Sound as a Healer

Years ago I stepped into my first sound bath experience. I had no idea what I was getting into, but at the invitation of a friend, I decided I would show up openhearted and my typical busy-minded self. Fast forward an hour and a half later and I felt like I had slept eight full hours while getting a full body massage. I could have laid there for hours. This was a complete shock to me. I couldn’t recall at what point when my mind stopped (for an ADHDer that’s BIG). I never questioned how or why it had such a deep impact on me, but from then on I was hooked. I even hired a sound bath facilitator in 2019 for a business retreat I held in San Pancho Mexico for a group of entrepreneurs to get a dose of regulation. You know that feeling when you get something good and you want everyone to have it? That was me.

In the year 2021 I was experiencing major nervous system dysregulation and I was passing all blood labs with flying colors. The generalist at the hospital called me the “perfect storm”. The storm: a tumor, being de-homed, having covid, my kids having covid, personal trauma, deaths in my family and of coworkers, writing healthcare medical copy for COVID-19, and kids at home full-time while running a business with my staff struggling. You can’t seem to see how deep in you are until you’re in deep. My body knew but I couldn’t make sense of it. I was unable to see and validate all of the waves. When people asked if I was OK, I felt even more unseen. There was a voice that told me that if they couldn’t see and understand what was happening maybe it wasn’t that big of a deal.

While navigating consistent anxiety and rather regular panic attacks, I refused to medicate and move on. Mainly because the meds my providers recommended were a guess solution to a problem they couldn’t figure out. I wanted to give it my all. To bide my time I kept xanax in my purse and started out on the healers journey.

In a course I took with Linda Thai, she talked briefly about Steven Porges Polyvagal Theory. Polyvagal theory is a physiological theory that explains how different parts of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) regulate emotions and behavior. The theory suggests that the ANS has two branches, the sympathetic nervous system, and the parasympathetic nervous system and that these systems have different effects on the body in response to stress and safety signals. Your body’s response is as unique as you are.

The key for me to explore was how I could use my body instead of my mind to access healing ability. My mind felt so broken, undependable and like a torture chamber. Maybe if I could find modalities or a series of modalities to integrate into my life I would slowly find relief from my newly found anxious self. It was in this training that my relationship to sound developed even deeper.

Knowing my previous results with sound healing I started to wonder, why is it that nails on a chalkboard make me cringe in my body or make my jaw clench? Why does the sound of a crying baby tighten my throat? Why does the sound of the ocean make me feel like I’m levitating? Why does someone’s raised voice make me sick to my stomach? Sound has an undeniable impact on our body systems in both good and not so good ways.

Sound therapy can support Polyvagal Theory by helping to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for promoting relaxation and calming in response to stress. This activation of the parasympathetic nervous system can help to regulate emotions, reduce stress, and improve overall well-being. Even if only for a moment, new neural pathways get created in just one sound healing session.

Certain types of sound therapy, such as binaural beats or vibrations from singing bowls, can help to slow down your heart rate, lower blood pressure, and promote deep relaxation. This sense of safety and calm accessed through the body is thought to activate the ventral branch of the vagus nerve, the nerve that is responsible for promoting parasympathetic activity.

The autonomic nervous system (ANS) regulates unconscious bodily functions such as heart rate, breathing, and digestion. The sympathetic nervous system.is responsible for the "fight or flight" response, and the parasympathetic nervous system, is responsible for promoting relaxation and calming.

Sound therapy is believed to work by stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system and slowing down the sympathetic nervous system, leaving you in a state of deep relaxation.

Let’s look at how sound therapy helps our body achieve deep relaxation.

Vibrations: The sounds produced during sound therapy create vibrations that travel through the body. These vibrations can stimulate the vagus nerve, which is a cranial nerve that helps regulate the ANS. By stimulating the vagus nerve, sound therapy can promote relaxation and calm.

Heart rate variability: Sound therapy can also affect your heart rate variability, which refers to the variation in time between heartbeats. Increased heart rate variability is associated with a state of relaxation and is thought to indicate a healthy balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. Sound therapy can promote increased heart rate variability by slowing down your heart rate, which is a sign of parasympathetic activation.

Cortisol levels: Cortisol is a hormone produced by the adrenal glands that is associated with stress. Sound therapy can help you reduce cortisol levels by promoting relaxation and reducing stress. This can be explained by the fact that sound therapy can stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for reducing cortisol levels.

Brain waves: Sound therapy can also affect brain waves, which are electrical signals produced by the brain. By promoting relaxation and reducing stress, sound therapy can increase the production of alpha and theta brain waves, which are associated with a state of relaxation and deep meditation.

Like most modalities and treatments for nervous system dysregulation, sound therapy is not a cure all, it can be a useful complementary therapy for those looking to improve their emotional and physical well-being. Finding a blended routine to take action, a supportive community, and a trustworthy therapist, you can find your way.