The Science

Introduction

Research has shown us that sound therapy and sound meditation might be able to help with anxiety,, depression,, stress,, fatigue,, chronic pain,, cognition and memory and overall mental and spiritual wellbeing. There is some evidence that it might even work for specific medical conditions. This page provides an overview of peer reviewed academic research of the effects of sound therapy.

Eastern approaches

Eastern integrative medicine includes centuries-old practices and treatments which have recently garnered significant attention in the west. Many traditional medicine techniques such as yoga, sound therapy and meditation, Qigong, Tai Chi Chuan, and acupuncture have recently been studied in relation to their potential for reduction of human chronic stress [1], a widespread societal health problem.

Singing bowl sound meditation is an ancient practice that has been used for centuries in Tibetan and Buddhist cultures as a form of healing and relaxation. Over the years, several studies explored the effects of singing bowl sound meditation on mood, tension, and wellbeing. The reasons behind the positive effects of singing bowl sound healings are not fully understood. Possible explanations include alterations in brain waves, binaural beats, and the vibrations of singing bowls interacting with the energy field surrounding the human body, known as the biofield. Studies have shown that singing bowl sound meditation can produce physiological and psychological responses, reducing negative affect and increasing positive affect, as well as improving blood pressure, heart rate, and respiratory rate. Singing bowl sound meditation may be an effective low-cost and low-technology intervention for reducing feelings of tension, anxiety, and depression while promoting spiritual well-being. [2]

Anxiety and depression

Background major depressive disorder (MDD) is a persistent worldwide psychiatric condition. In this study, the findings suggested a significant clinical improvement during sound therapy in patients with MDD. [3]

One study published in the Journal of Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine found that an hour-long sound meditation helped people reduce tension, anger, fatigue, anxiety, and depression while increasing a sense of spiritual wellbeing. [4]

An earlier research study linked sound therapy with short-term improvements in objective and subjective cognitive function as well as mental health and spirituality. [5]

Fibromylagia

There is potential to use soundwaves even for specific conditions like, fibromyalgia [8] [9] where it showed statistically and clinically relevant improvement.

Unlike in meditation or yoga, participants do not need to have any experience in meditation or practice. Sound meditation or therapy may be especially useful in decreasing tension in individuals who have not previously practised this form of meditation. [10]

How could it work?

Music is a collection of soundwaves, a universal language that can produce profound emotional and cognitive responses. It engages a diverse network of brain regions and circuits. There is increasing evidence how music and sound therapy can be used to retrain impaired brain circuits in different disorders. [11]

A review[12] of the available research literature in 2021 pointed to the positive effects on physiology by narrowing music to sound and sound to vibration. Basic physiological mechanisms include stimulating neurological effects like protein kinases activation, nerve stimulation and musculoskeletal effects including muscle stretch reflex, anabolic effects on the spine.

Here is a detailed PhD study [13] how this may work on a neurological level. 

Musical theory research

Specific sound therapeutical approaches have been developed to take advantage of the development in musical knowledge and theory. Music theorists [14] have shown that lower or higher pitches of sounds and musical chords progression can have a significant impact emotionally. Dissonant sounds, for example, might have a more tense, unstable effect while more harmonic sounds will have a more overall relaxing  ‘happiness’ inducing effect. [14]

Linked to this is emergent research into spatial sound that provides a new field of study that may further the understanding of the principles of sound and how to make use of its potential effects on human wellbeing. Spatial coherence (the process of mapping  soundwaves to geometrically designed acoustic chambers) of soundwaves may have a distinct effect on harnessing energy in natural (bio) organisms, such as improved homeostasis in the human body.

It may help restore, maintain and optimise balance in cell organisms, implying potential applications for treatment and prevention of pathological conditions associated with disease and trauma. [15]

Altered states of consciousness

Here [16] is a video by a neuroscientist that explains what effect altered states of consciousness have on human beings and why this might be useful.

References

[1] Eastern Integrative Medicine and Ancient Sound Healing Treatments for Stress: Recent Research Advances by Tamara L Goldsby 1, Michael E Goldsby 2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33488307/

[2] Seetharaman R, Avhad S, Rane J. Exploring the healing power of singing bowls: An overview of key findings and potential benefits. Explore (NY). 2023;S1550-8307(23)00166-0. doi:10.1016/j.explore.2023.07.00)

[3] Investigating the Effects of Auditory and Vibrotactile Rhythmic Sensory Stimulation on Depression: An EEG Pilot Study by Abdullah A Mosabbir et al  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35371676/

[4] The Healing Power of Sound as Meditation Updated January 16, 2024  https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/urban-survival/201907/the-healing-power-of-sound-as-meditation#:~:text=In%20fact%2C%20rhythm%20in%20particular,sense%20of%20spiritual%20well%2Dbeing)

[5] Milbury K, Chaoul A, Biegler K, et al. Tibetan sound meditation for cognitive dysfunction: Results of a randomized controlled pilot trial. Psychooncology. 2013;22(10):2354-2363. doi:10.1002/pon.3296

[6]  Effects of Acupuncture, Tuina, Tai Chi, Qigong, and Traditional Chinese Medicine Five-Element Music Therapy on Symptom Management and Quality of Life for Cancer Patients: A Meta-Analysis by Wei-Wei Tao et al   https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26880252/

[7] Link to: Naghdi L, Ahonen H, Macario P, Bartel L. The effect of low-frequency sound stimulation on patients with fibromyalgia: A clinical study. Pain Res Manag. 2015;20(1):e21-e27. doi:10.1155/2015/375174

[8] And link to: The effect of low-frequency sound stimulation on patients with fibromyalgia: A clinical study Lili Naghdi et al https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4325896/)

[9] (Link to: Goldsby TL, Goldsby ME, McWalters M, Mills PJ. Effects of singing bowl sound meditation on mood, tension, and well-being: An observational study. J Evid Based Complementary Altern Med. 2017;22(3):401-406. doi:10.1177/2156587216668109)

[10] Link to: Goldsby TL, Goldsby ME, McWalters M, Mills PJ. Effects of singing bowl sound meditation on mood, tension, and well-being: An observational study. J Evid Based Complementary Altern Med. 2017;22(3):401-406. doi:10.1177/2156587216668109)

[11] Muriel T Zaatar 1,∗, Kenda Alhakim 1,1, Mohammad Enayeh 1,1, Ribal Tamer 1,1 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10765015/

[12] Bartel L, Mosabbir A. Possible mechanisms for the effects of sound vibration on human health. Healthcare (Basel). 2021;9(5):597. doi:10.3390/healthcare9050597

[13] Auditory Driving as a Ritual Technology a review and Analysis Gabe Turro 2015. https://www.britishacademyofsoundtherapy.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Article-Auditory-Driving-as-a-Ritual-TEchnology.pdf

[14] Marco Costa, Pio Enrico Ricci Bitti, and Luisa Bonfiglioli et al https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0305735600281002

[15] https://spatialsoundinstitute.com/P_The-Effects-of-Spatial-Sound-on-Human-Wellbeing

[16] TEDxBeirut - Arne Dietrich - Surfing the Stream of Consciousness: Tales from the Hallucination Zone