During this time when our mind is in a difficult place and anxiety might be even more challenging to deal with now than ever before, we wanted to talk about sound therapy.

Healing with sound is believed to help increase productivity, flare-up creativity, enhance our overall mental wellness, and even cure mental disorders. How? Let's find out

What is sound therapy?

Sound therapy deconstructs music into pure sound, harnessing the knowledge that sound can have a powerful effect on our emotions.

Sound Therapy uses sound, music, and specialist instruments played in therapeutic ways, combined with deep self-reflection techniques it improves health and wellbeing. It can spark some joy in our lives and help us deal with our emotions in a way that maybe some of us haven’t dealt with before.  

How does sound therapy work?

Sound therapists believe that we are all made up of different energy frequencies. They use sound frequencies to interact with these, thus attempting to rebalance the body's energy.

Sound therapy uses different aspects of sound to improve your emotional and physical well-being. How it works depends on the method being used, with most sound therapy sessions experienced one-on-one with a specially trained practitioner.

However, you don’t need to go to a sound therapist to enjoy the benefits of it. There are a number of amazing resources online and on streaming platforms where we can access a number of different types of sound therapy.

Related article: 5 ways that sound affects the human body

What are the different types of sound therapy?

There are different forms of sound therapy, some of which you might have heard of before.

Gong bath

A gong bath is an ancient Asian sound healing technique that has been practiced for thousands of years. The term bath signifies being bathed in sound waves that give a sense of vibration through your body. It is said to declutter the mind, clear emotional blockage, reduce stress and anxiety, and can even help to heal physical aches while focusing on the sound.

It is usually practiced by a practitioner striking and stroking the gongs or singing bowls to transmit the vibrations while participants lay on yoga mats.

What is the gong bath best for?

Gong meditation creates a sense of relaxation in the body, it reduces stress and anxiety, as well as it can help to move emotional blockage from trauma. Here is one example of gong bath sounds.

Related article: The Role of Sound in Food

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lw708zdRXuw[/embed]

Tuning fork

Tuning fork therapy uses calibrated metal tuning forks to apply specific vibrations to different parts of the body. The fork consists of a handle and two tines. When the tuning fork is hit with a rubber hammer, the times begin to vibrate.  

What is the tuning fork best for?

This method usually can help release tension, meditate or relax and sleep. To have a better understanding, we recommend checking some YouTube videos and immersing yourself in the relaxing sound. Here is one that we found useful.

Related article: How sensitive are you to sound?

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdLTKqx6kWM[/embed]

Bonny method

The Bonny method is based on the belief that people might hear a tune that is immediately associated with a person, a place, or an event that has happened in their lives. It was invented in the 1970s by Dr. Helen Bonny, GIM (Guided Imagery and Music) who suggests that music can open up a new sensory world.  That it helps us connect with the feelings associated with those past events or images. It is a guided meditation usually including sequences of classical music, that uses images to essentially help people deal with their emotional state. GIM practice can be used to address anxiety, explore issues around self-esteem and confidence, and can help with other mental challenges people might face.

What is the bonny method best for?

Bonny's method similar to other sound therapies can help with stress, anxiety, depression, PTSD and other common mental issues.

Related article: How do face masks affect our communication?

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amGl9Qmgu7E[/embed]

Binaural beats

Also known as brain entertainment, is a method where the brain is being stimulated with different sets of sound waves. The method triggers the brain into a specific state using pulsing sound to boost your brain waves to adjust to the frequency of the beat. It is one of the most common forms of sound therapy.

What are binaural beats best for?

When focusing on the sound, binaural beats are highly effective when having trouble with sleeping or experiencing anxiety. Also, it is easily accessible on various streaming platforms like YouTube or Spotify and it makes it easier for you to try it at home!

Related article: Does Certain Sounds Like Chewing or Nails on a Chalkboard Drive You Crazy? Misophonia Explained

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pHI5MlDgps[/embed]

Modern out-take on sound therapy

One form of sound therapy that might particularly interest you today is the Secular Sabbath sound experience.

Secular Sabbath is a modern outtake on sound therapy, it is an ambient music experience that incorporates wellness and art into co-creating our sensory selves. Usually, they operate in Los Angeles, California but during the Covid-19 a few well-known artists [Diplo and Rhye] have created a different sound experience that is accessible from any part of the world.

It is called Corona Sabbath and it is a live streaming session on YouTube where you can join the community and listen to the electronic beats.

Related article: What Are Hearing Gains? - The Future of Hearing Wellness

Final thoughts on sound therapy

Music and sound play a very important role in our lives. The different types of sound therapy outlined are only a few methods that can help reduce anxiety and overcome this difficult time.

Check out some of the links we’ve shared or you can easily find a number of resources online on different streaming platforms.

If you have a story about when sound therapy helped you overcome a difficult time or you know more methods of sound therapy, please share them with us!