Early on in 2011, we found this list of fairly self evident sound bath benefits. I’m not sure where this list came from. If you’re the author of this list, please reach out. Guy loved this list so much that he printed it out in all caps and displayed it next to the gong chair at every festival we attended.
Benefits Include:
- Activates Higher States of Consciousness
- Unlocks Blocked Emotions
- Relieves Anxiety and Stress
- Induces Complete Relaxation
- Promotes Deep Meditation
- Heightens Clarity
- Improves Ability to Concentrate
- Relieves Insomnia
- Decreases Depression
- Normalizes Blood Pressure
- Relieves Physical Pain
- Release Emotional Trauma
Over the years, as we continue to introduce more and more people to the practice of sound meditation, we’re feeling a greater sense of responsibility to understand and disseminate the most accurate information possible around sound baths.
In recent months, I’ve been exploring the available research to understand what “normalizes blood pressure” or “relieves anxiety and stress” actually means on a physiological level. Much of this has been inspired by music therapist Harel Gar, who shared his most inspiring research in a thread for sound bath practitioners created by Prasad Katz.
Gar shared a particularly interesting a study, conducted in 2021 by University of Toronto’s Lee Bartel and Abdullah Mosabbir, titled “Possible Mechanisms for the Effects of Sound Vibration on Human Health” (1). This key paper highlighted the benefits of vibrational and vibroacoustic therapy (which we will later argue, surely includes sound baths!).
For those of us without medical training, it can be quite difficult to parse research, draw conclusions and assess what is and isn’t a fair claim for phenomena like sound baths. The following article is our best attempt to summarize this research, and explain which sound bath benefits have some grounding within western medicine.
We’re going to be discussing three key physiological benefits— increased blood circulation, nervous system soothing, and muscle and bone health support.
Important caveat— interesting as this all is, I would not add this information to the intro of any sound bath. We care, because we are sound bath nerds. Anyone coming to a sound bath, probably just wants a relaxing experience, and not a lecture. Imagine coming for a massage and getting a lecture for the first twenty minutes! 🙈
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The most radical thing that we’re going to claim, in resonance with Bartel and Mosabbir, is that the body reacts quite similarly to vibrational therapy, even if it’s mechanistic vibrations, and to sound therapy.
There are, of course, a few differences. Sound therapy focuses primarily on auditory pathways (listening), while vibrational therapy focuses on sensors in the skin and muscles (feeling).
Sound therapy tends to focus on audible frequencies (between 20hz and 20,000) hz for emotional wellbeing. Vibrational therapy involves physical vibrations (between 1 and 150hz) applied to the body.
Vibroacoustic therapy blends both, by using low frequency sound waves that can be both felt and heard. With ‘The Sound Healing Symphony’ and our sound baths, the gongs we use hit frequencies around 30hz, and even lower ‘infrasound’ frequencies that vibrate the body directly.
Sound waves and mechanistic vibration are essentially the same thing.
“At a cellular or molecular level in the body there is probably no difference between activation by air molecules applying regular sine wave pressure on the body, by a surface applying oscillatory pressure stemming from a rotating motor shaft, or by the body itself moving against gravity on an oscillating platform. Therefore, the interchange of sound and mechanical vibration demonstrate that they are in essence the same thing.” —Bartel and Mosabbir
The body does not distinguish whether the mechanical waves come from a vibrating platform, tuning fork, or sound wave—it’s all mechanical stimulation. Mechanoreceptors (in the skin or deeper tissues) respond to both in the same way. Both engage the same physiological systems— and the three main benefits that vibrational and vibroacoustic therapies offer are hemodynamic (blood flow), neurological and musculoskeletal. Sound therapy is a full body massage!
In essence, we can assume any vibroacoustic therapy, including sound baths, promotes circulation, enhances mental health or cognitive function and improves physical rehabilitation.
Hemodynamic (Blood Flow) Effects
Vibrational therapy aids in relaxing blood cells and improving circulation. How? The sound waves cause rhythmic compression of blood vessels, mimicking natural pulsation— and this mechanical stress stimulates the endothelial cells (the lining of the blood vessels) and provokes the release of two key substances— nitric oxide (NO) and Adrenomedullin (AM).
Nitric Oxide (NO): This acts as a potent vasodilator, which means it helps relax and widen the blood vessels. This action improves blood flow and reduces blood pressure, making it easier for the heart to pump blood efficiently throughout the body.
Adrenomedullin (AM): Serves as a protector of the vascular system, reducing oxidative stress and the associated cellular damage. It also enhances the dilation of blood vessels, further improving circulation and ensuring better oxygen and nutrient delivery to various parts of the body. Nitric oxide improves blood flow and reduces blood pressure.
These effects are particularly beneficial for conditions that impair circulation, such as diabetes, and are crucial in recovery scenarios, such as post-cardiac events (2). Additionally, studies cited by Lee Bartel and Abdullah Mosabbir suggest that vibrational treatments can enhance the effectiveness of treatments like CPR by reducing heart muscle damage during cardiac events and may help dissolve blood clots more efficiently (3).
