Similar to other animals, our brains perceive sound within the context of our primary warning system – is this sound something we need to be wary of and run away from, or is it something which is calming or nurturing? Our response to the sound might depend on the environment where it occurred, and how expected (or unexpected) the sound is.
Sound baths – an experience where participants feel as if they are being “bathed” in the sound – have the ability to induce an altered state primarily through the concept of brainwave entrainment. This is where the oscillation of our brainwaves synchronises with the rhythm of external stimuli, such as speech, light, or sound, in this instance. Sustained acoustic frequency, such as pitch or a repeating pattern, created a drum beat, can influence the electrical activity within the cortical neurons, where they will adjust to synchronise with the periodic vibration of the external stimuli.
This synchronisation can induce different brainwave states, primarily alpha and theta, which can allow us to enter into a state of deep relaxation. In this moment of deep relaxation, we’re able to quieten down our external responses to whatever is going on in our lives, and have the opportunity to explore more within ourselves. We might find that this opportunity for deep relaxation helps us to engage more with our parasympathetic nervous system, which provides an antidote for being in fight or flight and might be highly therapeutic for someone experiencing a state of fear or anxiety.
Changes to our autonomic nervous system can also occur, where our heart rate and breathing slow down, as well as a sensation of vibrational resonance in the body, where we take notice of the different aspects of our physical body being more relaxed.
We don’t necessarily have to think of an altered state in the same way as a psychedelic experience, but similarly, sound baths might provide an opportunity to engage with new sensations and different pathways, which can then induce neuroplasticity within the brain to reinforce this. This experience can also reduce the activity of the Default Mode Network, which is involved in the construction of our everyday waking experiences of reality. The reduction in this activity (similar to the mechanism of action that psilocybin mushrooms have) can play a role in quieting down certain pathways and softening the boundaries of the ego, where we can allow for the possibility of these new pathways to unfold.
Within the context of a typical sound therapy session, there is a focus on what’s happening in the moment, where participants are invited to pay attention to the sensations within their body and where these sensations are located. They are then prompted to attach a colour or image to the sensation, as well as a sound, and ascribe something that this thing (whatever it is) might be saying to them – more specifically, what the narrative is. So, as an example, someone might be feeling anxious, and they sense it in their chest. It might look like a big jumbled-up ball of knots, which makes a high-pitched noise and says something to the effect of “you can’t leave the house and socialise!”
We can often bring a lot of resistance to the situation if we’re experiencing continued sensations of anxiety over a long period of time. For anyone who’s gone through it, you know that anxiety is rather uncomfortable, and we’d like to do everything we can to simply not have to experience it. But does this resistance actually work to protect us in the long run, or does it create a separation between ourselves and what’s going on? In this separation, we’re not able to sit with these feelings of anxiety, and this creates a state of resistance, which in turn creates more suffering. Most people I meet have experienced states of anxiety, and it can really be quite debilitating for some individuals, where it feels like they won’t ever stop experiencing this.
But where sound baths can assist is that they offer a new possibility, and a chance to be in a calmer state, where we can sit with what’s going on. In this moment, we can shift from resistance towards resonance. These concepts of resistance and resonance have informed my training in sound therapy, and they tie in with some wider concepts that can help us to explore the impact of these practices on our state of being.
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