SOUND AND ITS HEALING PROPERTIES

Have you ever taken note of how music can alter your state of mind? Be it music to pump your workouts, calming music to relieve your stress, or empowering music to boost your confidence. Music & Sound have always had a deeper impact on us than we realize. A whole system of treatment based on Sound and its healing effects exists in Medicine called ‘Music Therapy’ for the same reason.

We have so many interesting things to unfold in this article so we’re going to get right into it!

Sound and Vibration

Albert Einstein said “Everything in Life is Vibration”, and rightly so! Everything in our universe is indeed vibrating.

It is said that raising your own vibrational level can help you attune yourself to the vibration of the universe. 

So, how do we go from music to vibration? Well, it’s practically one and the same! Music is an organized sound, and sound is a pressure wave that is created by a vibrating object. Some particular vibrations are said to aid in mental and physical healing as well.

You must have seen or heard of glasses shattering in response to certain sound frequencies. It happens because the glass has a natural resonance, and after being hit with the same frequency as that of the glass causes the vibrations in the glass to get bigger and bigger. And with the right amount, the glass breaks!

“If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency, and vibration.” — Nikola Tesla

Nikola Tesla, while working on vibrations, frequency, and energy, made a mechanical oscillator that sent vibrations throughout the body at varying frequencies when you stood on it. In a letter from 1896, Tesla said that he observed the mechanical vibrations produced remarkable physiological effects that ease the condition of the stomach, better the digestive functions, and relieve the feeling of distress. He also noted they have a positive influence on the functioning of the liver, the glandular system, the kidneys, and the bladder. Basically, they more or less influenced the whole body. And when applied for a longer period, they also produced a feeling of immense fatigue, so a deep sleep could be induced.

If this tells us anything, it is that vibration is the key to natural healing.

Some Fun Findings along the same lines:

#1 The sound of a cat purring falls between 25 & 140 Hz, and it’s the same frequency that has been noted to facilitate the healing of broken bones and tissues. Cats usually purr when they’re happy and bouncy, but also when they’re scared, hurt, or stressed, in order to calm and heal themselves.

#2 Another interesting one is an article by Science Daily on the findings of researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago. It noted that wounds exposed to low-intensity vibration 5 times per week for 30 minutes healed faster than wounds in mice of a control group. Thus, suggesting that it accelerated the healing process.

Interesting, isn’t it?

Music Therapy

Music therapy is an allied health profession, using music & sound to improve psychological, physiological, behavioral, emotional, social, and spiritual well-being. It is also used to improve other areas of life. It’s practiced by certified professionals who have done a recognized music therapy program. It can be receptive or active in nature. Some of the popular types are NMT, Nordoff-Robbins, Orff-Schulwerk, Sound Healing, etc.

Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT) is a standardized use of set clinical techniques and ways to treat the brain using music. A Neurologic Music Therapist understands the science behind music perception and brain activity allowing them to use it to improve & cure various types of problems like cognitive and motor dysfunctions.

Nordoff-Robbins or creative music therapy was developed by Dr. Paul Nordoff and Dr. Clive Robbins through the 1950s to 70s. It’s now widely used as an effective way to treat developmental, physical, and psychological disabilities. This technique is on the active side of the spectrum involving the person receiving the therapy in playing music, making music, or preparing for a performance.

It has shown amazing results in personal growth and development!

Then we have Sound Healing. Not as complex to understand as the other two, it’s based on the base of sound: vibrations. Sound healing usually slows down your brain waves resulting in better sleep, healing, stress relief, and much more! Common Sound Healing instruments would be Himalayan & Crystal Singing Bowls, Gongs, Tuning Forks, Om Chanting, Classical Music, and Humming.

A person who is in this profession is Hong Kong’s Malbert Lee, an international sound alchemist. He practices yoga, meditation, and sound baths to stay healthy and mindful. And he does the same for his patients. He says his first sacred instrument was a crystal singing bowl. He mentions its sound vibrations improved his physical and emotional health instantaneously. And since then, he has been around the world helping other people achieve the same with the power of sound!

Music has been used as a healing device for centuries now, but thanks to the evidence surfacing backing its usefulness, it has now become a very recognized profession in the modern day!

Some Music Therapy Marvels

A study was conducted to explore the effect of music therapy on infants with Congenital Heart Disease in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit. Many infants show a positive regulation in their average heart, respiratory rates, and blood pressure, after the music therapy sessions. The results varied, but mostly all infants improved their conditions. (Journal of Music Therapy, Volume 55, Issue 1, Spring 2018, Pages 62–82, https://doi.org/10.1093/jmt/thx017)

Another study revealed that 89% of the patients after having gone through abdominal surgery reported lesser pain and discomfort following music therapy, as opposed to the group control of patients without it. They came to the conclusion that music therapy reduced agitation post-operation & simultaneously reduced the need for drugs. (Effects of Music Therapy in Intensive Care Patients, January 2016, International Journal of Nursing, DOI:10.15640/ijn.v3n2a12)

The same study also evaluated the effects on patients undergoing surgery in the ICU. The patients had lower cardiac frequencies, systolic & diastolic blood pressure after the use of music therapy. Also, the patients with low peripheral oxygen saturation saw it reach the normal range with music therapy.

Overall, it showed that music therapy works very well on patients in the ICU by improving their vital signs. (Effects of Music Therapy in Intensive Care Patients, January 2016, International Journal of Nursing, DOI:10.15640/ijn.v3n2a12)

Other Alternative Healing Practices to see

Yoga

Yoga becomes more widespread each day, and for the right reasons! Yoga as a form of therapy includes Asanas(postures & exercises), Pranayama(breathwork), and Meditation. When done in combination it promotes a very healthy way of living keeping your mind, body, and soul in the best shape possible.

Reiki

Reiki is a Japanese form of alternative therapy. It relies on palm healing to channel universal life force into the subject’s body to facilitate mental, emotional, and physical healing. The practice can be used in complement to other forms of treatment, whether allopathic or natural. It has been reported to relieve stress, trauma, and anxiety. The patients usually get off the Reiki table feeling much better and relaxed!

Crystal Healing

Crystal healing involves using gemstones, particularly crystals, to boost low energy, prevent bad energy, release blocked energy, and transform a body’s aura. The user can hold the crystals in their hands, or close to their foreheads, or place them along the chakras.

The ancient Greeks used Quartz Crystal for adornment and protection and named it κρύσταλλος (​krustallos). The ancient Chinese and Indians too had a wide knowledge of crystal elixirs, and there are Vedic texts dating thousands of years back that mention the healing properties and uses of Quartz.

Interestingly, you can recharge your crystals by playing music! It’s said to set it back to its natural frequency.

Last Word

We reach the end of our article, and we’d just like to say that there’s more to the world that meets the eye. It took mankind years to understand the things we now grow up knowing fundamentally. And so it makes complete sense that there is much more still out there that we cannot entirely put an explanation behind, but that doesn’t negate its existence.

We hope today’s article shed light on Sound and its healing properties. Maybe it will probe you to look more into it, as well as to adapt to a more natural and earthly way of being.

PS Here’s a playlist with the best tunes to relax and set your day right:
https://open.spotify.com/album/03YC2fgFTlrbeT9H0UASqP