Effects on the Nervous System
Vibrations affect brain circuits and nerves, improving mental health, cognitive function, and pain management. Central to this effect is the concept of oscillatory coherence (synchronized brain waves). Bartel and Mosabbir show how vibration therapy at 40 Hz can synchronize brain regions, improving memory and mood. This can be particularly beneficial for disorders like Parkinson’s disease and depression, where disrupted brain rhythms are common.
Vibrational therapy also activates the vagus nerve, and sets the parasympathetic nervous system into motion. This is the rest-and-digest aspect of your nervous system, which helps you reach states of relaxation and ease. Vibrational stimulation of the vagus nerve releases acetylcholine.
This neurotransmitter plays a role in both the nervous and muscular systems. In the nervous system, healthy acetylcholine release is linked to learning, memory and attention. In the body, it controls muscle control and regulates the autonomic nervous system (which regulates the ‘digest’ part of ‘rest and digest’). Studies show that placing a vibration device on the abdomen can improve mood and digestion (4). I’ve tried this with a Tibetan bowl when my stomach ached— and it’s worked for me!
Effects on the Musculoskeletal System
Vibration affects muscle growth, coordination, and bone health, making it a powerful tool both for rehabilitation and fitness.
Remember those commercials in the 90’s for ab machines you just wear, that work while you lay back and watch tv? While such a sedentary approach to exercise seems inherently problematic, the science behind those devices is that vibrations stimulate the muscle stretch reflex, triggering involuntary contractions that strengthen muscles. In situations where ‘regular exercise’ may be less accessible, such as injury rehabilitation and elderly care, vibrational therapy may work wonders.
Bartel and Mosabbir have noted that vibrational therapy improves mobility in patients with cerebral palsy (5) and prevents muscle atrophy in elderly patients (6). This was the most challenging section for me to understand, and the mechanisms seem quite complex— it seems that vibrational therapy also activates osteoblasts (bone-forming cells), increasing bone density and preventing osteoporosis.
“...it seems that vibration stimulation on bone related stem cells promotes anabolic processes by stimulating the formation of osteoblasts while simultaneously inhibiting catabolic processes by inhibiting the formation of osteoclasts.” —Bartel and Mosabbir
In summary, vibrational therapy holds considerable potential to improve blood circulation, improve brain function, and strengthen muscles and bones. Extensive research is still required to discover which processes (and frequencies, if any) are the most effective.
One of the most important takeaways from Bartel and Mosabbir’s work is that the body does not differentiate between sound and mechanistic vibration. This means that low frequency sounds that you can feel— like the gongs we use in our sound baths— offer the physiological benefits of vibrational therapy. Also, yes, this means that your friend who swears that loud bass concerts are therapeutic has some scientific ground to stand on.
written by Simona Marie Asinovski
Want to learn more? Our next sound bath training course (online!) starts in just about a week. This is an introductory course that will empower you to create sound baths that 👏 always 👏 sound 👏 good. We teach basic music theory, the structure & flow of a sound bath, how to bring people in deep, and marketing yourself as a practitioner. Join us here.
PS: You don't need to have instruments already, and this course will prevent you from investing in less useful ones.
Citations:
1. Bartel L, Mosabbir A. Possible Mechanisms for the Effects of Sound Vibration on Human Health. Healthcare (Basel). 2021 May 18;9(5):597. doi: 10.3390/healthcare9050597. PMID: 34069792; PMCID: PMC8157227.
2. Maloney-Hinds C., Petrofsky J.S., Zimmerman G., Hessinger D.A. The role of nitric oxide in skin blood flow increases due to vibration in healthy adults and adults with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Technol. Ther. 2009;11:39–43. doi: 10.1089/dia.2008.0011.
3. Adams J.A., Bassuk J.A., Arias J., Wu H., Jorapur V., Lamas G.A., Kurlansky P. Periodic acceleration (pGz) CPR in a swine model of asphyxia induced cardiac arrest. Short-term hemodynamic comparisons. Resuscitation. 2008;77:132–138. doi: 10.1016/j.resuscitation.2007.10.018.
4. Sigurdardóttir G.A., Nielsen P.M., Rønager J., Wang A.G. A pilot study on high amplitude low frequency–music impulse stimulation as an add-on treatment for depression. Brain Behav. 2019;9:e01399. doi: 10.1002/brb3.1399
5. Katusic A., Alimovic S., Mejaski-Bosnjak V. The effect of vibration therapy on spasticity and motor function in children with cerebral palsy: A randomized controlled trial. NeuroRehabilitation. 2013;32:1–8. doi: 10.3233/NRE-130817
6. Wilcock I., Whatman C., Harris N., Keogh J. Vibration training: Could it enhance the strength, power, or speed of athletes? J. Strength Cond. Res. 2009;23:593–603. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e318196b81f.
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