“Sound healing is said to be the therapeutic application of sound frequencies to a person for the purposes of healing and with the intention of bringing them into a state of health and harmony.” (Sheila Whittaker).
Sound Healing (or Sound Therapy) is based on the knowledge that our bodies are a set of vibrations that can become discordant and then dis-ease and disease ensues. It has it’s roots in Eastern traditions going back thousands of years. Since the 1960’s it’s been gradually emerging as a therapeutic tool in Western culture with Gongs, Himalayan Singing Bowls, Tuning Forks, Voice and other instruments being used to promote relaxation and healing. But how does sound healing work ?
It’s not just the sounds of the gongs, it’s also the vibrations that have the power to heal and restore. Everything is energy vibrating at different frequencies. As human beings we also vibrate and as we are 70% water and water is an excellent conductor of sound, our bodies can be re-tuned through the incredible range of sounds and harmonics that gongs produce. Sound vibrations can travel into every cell of our body bringing our bodies back into balance. “The sound of a gong is strong and rich in harmonics. By means of sound waves, dermatomes are stimulated and transfer the message of vibration into the body.” (Pesek, Bratina).
In 1665 Christian Huygens discovered the principle of entrainment whereby two or more oscillators in the same field pulsing at nearly the same rate lock in and start pulsing at the same rate. This means that since each cell in our body vibrates there is a possibility of entrainment when our cells and the gongs vibrate. Since the vibrations entrain or align at the highest level this is where the healing process can occur.
During a gong bath our brainwaves gradually change. Beta brainwaves which dominate our waking state take up a lot of our energy, so when through sound healing we move into Alpha brainwaves we experience a relaxed resting state. Alpha waves are frequencies between 8 and 12 Hz. In this state daydreaming, imagination and associative thinking take place. The next level is Theta waves – brainwaves with frequencies between 4 and 7 Hz – where we go deeper into relaxation and meditation, and are able to access and process deeply held worries and and regulate our nervous systems free from anxieties and stress. Theta frequencies are where the gongs will most likely take you and you will slip into a dreamlike, meditative state. Some people even enter the Delta brainwave state where they go into a deep sleep and profound healing can occur.