The healing power of sound and music

I did a sound meditation ceremony last week at a private home in the Hamptons.

The ceremony featured over 20 musical instruments: Drums, bells, guitar, Tibetan sound bowls, Native American wood flute, handpan, and a gong.

Each participant was given a cozy spot on the floor with a mat, pillows and blankets. I put an eye mask over my face. For the next three hours, a sound therapy practitioner used the instruments to create an expansive soundscape. I closed my eyes and let my mind wander with the musical journey.

As the music played, I went into a deep meditative state. I felt myself getting out of my head, and into my heart. I reflected on my life and relationships.

After the ceremony we took turns sharing our experiences. I was surprised by how meaningful the sound ceremony had been for everyone. A few people said they’d had real breakthroughs.

Sound baths, music therapy, sound meditations—they’re everywhere these days in cities like San Francisco and LA. There are?over 5,000 registered music therapists?in the US today.

The?LA Times ran a story?about a growing community of musicians, YouTubers and TikTok-ers who believe certain sound frequencies are aligned with nature’s patterns:

“Listening to these 432-hertz tones, claim various believers, reduces stress, detoxifies cells and organs, eliminates fear and wipes out negativity.”

I was curious to learn more about sound and music therapy. Does it really work, or is it hippie woo-woo fluff?

As I dove into the world of sound and music therapy, I learned there’s real science supporting the health benefits of these practices.

In this piece, I’ll explore how health leaders are using sound and music for mental health and healing.

What is sound meditation?

As our guide explained, a sound journey harnesses the soundscape to encourage a connection to intuition and the subconscious mind. You tune out the outside world and turn inward through a combination of breath work, meditation, and guided relaxation.

Sound healing has been used for centuries in various forms by cultures the world over, including native peoples. Australian aboriginal tribes have used the didgeridoo as a sound healing instrument for over 40,000 years.

We all know intuitively how music can affect our mood. When we’re stressed, we put on soothing music to calm our nerves. Pro athletes blast upbeat music to get pumped up before a game.

Music is an essential part of the human experience. It has the ability to motivate us, trigger our emotions, transport us to different times and places.

Healthcare systems are using music therapy

Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City established?The Louis Armstrong Department of Music Therapy.?Therapists at the Louis Armstrong Center create music with instruments such as guitar, piano, percussion, winds, and strings.

The center’s work is rooted in the belief that music therapy can enhance resilience when combatting disease. The music is adapted to meet individual needs to help alleviate pain, regulate heart rate and blood pressure, and improve breathing.

Neurologists believe?patients with Alzheimer’s?can show improvements when treated with music therapy. Research with a?procedure called hyperscanning, which records activity in two brains at the same time, shows the brains of a patient and therapist become synchronized during a music therapy session.

Music therapy today is used in medical hospitals, cancer centers, schools, alcohol and drug recovery programs, psychiatric hospitals, and correctional facilities.

The science of sound

A meta-analysis published in March 2022 in the?Journal of the American Medical Association?(JAMA) found music can have just as much of a positive impact on mental health as exercise, meditation or weight loss.

In a study of?the effects of Tibetan singing bowl meditation, participants reported significantly reduced feelings of tension, anxiety, and depression, and increased spiritual well-being.

One theory suggests that binaural beats, in which the brain registers different frequencies between tones played in each ear, propel the brain into trance-like states of deep relaxation.?Research?shows that our brains release dopamine, the body’s natural reward chemical, when we listen to music.

Music and neuroplasticity

Neuroplasticity refers to the brain’s ability to strengthen pre-existing neural connections or create new connections, allowing an individual to acquire skills over time or allowing an injured brain to heal.

Music can help induce the neurological connections necessary for the positive rewiring of the brain in certain regions. Music?activates areas of the brain?that are responsible for movement, language, attention, memory, executive function, and emotion.

As Oliver Sacks wrote in his book “Musicophilia,” a variety of neurological conditions including symptoms of?dementia?and psychiatric conditions like?depression?and?schizophrenia?may benefit from music.

Rhythmic auditory stimulation

How can music help people recover from stroke and neurological disease?

A startup called?MedRhythms?creates music-based digital therapeutics that aim to improve walking impairments caused by neurologic injuries and diseases.

The MedRhythms app is based on?Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation (RAS). It connects to sensors that attach to shoes, and headphones that play personalized music. Depending on how well the user is able to walk to the beat, the algorithm augments the tempo and rhythmic structure of the song being played through the headphones.

There is evidence that walking in sync with a beat can help those with brain injuries and neurological diseases walk faster, longer, and more symmetrically.

The MedRhythms app has been shown to engage the motor system to improve functional outcomes for people with stroke, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease.

Spiritune

An app called?Spiritune?uses principles of neuroscience and music therapy to deliver emotionally targeted listening programs for stress?reduction, emotional well-being, productivity and performance.

I spoke to Jamie Pabst, founder of Spiritune. She said:

“The recognition of music’s role in modern health care is growing, and Spiritune is leveraging?the science of music therapy to make music a more reliable, modern and accessible tool for both individuals and organizations.

It gets us really?excited to think about music to treat everyday mental health needs, and it feels like we are embarking on a new era where music is being embraced as a therapeutic modality to?improve health outcomes."

Spiritune has partnered with over 1,600 brands, nonprofits, cultural leaders and government agencies. You can get free access to the app’s therapeutic music for one month using the promo code: actionday at this link:?https://lnkd.in/gSnew6dN

MindTravel

One of my favorite sound meditation experiences is?MindTravel, created by Murray Hidary. MindTravel is a silent piano-to-headphones meditation that’s hard to describe in words; you need to experience it for yourself.

Murray told me:

“Music is the language of emotion. It gives us powerful access to navigate and manage our emotional state. Music as an ephemeral art form has a unique ability to thrust us into the present moment through the simple act of paying attention. Healing and deeper states of consciousness wait for us on the other side of that listening.”?

I’ve attended MindTravel meditations in a beautiful setting on Santa Monica beach. Participants can lie on a blanket looking at the stars, walk by the ocean waves, or share a moment with a loved one—all while listening live through the headphones. It’s a unique form of sound meditation that has led to some powerful insights and reflections.

I’d love to hear your thoughts. What’s your experience with sound and music therapy? What has worked for you?