What is Sound Healing?
The sounds you encounter throughout the day can drastically affect your mood. Loud, chaotic noises like construction sites can leave you feeling irritated and on edge while soothing frequencies like your favorite songs can put you in a good mood. But what if there was a way to use sound as a tool for healing? Sound healing is having a moment but it’s actually been used by ancient cultures like Tibetan monks and Aboriginal peoples in Australia for centuries. It’s even been endorsed by celebs including Robert Downey Jr. and Charlize Theron who are fans of this ancient wellness practice.
Sound healers use a variety of instruments to make waves of vibrations through the body. They can include voice, drums, gongs, tuning forks and more. The key to the process is resonance, the principle that every organ, bone and cell in the human body has a frequency. If one organ becomes dissonant with the rest of the body it can create disease or illness in that area. Through the principles of resonance and harmonics sound can bring the body back into balance by using sound to elicit a response in the brain and the physical body.
It’s a meditative practice that requires you to focus your attention on the rhythm and vibration of the instruments you hear, and can be done alone or in a group setting. The goal is to allow the vibrations of the sound to resonate through the body and into the mind, connecting you with your inner self and releasing any blockages. It’s a powerful, yet gentle therapy that can be used in conjunction with other forms of alternative medicine.
According to studies, different sound frequencies stimulate cellular production of nitric oxide, which is a vasodilator and helps regulate blood pressure on a cellular level. Other studies have shown that sound healing can also boost the immune system and lower stress levels.
As the popularity of this wellness practice continues to rise, the scientific community is finally catching up with ancient sound wisdom. Scientists are discovering that vibration has the ability to alter brainwave frequencies, bringing you into states of deep relaxation associated with alpha and theta waves.
While some may still think of sound healing as a bit woo-woo or New Age, with the recent boom in popularity, more and more mainstream practitioners are getting on board, making it easier to find an experienced practitioner. While more research is needed, this form of meditation has some significant health benefits, so don’t be afraid to give it a try. Just be sure to avoid this practice if you’re pregnant or have epilepsy as the vibrations of certain instruments can trigger seizures. You should also avoid it if you have any metal implants in your body such as a pacemaker or stent. And remember that it’s always a great idea to consult your doctor before trying any new wellness practices, especially those that require you to lay down. What is sound healing