The Science of Sound Healing
Sound Healing has shown to be very beneficial in several scientific studies
From reducing stress, soothing the nervous system, alleviating pain, reducing anxiety, soothing depression, assisting in healing response and pain management in surgeries, sound healing has proven to be an effective and powerful tool
Let's look at some of the studies conducted on sound healing
Studies on Sound Healing
Psychology Today
"There are many different theories that attempt to explain why sound experiences can be linked with deep relaxation and physical pain relief.
One theory is that sound works through the vibrational tactile effects on the whole body. Sound could stimulate touch fibers that affect pain perception. One study of people with fibromyalgia found that ten treatments (twice per week for five weeks) of low-frequency sound stimulation improved sleep and decreased pain, allowing nearly three-fourths of participants to reduce pain medication.
Sound-based vibration treatment has been shown to help people with pain from arthritis, menstrual pain, postoperative pain, knee replacement pain. Sound-based treatment has even been found to improve mobility, reduce muscle pain and stiffness, increase blood circulation, and lower blood pressure.
Another theory on the benefits of sound rests on the concept of “binaural beats” or “brain entrainment” which hypothesizes that listening to certain frequencies can synchronize and change one's brainwaves."
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/urban-survival/201907/the-healing-power-sound-meditation
Nation Library of Medicine
"The purpose of the present study was to further advance research in this area by examining the possible effects of singing bowls and sound healing on mood, anxiety, physical pain, and spiritual well-being, and to lay the foundation for a future more formal randomized control trial.
The authors set out to examine the possibility that merely lying down and listening to the high-intensity, low-frequency combination of singing bowls, gongs, and bells in a sound meditation could induce a deep relaxation response and positively affect mood and sense of well-being.
This observational study found significant beneficial effects of Tibetan singing bowl meditations on a number of markers related to well-being. Future randomized control trials are warranted to further examine the effects of these meditations on mood, well-being, and physical pain"
UCLA Health
"Music affects the body’s autonomic nervous system, which controls unconscious body functions such as heart rate, respiration and digestion. Listening to music can improve the breathing rate and boost oxygen distribution throughout the body, Dr. Lavretsky says. It also can decrease levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, and improve immune system functioning. More studies indicate a positive effect of music on the brain and cognition."
American Psychological Association
"A wealth of new studies is touting the benefits of music on mental and physical health. For example, in a meta-analysis of 400 studies, Levitin and his postgraduate research fellow, Mona Lisa Chanda, PhD, found that music improves the body's immune system function and reduces stress. Listening to music was also found to be more effective than prescription drugs in reducing anxiety before surgery (Trends in Cognitive Sciences, April, 2013).
"We've found compelling evidence that musical interventions can play a health-care role in settings ranging from operating rooms to family clinics," says Levitin, author of the book "This is Your Brain on Music" (Plume/Penguin, 2007). The analysis also points to just how music influences health. The researchers found that listening to and playing music increase the body's production of the antibody immunoglobulin A and natural killer cells — the cells that attack invading viruses and boost the immune system's effectiveness. Music also reduces levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
"This is one reason why music is associated with relaxation," Levitin says."