There are many ‘entry points’ into a meditative state which can be described as a state of ‘Being’ in the current moment. Where the mind is quiet and focused, the nervous system calm and the physical body relaxed. Where we temporarily let go of the mental ‘to-do lists’ and surrender into the stillness and expansive state of the ‘Power of Now’, as Ekhart Tole coined. The use of external sound is one such entry point into this state, often married with other approaches such as breathwork and active meditation practices.

Sound healing ( or sound therapy – a term used interchangeably ) can be experienced in group and individual settings. In a group, it is often referred to as a sound ‘journey’ (or ‘sound bath’ is another modern interchangeable term). The term ‘journey’ is grounded in ancient shamanic practices. Most indigenous communities around the world have shamanic practices, of which a sound journey is one. The underlying premise involves using an external ‘sound driver’, whether that be a repetitive or continuous sound, with the intention of guiding participants into an active meditative state. Examples of sound drivers include those produced by a range of instruments such as singing bowls, chimes, drums, digeridoos, flutes, as well as our voice through chanting mantra and vocal toning. Once in this meditative state, participants are supported to engage in compassionate introspection with any individual experiences that may arise.

A primary goal of sound therapy is to use this array of external sound vibrations to support the body in coming back to a place of physical, energetic, and emotional balance. A fundamental concept underpinning this process is entrainment - a process that describes when the vibrational fields of two or more oscillating objects interact, there is a tendency for the vibrational frequencies to synchonise. In sound therapy, the coherent sound vibrations from a range of instruments are used to support our mental system to relax and entrain into the lower, meditative brainwave states of Alpha and Theta. As such, sound healing offers a sonic vehicle for dropping into this meditative brainwave state much more quickly than when using a meditation practice on its own.

When we achieve a broader meditative, relaxed state, there can be a range of biochemical responses that occur such as a reduction in the stress hormones of cortisol and adrenaline, an increase in melatonin which can support sleep and the immune system, and increased endorphins that can be associated with perceived pain relief. These responses can then facilitate a broader calming effect on the physical and emotional body, promoting physical health and emotional wellbeing.

Erin’s interest has been in sound therapy approaches that combine additional ‘entry points’ to a meditative state, such as breathwork and meditation practices. For this reason, Erin has trained in the Sound of Being™ approach, which is a modality developed by Sound Healing Australia combining sound healing, breathwork, meditation, and self-enquiry. It draws upon traditions and teachings from across the world and provides a beautiful opportunity to connect with a state of ‘Being’ rather than ‘Doing’. This approach is tailored for both group and individual experiences. The external sounds from a range of instruments are used to entrain brainwaves to a Theta state, supporting coming quickly into a state of deep relaxation, nourishing the nervous system.

What also drew Erin to this method was its strong trauma-informed approach, which really supports creating an environment of safety, relational connection and establishing frameworks for compassionate self-enquiry for participants. An example of a trauma-informed practice in this modality, is that instruments are only placed on a participant’s body in individual sessions (not in group sound journeys), where there is opportunity to better understand the client’s unique needs and to tailor sessions to adapt to their individual responses to sound. Working with sound healing approaches that have a clear practitioner accreditation process and structured frameworks can support client safety, the integrity of this modality, whilst also opening opportunities for further research and evaluation of its effectiveness.

The Sound Landscapes
One of the main goals of sound healing or therapy is to use a range of external sound vibrations to guide participants into an active meditative state, quieting the mind chatter. Supporting participants to turn inwards to engage in compassionate introspection with any internal experiences that arise, using the process of entrainment to facilitate coming back to a place of physical, energetic, and emotional balance.

A sound practitioner can use a range of instruments off and on the body, to support both up-regulating or down-regulating the body’s functions including breath, heartbeat, brainwave states, and emotional states. This can be achieved by altering the sound landscape – changing rhythmic patterns, the tempo (pace), and intentionally selecting different harmonic intervals or different notes to play that may evoke unique qualities. This careful curation of a sound journey can support participants in observing difficult emotions or somatic experiences that are surfacing to be released, whilst also enhancing and infusing other reflective and somatic experiences, such as a sense of calm, vitality, expansion, softness, and empowerment.

Working with Intention and Sound
The experience of sound healing can be further harnessed by inviting participants to have a personal intention to focus on whilst receiving the sound. This may be a specific goal relating to an emotion, thought, an aspect of their body or energetic experience that they are intending to bring back to a state of harmony. This more targeted personal practice can support participants in really tuning into their individual experiences during a sound journey – enhancing their self-awareness and connection to how their body, emotions, thoughts and energy are responding in the current moment. Building this self-awareness can then have a flow-on effect with supporting improved emotional regulation and clearer thinking. It can empower individuals in making choices that are aligned to their personal goals, and in experiencing a stronger sense of connection with themselves and their outer world.

