Sound Healing
- Music. Uplifting music can shift your mood and energy almost instantly. Many people love music tuned to 432 Hz. You can learn how to change your music to 432 Hz and read more in my 432 Hz music post.
- Chakra frequencies. Certain sound frequencies are used to balance each of the chakras.
- Your own voice. Singing, humming and chanting all send vibration through your body.
- Singing bowls. Yes, I said bowls!
What Is Vibrational Sound Therapy?
Healing with singing bowls is called Vibrational Sound Therapy (VST). The bowls are made and shaped so that when they are struck, they ring at a certain frequency, like 432 Hz or another frequency with a purpose. Many people believe 432 Hz is a natural frequency that is in harmony with our voice and with creation.
Being in range of the bowl’s sound and feeling that vibration carried through your body can bring healing. Water carries sound very well, and since our bodies are mostly water, I believe this is part of why sound therapy works so well.
How Sound Healing Works
VST combines powerful vibration and soothing tones to bring the body and mind into a relaxed state quickly. The sound waves move into the body while ambient tones play, and clients describe effects ranging from a meditative state to deep relaxation. When the “therapeutic” singing bowls are placed directly on the body, the vibration travels through you. Many practitioners believe this helps balance and relax the body all the way down to the DNA. If you would like to learn more or find a practitioner, see the Vibrational Sound Association.
Benefits People Report From Sound Healing
- Deep relaxation and less stress
- Better, more restful sleep
- A calmer, quieter mind
- Feeling more balanced and centered
- Less tension and pain in the body
- A lifted mood and more energy
Sound Healing and the Brain
This is one of the most exciting areas of research! Brain cells communicate in rhythms, and one important rhythm is called gamma, around 40 Hz. In people with Alzheimer’s disease, these gamma rhythms are disrupted.
Researchers at MIT have been testing gentle 40 Hz sound and light stimulation. In mice, it helped reduce Alzheimer’s-related changes in the brain, and early small studies in people found it was safe and suggested possible benefits for memory and brain health. You can read about it from the Tsai Laboratory at MIT. It is still being studied, but I love seeing science explore what sound can do.
How to Start With Sound Healing at Home
- Make a playlist of music that makes you feel peaceful and uplifted, and listen to it daily.
- Try a singing bowl. Strike it gently, close your eyes, and breathe with the sound until it fades.
- Hum or sing. Feel the vibration in your chest and head. It is free and you can do it anywhere.
- Book a session with a sound healing practitioner and experience the bowls placed on your body.
- Be still. Silence is part of sound healing too. Give your body time to rest after a session.
Sound is all around us, from birdsong to rain to the voices of the people we love. When we choose the sounds we surround ourselves with on purpose, it can become one of our most powerful healing tools.
Sound healing is a wonderful complement to care but is not a replacement for medical treatment.
