Sound Therapy

Sound healing is a practice that transcends borders, cultures, and centuries. Far from being confined to a single tradition, sound therapy has appeared in diverse forms across the globe for thousands of years, reflecting the universal innerstanding that vibration and frequency have the power to influence human consciousness and restore well-being.

Among the earliest known practitioners of sound healing are the Yolngu people of northern Australia. This Aboriginal group has used the yidaki—commonly known as the didgeridoo—for generations in ceremonial and healing rituals. According to their oral traditions, the resonant tones of the yidaki are believed to support the healing of physical injuries such as muscle damage and even fractured bones. The instrument’s deep, continuous drone mirrors the Earth’s natural rhythms and is said to assist in realigning the body’s energetic flow.

In ancient Egypt, sound was revered as a sacred force. Priests and ritual leaders incorporated harmonic vowel chants and rhythmic instruments like the sistra—metal rattles that produced shimmering sounds—into spiritual ceremonies. These vibrations were not merely musical but considered essential tools for invoking divine energies, purifying the body, and restoring harmony within the soul.

In ancient Greece, the philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras, often regarded as the father of modern music therapy, made profound contributions to the field of sound healing. He played a stringed instrument called the kithara, and through his experiments, he observed the emotional and physiological effects that different musical tones had on both people and animals. Pythagoras identified the healing potential in specific harmonic structures, recognizing that certain sounds could soothe the nervous system while others could induce stress or imbalance. He believed in the mathematical and spiritual nature of music, referring to his work as “musical medicine,” and proposed that musical intervals—particularly those derived from the harmonic series—could be used to balance the soul and align it with the order of the cosmos.

These ancient traditions, though separated by time and geography, all point to a common truth: sound is not just something we hear—it is something we feel, something that moves through us, and something that has the power to awaken, cleanse, and transform. Whether through chanting, drumming, singing, or instrumental resonance, cultures throughout history have recognized sound as a profound healing force woven into the very fabric of life.

Sound is a form of energy that originates from vibration. When an object vibrates, it disturbs the surrounding air molecules, causing them to vibrate in turn. These vibrating air particles carry the energy outward in waves, allowing sound to travel through space—and ultimately, through the human body.

The ears serve as the body’s primary receptors for this vibrational energy. Sound waves are first captured by the outer ear, which acts as a funnel directing the vibrations into the ear canal. These waves then reach the eardrum, a delicate membrane that responds by vibrating in sync with the incoming frequencies.

Behind the eardrum are three small but powerful bones—the ossicles—known as the malleus, incus, and stapes. These bones amplify the vibrations and transmit them to the cochlea, a spiral-shaped, fluid-filled structure in the inner ear. Lining the cochlea are thousands of microscopic hair cells, each tuned to respond to specific frequencies. When the fluid inside the cochlea moves, it causes these hairs to bend, converting mechanical vibrations into electrical signals.

These signals are then sent along the auditory nerve to the brain, where they are interpreted as sound. This intricate process is not only how we hear, but also how vibrational information—carried by sound—enters our nervous system and influences our mental and physical states.

A study by Salamon et al. investigated how music lowers anxiety and stress levels. The researchers determined that the compound nitric oxide is primarily responsible for causing physiological and psychological relaxing effects. Nitric oxide has been identified to assist in developing the auditory system and the flow of blood in the cochlea.

Some studies have also explored how other organs, such as the skin, are able to receive and absorb sound. One study by von Békésy identifies the similarities between hearing and sensing vibrations, as both are stimulated by traveling waves. In addition, a study by Gick and Derrick, although in the context of phonetics, considered having their test subjects listen to audio recordings of syllables. The researchers also let out a puff of air similar to the puff that would be created when the syllables are pronounced. The researchers discovered that the participants’ level of accuracy in identifying the syllables was reduced in an absence of the air puffs.

The foundations of sound healing extend far beyond the physiological mechanics of how the body processes sound. At its core, sound therapy is based on the principle that the human body is in a constant state of vibration, and that every organ, tissue, and cell emits and responds to specific frequencies. The central aim of sound healing is to bring these vibrations back into alignment when they have fallen into dissonance—restoring harmony, balance, and health to the entire system.

Practitioners of sound therapy believe that when a person becomes physically or emotionally unwell, it is often due to disruptions or distortions in their energetic frequency. By introducing external sound frequencies—carefully calibrated through instruments such as tuning forks, singing bowls, gongs, or the human voice—therapeutic vibrations can interact with the body’s natural resonance to realign its energetic blueprint. This vibrational tuning is intended to guide the body back toward an optimal state of coherence.

A significant reason sound is so effective in this process lies in the body's composition: the human body is made up of approximately 60–70% water. Because water is a superior conductor of sound compared to air, vibrational energy moves through the body quickly and efficiently, allowing sound to influence physiological and energetic systems at a deep level. The denser molecular structure of water enables rapid transference of frequency from one particle to the next, making sound a potent medium for internal transformation.

