The Number One Mistake Sound Healers Make
Many people have gone to a sound bath that didn’t really click. They didn’t “drop in” or have the deep meditative experience they were hoping for. They leave thinking that it’s their fault. That they might need to meditate more in their daily life, or even worse, that sound healing just isn’t for them.
Photo by Kelly Truitt
As a sound healer, the latter breaks my heart because sound healing is such a scientific modality with measurable and numerous benefits, but only if it’s facilitated in a scientific way. The issue is often not with the participant but with the practitioner.
The barrier to entry into the world of sound healing is relatively low. If you buy a bowl (or seven) and a tingsha, that’s often enough to book a gig. The truth is, you might have a more effective sound bath with a single bowl.
That’s because much of the benefits from sound healing come from the change in brainwave states. When it comes to moving someone from a Beta brainwave state to an Alpha state (a great place to have people if you are leading guided meditations) or a Theta state (an optimal place for cellular regeneration - it’s like getting 2 hours of great sleep.) Facilitators need to create a drone effect.
Drone instruments (like harmoniums) are often prominent in Indian music. Think about the length of certain ragas (an intro can often be 20 minutes long) and their purpose (to induce meditative states.) The underlying droning sound doesn’t change pitch or rhythm much, which is how the brainwave change occurs.
Herein lies the issue. I wish I could say it’s restricted to newcomers, but I’ve seen prominent sound healers play with abandon as well. Some sound healers are playing concerts, not sound baths.
It’s interesting and exciting to walk into a sound bath and see all of the instruments lined up, but if the facilitator doesn’t know the amount of time to play each bowl or when to insert additional sounds, it’s actually more effective to be with a practitioner using only one or two crystal or Himalayan bowls.
It’s on sound healing facilitators to remember that, while they are often musicians who love to play, the primary objective in a sound bath is healing. To be a responsible steward of someone dealing with a very real and measurable modality, such as sound waves, practitioners need to know the science of sound and how it relates to the human body. After all, ultrasound and ultrasonic therapies are used in mainstream Western medical practices all the time. From breaking up fat or cancer cells, tumors, or kidney stones, to ultrasonic imaging, you can bet the technicians facilitating those procedures know how sound is interacting with the human body. For a sound bath facilitator to not know the science of sound and its effects on the human body diminishes the potency and potential of this life-changing healing modality.
So, when in doubt, start here. When embodying the trusted position of sound healing facilitator, remember that longer is better than louder, and if you’re big into instruments, adapt the advice of Coco Chanel. Before you leave the house, look in your kit and take one thing out.