The idea of using sound for healing seems to have existed for a long time. But what does it mean and what does it do?
Stacey Morrison, RNZ host Is it healthy or a hoax? This podcast began with sound healing teacher and practitioner Kata Mikets conducting her first sound therapy session.
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What happens in a sound therapy session?
Miketsu says she typically uses her own equipment to assess a client’s body before deciding which equipment to use.
“I usually use these intuitively, so I don’t have a set of scripts,” Mikecz says.
“I do whatever I feel drawn to.”
She warns that the sounds can sometimes be painful and encourages Stacey to speak up if she is uncomfortable.
“Some people experience things like tension in their shoulders or muscles. I usually recommend staying with the sound, even if it’s uncomfortable and emotions come up. It’s because the sound changes. Because it means you’ve started.” So it’s great to be with the sound, but you don’t have to just hold on to it,” Mikech says.
Before starting, Mikecz asks Stacey to set an intention or positive outcome to focus on during the session. Next she does breathing and visualization exercises.
The session lasts 40 minutes, with Miketsch moving around Stacey using a variety of instruments. These include everything from tuning forks (which have a set frequency), to Himalayan bowls and gongs (which do not have a precise frequency or tone), to drums and tinsha cymbals to ground and disperse energy.
People often experience some kind of release during the session, such as crying or having other emotions. Miketz says people usually feel relaxed and at ease afterwards.
Stacy during a sound healing session
photograph: Liz Garton
How much does it cost?
Sound healing sessions cost about the same as massages.
How does sound therapy work?
Miketz says sound healing works through sympathetic resonance. Everything has vibrations, but sometimes external influences can disrupt those vibrations or frequencies. Sound healing can help bring everything back into balance, she says, and sympathetic resonance can also retrain the frequency of brain activity.
When you take an EEG or brainwave of your brain, the activity is displayed as a waveform. These different waveforms and frequencies are called alpha waves, beta waves, etc. If someone’s brain registers a delta frequency (i.e. 0.5 to 4 Hertz), the person is probably in deep sleep or unconscious. If someone has a beta frequency – 12 to 35 hertz – they are awake and alert.
“We’re not always in the same brainwave state,” Mikeci says.
“When you move into high beta, things can get stressful. You may feel nervous. During the session, I pull your body down to a lower frequency, allowing your body to rest and your I’ll try to put my mind at ease.”
Sound healing instruments – tuning fork and Himalayan bowl
photograph: Liz Garton
Yes, but is it effective? What are the therapeutic benefits?
Stacey explains that sound healing is truly amazing.
“I felt calm,” she says.
“I felt energized because I thought I was ready for bed. It was really fun. It’s lovely.”
So, I’m glad I was able to relax. However, it may also have had a therapeutic effect.
Sound therapy practitioners use a variety of tools.
photograph: Joseph Kuropaka
Is listening to music good for you?
So say Mangor Pedersen and Daniel Shepherd, associate professors in AUT’s Department of Psychology and Neuroscience.
Recently, Pedersen and Shepard participated in the production of Benet’s song bagelwas created in collaboration with Youthline and ASB to provide calming music to young people suffering from anxiety.
Pedersen says there’s a lot we don’t know about the brain and music. AUT’s Akoranga His campus is equipped with everything from sound-attenuating chambers to equipment that measures the brain’s electrophysiological activity. This includes equipment to monitor things like heart rate, electrodermal response, and sweating, which is a marker of stress.
Benet, who is pictured with the NZSO, has created a calming song for anxious young people to listen to.
photograph: gary thomas
“I think we all have a subjective musical experience. We feel something when we listen to music, so there must be a lot of changes in the brain. But the brain is very “It’s a complex organ, so it’s very difficult to disentangle the confusion — specifically what’s going on in the brain,” he says.
“It could be many factors, including memory, emotion, arousal, or what you felt in the moment.”
But Shepherd says there are some universal truths when it comes to relaxing music.
“The first thing is that we usually don’t want the song to be too distracting. We don’t want it to be irritating or annoying.”
He also says he doesn’t want people’s minds to wander too much.
“Nature doesn’t like a vacuum, and they start ruminating. Of course, we know that if you’re anxious, for example, your ruminations are less likely to be positive.”
The speed of the song also plays a role, he says.
“You don’t want a fast beat because you don’t want people to get excited and excited about the song.”
Shepard asserts that music has a therapeutic effect.
“Music therapy has probably been established for over 100 years, and research has been done on music’s healing abilities ever since,” he says.
”[There is] There’s a lot of evidence that it’s actually very effective in treating a variety of mental illnesses, especially anxiety and depression. It is also suitable for general rehabilitation after an accident or traumatic brain injury. ”
Scientists say listening to music is good for your health for a variety of reasons.
photograph: Eric Nopanen / Unsplash
So, is sound healing good for you too?
Shepard is skeptical.
“Sound healing is probably more of a business than a therapy.”
He describes it as a complementary or alternative medicine movement that combines meditation with certain tones.
A tone that seems to be popular is 528 Hertz, or the Solfeggio frequency. Also called the love frequency or miracle tone.
“The idea is that when you meditate, you play this tone maybe once every 30 seconds or something like that.”
Experts say it can help repair DNA, relax listeners, treat anxiety and depression, and generally improve lives, but there’s no scientific basis for it, Shepherd said. To tell.
“It’s not based on some kind of numerical calculation from, say, string vibrations. It just looks like it was plucked out by a certain guru, if you like.”
Most studies usually end with a call for more robust research on sound healing.
Is it healthy or a hoax?
photograph: Conscious design/splash prevention
Is sound therapy good for your health or is it a hoax?
Both Pedersen and Shepherd agree that sound healing is safe. They say if it makes you feel good and relaxed, it’s good for your body and brain.
“Sound healing includes elements of meditation,” Shepard says.
“I would put it on the healthy end. Tone alone, I would probably put it on the naughty end.
“But what you have to remember is that everyone is different and sound is very subjective. As long as it gets you to a happy place, that’s fine.” It’ll get better,” he says.
“Everyone uses music differently, but if it makes you feel good, that’s ultimately a good thing,” Pedersen says.
“Your brain responds better when you take time out, relax, and experience good emotions.”
Micketts is perhaps more trusting of the tone she’s using, but her philosophy is in line with what scientists are saying.
“When you let your mind and body relax and calm down a bit, the self-healing process can begin,” she says.
“So I always tell people, it’s not me that’s healing someone or an instrument. It’s your body. It’s the wisdom of your own body.”