Entrainment is another foundational concept within sound therapy. First observed by 17th-century Dutch scientist Christiaan Huygens, entrainment describes the phenomenon where two rhythmic systems, when in close proximity, will begin to synchronize. In the context of healing, this means that a person’s disordered or chaotic internal frequency can be gently brought into alignment with a more harmonious external frequency. By introducing tones that reflect a healthy vibrational state, practitioners use entrainment to shift the body's energetic patterns, restoring balance and facilitating healing.

Intention is perhaps the most subtle yet profound principle of sound healing. In this context, intention refers to the energetic force or conscious purpose infused into the sound by the practitioner. While sound on its own carries physical energy, intention acts as its spiritual carrier. When healing sound is created from a place of compassion, love, and mindfulness, it is believed that this emotional imprint travels with the frequency, magnifying its healing potential. Conversely, if a practitioner harbors stress, anger, or negativity, those emotional frequencies may inadvertently infuse the sound and interfere with the therapeutic outcome. Therefore, maintaining a clear, centered, and compassionate internal state is considered crucial for sound healing to be effective.

This idea is echoed by Jonathan Goldman, a pioneer in the field of sound therapy, who asserts that all sound carries therapeutic potential. However, its effectiveness depends on timing, setting, the consciousness of the practitioner, and the specific needs of the individual receiving the sound. In other words, sound becomes truly healing only when it resonates with the personal energetic landscape of the receiver. This explains why a certain melody may bring one person peace and clarity, while stirring unresolved emotions in another. The therapeutic power of sound is thus not universal in form but in intention and application.

Sound healing, therefore, is not a one-size-fits-all method. When a practitioner facilitates a session, they must attune not just their instruments but their awareness to the energetic state and emotional condition of the person they are working with. Choosing the right frequencies and tonal structures is a nuanced process that requires sensitivity and intuition. The goal is not merely to play sounds, but to deliver them in a way that speaks directly to the soul of the individual—unlocking stuck energy, soothing distress, and guiding the body and spirit back into harmonic resonance.

Ultimately, sound therapy is both an art and a science. It is rooted in the physical properties of acoustics and biology, yet animated by the subtle forces of emotion, intention, and consciousness. Through its ability to connect us to ourselves and the world around us, sound becomes not just a tool for healing, but a language of energy—one that speaks directly to the inner blueprint of who we are and who we are meant to become.

People who have undergone sound therapy sessions have reported being relieved of physical and mental aches and pains. Some of the health improvements that people have claimed to experience include the following:

• Better joint movement;
• Reduced muscle pain and inflammation;
• Disappearance of kidney stones;
• Decreased size of ovarian cyst;
• Better sleep and deeper relaxation;
• Reduced headaches; and
• Enhanced positive outlook in life.

Research has also been conducted to explore the effects of music and sound therapy on a person’s health. Music therapy has been shown to have the potential to affect blood pressure, heart rate, respiration, EEG measurements, body temperature, galvanic skin response, and immune and endocrine processes. In fact, a review by Thaut acknowledges music therapy’s potential to be used in rehabilitation.  

One research study considered the influence of music therapy on anger management in forensic psychiatry patients. Fourteen participants randomly divided into two groups underwent a music therapy anger management program and aggression management program respectively. The results of the test showed that those in the music therapy group displayed greater positive coping skills. The researchers suggested that the number of hours patients are exposed to music therapy can hasten the process of adopting positive behaviors.

Ellis also explored the effects of sound therapy on children who have severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties. One study tested the effectiveness of a specialized sound therapy program with a uniquely high frequency. Twenty children from remedial classes were grouped into an experimental and control group. The experimental group listened to the frequency, while the control group listened to classical music without the high frequency. After a 16-week test, results showed that the experimental group showed more significant gains in auditory discrimination, reading ability, reading comprehension and spelling compared to the control group.

With each of my therapies comes the use of my electroherbalism wand. Click the link HERE to innerstand what my wand does and its purpose.

At the beginning of each session, I will briefly work on opening up your lymphatic system. Our lymphatic system helps to filter out the toxins in our body. Toxins can develop from illnesses. They can develop from bacteria we pick up in our body, as well as dead cells from wound healing or scar tissue breakdown. They can also develop from our environment, from the pollution in the air and the toxins in the foods we eat. They can also develop from emotional or physical releases in the body. Our bodies carry a lot of toxins every day that need to be flushed out on a regular basis. So in order for your body to properly release within my therapies, your lymphatic system needs to be functioning properly.

My sound bath consists of the utilization of crystal singing bowls which are made from pure crushed quartz. All of my singing bowls correspond to each of the seven chakras. This therapy will aid you in activating, opening, aligning, and balancing your chakras. This can help you clear and release lower energy frequencies for deeper healing.

A sound immersion is where I play multiple musical instruments as the client absorbs the sound. This may include, crystal singing bowls, a tongue drum, a handpan, a shaman drum, a rain stick, thunder stick, maracas, chimes, ocean drums, and more. This will allow you to drift, relax, release, reset, recharge, and heal during this type of sound healing.

The repetitious rhythm of shamanic drumming produces positive altered states of consciousness helping people release trauma and heal.

This therapy is a combination of my shamanic drumming therapy and sound bath therapy.