Whilst every sound practitioner will have their unique interests and orientation with their collection of sound healing instruments, the choice of instruments used in an individual session may be led by the individual intention and presenting needs of the client.

The sounds of different instruments will be experienced differently by each participant. Some instruments may not sound beautiful to all participants and may instead draw a difficult emotion to the surface to be experienced and processed. Again, this is based on the idea that a coherent sound wave will support in entraining any aspects of your experience that are out of balance, back to a state of flow and harmony. As such, the sounds from different instruments may be experienced differently, session to session, as participants will come to each session experiencing the unique effects of their week. Furthermore, the unique tunings of instruments may offer different balancing effects on certain aspects of the energetic, emotional, physical and mental body – all offering unique experiences for each participant, based on the ‘state of Being’ they are experiencing at the time of the session.

If any challenging experiences arise within a session for participants, they can be encouraged to lean into the experience with kindness and compassion for themselves. Holding a ‘curious observer’ stance, to witness how the experience evolves throughout the course of the session, acknowledging that it may present an opportunity to work through a personal process and return to a state of balance.

Sound journeys can be like a sonic massage, with each participant having their individual preferences and responses to sound volume and different sound qualities. As such, individual sessions offer a personalised experience where a client’s intention for the session is explored in more depth and the sound experiences can be tailored to their unique needs. It also provides a higher level of practitioner support and privacy to work on personal processes.

If you would like support to decide whether a group or individual sound therapy experience may be best suited to your needs, please contact Erin to discuss.

Goldsby and colleagues (2019) conducted an observational study investigating the effects of a one-hour sound meditation (predominantly using Tibetan singing bowls), using pre- and post-measures. This study found that sound meditation participants reported significantly reduced measures in tension, anger, fatigue, and depressed mood. A recent systematic review of breathwork and chanting conducted by Malviya and colleagues (2022) reported moderate to strong support for the effects on alleviating anxiety, depression, stress and symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. A broader review of meta-analyses of randomised, controlled trials exploring the effects of meditation on health, reported a medium size effect on both mental and physical health (Rose et. al. 2020).

There is also a growing body of research investigating the positive health benefits of low frequency sound stimulation applied directly to the body. This research has reported improvements in motor recovery (e.g., motor movement, spasticity, and perception of body orientation) in neurorehabilitation, and also broader physical pain relief. The instruments used in sound healing practices produce sound vibration waves of different frequencies that can be felt physically when placed directly on the body, from the point of contact and in the surrounding regions of the body. In fact, sound vibration can be felt as physical vibration in the body even when instruments are played off the body, in the broader biofield. As such, sound healing practices on the body can be considered a local vibration therapy without the use of electrical devices.

Sound therapy can be likened to a sonic massage, using coherent sound waves to entrain aspects of physical, emotional and energetic imbalance back to a state of harmony and relaxation. This is based on the understanding that every cell in our body, our emotions and thoughts are all comprised of measurable vibration.

With more formalised sound therapy training programs becoming established now there are many opportunities to engage in larger scale and more targeted research that aims to further demonstrate mechanisms of action and benefits of sound therapy on health and wellbeing.

Like all wellbeing practices, sound therapy is one of many complimentary approaches that are best integrated into an individually tailored, holistic health and wellbeing plan.

Click on the links below to read full literature references:

• Goldsby TL, Goldsby ME, McWalters M, Mills PJ.
  Effects of Singing Bowl Sound Meditation on Mood, Tension, and Well-being: An Observational Study. Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine.
  2017;22(3):401-406. doi:10.1177/2156587216668109

• Shikha Malviya, Pamela Meredith, Barbra Zupan & Lachlan Kerley (2022) Identifying alternative mental health interventions: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials of chanting and breathwork, Journal of Spirituality in Mental Health
  24:2, 191-233, DOI: 10.1080/19349637.2021.2010631

• Rose, S., Zell, E. & Strickhouser, J.E.
  The Effect of Meditation on Health: a Metasynthesis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Mindfulness
  11, 507–516 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-019-01277-6

• Naghdi L, Ahonen H, Macario P, Bartel L. (2015).
  The effect of low-frequency sound stimulation on patients with fibromyalgia: a clinical study. Pain Res Manag. 2015 Jan-Feb;20(1):e21-7. doi: 10.1155/2015/375174. Epub 2014 Dec 29. PMID: 25545161; PMCID: PMC4325896.