The sound of music is everywhere in our lives. We use it to celebrate new beginnings, to unwind and relax at home, to set the mood at the right time, to have fun, or for almost any other situation. It connects the world together and fills every city, no matter the language. Whether we’re sad, happy, bored or having a good time, music helps us do one thing more importantly than anything else: heal.
Versions of healing with sound have date back in history to Greek tales of Apollo, even seen in the practice of the famous philosophers like Plato and Aristotle, who believed that music had a profound impact on our soul and emotion.
Even today, it’s still prevalent in medicine and spiritual communities as a means to grow and heal both emotionally and psychologically. But with its wide use, the general public still sorely misunderstands the seemingly radical healing technique.
So what is Sound Healing?
The process of sound healing leverages music to tap into the health of the listener through emotional, psychological, spiritual, physical and mental aspects that are engaged during the playing of music. Sound healing therapy mainly consists of a person listening to music or sound and engaging with it through movement, mantra,
meditation, instrument playing or any combination of those together. Oftentimes a specific sound or song can even be created to produce positive brainwaves and completely brighten our mood.
In its simplest form, sound healing works by making us happier. It can be positive, joyful music, trance-inducing, calm music, or anything in between that activates a warm glow within us. Even a moodier song can have surprising results—when you purposefully listen to a gloomy song while feeling down, it’s typically because it has some sort of therapeutic effect on you.
Studies have shown evidence that individuals who listen to music reported far less physical discomfort or pain, significantly more joy and happiness, and a complete drop off in stress and anxiety as compared to people who didn’t listen to music regularly. So, in a way, music can also act as a vibrating sonic painkiller, among its other healing attributes.
Just like sound, we can produce our own waves and frequencies. Matching those vibrations of the music during sound healing with your own body is a transitive way to reach ultimate relaxation and healing during the process. One 1970 study even showed that tones played in separate ears can mesh the two brain hemispheres together and produce a
separate third tone that is heard internally by the listener. While this occurs, the brain is in perfect balance, bringing clear, calm communication between your body and mind.
This, in a sense, is what the entire concept of sound healing is based on. Aiming specific sound tones to portions of our bodies or brain and adjusting our personal waves in response. You may be thinking ‘yeah, music makes me feel good, so what?’. Simply recognizing that is fine, but proactively dedicating time to meditate and use sound healing methods on a regular basis can turn a new leaf in your self care and natural healing path. It not only breeds a new level of connection between your body and brain, but also aids in eliminating negative symptoms you have.
If you’re dealing with a migraine, you could play a specific sound that blocks out the migraine pain waves and causes your brain to ignore the pain signal altogether. Simple mood swings can be benefitted as well. A bright uplifting song can help your spirits when you’re out of sorts or in pain. Sound healing through music can even spark memories to be recalled in our minds. This method is often used to treat patients dealing with trauma or clinical depression. There are many ways that it can access parts of our brain and heal us, but at its core, sound healing is based around entrainment.
Entrainment is a process in which our brain waves synchronize to a sound by creating a steady frequency that adjusts to and matches the sound wave. As your brain reaches this unique synchronistic state, you will feel many mental, emotional, physical and spiritual benefits.
What sound healing can help with:
- Psychological/behavioral disorders such as depression
- Anxiety
- Stress
- PTSD
- Physical pain/discomfort
- Unstable moods/mood dips
- Imbalance/brain fog
- Better relaxation
- Improved memory and concentration
- Restful sleep
- Immunity
- Creative flow
- Self and environmental alertness
Types of Sound Healing
You can access sound healing in a number of forms. There are many that lean both toward more scientific or more spiritual. Even those on different ends of the spectrum still deal with one common concept, which is that sound is the foundation of healing and development. Now let’s explore the various sound healing methods that are implemented around the world for various benefits.
Bonny Method
This technique of sound healing therapy pairs music with images as you are guided through the session. Typically the Bonny Method is employed to help those who deal with psychological issues. As you focus on the images and the music plays, there may be an additional encouragement to openly discuss what internal struggles you’re dealing with.
Mantra/Guided Meditation
You may already be familiar with mantra or
guided meditation. Your own voice can act as an instrument during meditation—this itself is a form of sound healing therapy.
Meditation can benefit your health and wellness, as you probably know, but the addition of a chant can add another element. A mantra chant can result in better sleep, lower blood pressure, better mood stability and overall calms and relaxes you. Look up how to develop your own mantra and then try experimenting with one during your next meditation session. You’ll be amazed at what a difference just a mantra can make in how you feel during and after meditating.
Neurologic Music Therapy
Neurologic Music Therapy is founded in neuroscience and leans on creating and enjoying music as a positive boost to your brain. While creating music, moods, cognitive abilities, and motor functions are drastically improved.
Nordoff-Robbins
Similar in the styles of Neurologic Music Therapy, the Nordoff-Robbins method is used primarily to help kids with developmental disabilities to help them pull their focus and concentrate on music by creating it. This helps them find their own meaning and healing in music and teaches the patients to create music as therapeutic release.
Root Frequency Entrainment
Root Frequency Entrainment practices a principle that we all have a unique frequency in our soul at which it functions to its highest capacity. The distractions and chaos of the world interrupt our soul frequency and cause our bad moods, illnesses and emotional distress. Root frequency entrainment helps us reach our soul’s original frequency through sound healing in order to restore our truest state.
Singing Bowl Therapy
Singing bowls have been used as a tool in meditation, rituals and ceremonies since the 12th century in Asia. The sound emitted from the metal bowls is like the ringing of a bell, in a peaceful, even tune. They’re known to relax and renew the mind during sound healing therapy, also helping with lower stress and anxiety. While practicing this ancient technique, your breathing will steady, your moods will level and you might just feel your pains and aches wash away.
Tuning Fork Therapy
Like a combination of music therapy and acupuncture (but no pins involved), tuning forks are crafted to use specific vibrations that will cater to designated areas of your body. As they are applied to the areas, energy opens and flows again, while tension is released. Your body and mind connection gains balance once again as the vibration flows through you. This method is especially great at steadying your emotional state and relieving pain.
Vibroacoustic Therapy
Vibroacoustic therapy (VAT) targets the body with sound waves. One will lay themselves down and play sounds and vibrations that sink deep beyond the skin and into the depths of your body. This method is often used to help injury recovery and even patients who are dealing with fatal disease.
Experience Change Your Energy’s Sound Healing Meditations
Are you finding yourself drawn to Sound Healing and want to try it out? We have a few courses on our site that incorporate sound healing into meditation, chakra healing, LifeParticles, and more. They’re guided by Ilchi Lee himself and can offer complete mind-body rejuvenation, healed chakras, and overall healthy balance for your spirit.
See our sound healing meditation courses here: