When managing stress and anxiety, it is not uncommon to take a hot bath to relax. However, have you ever tried a bath for the mind? It might sound radical, but sound bath therapy dates back thousands of years and has been used over generations by many different cultures. Its technique utilizes the power of music and vibration to promote a healing factor to aid in overall wellbeing. It helps lower blood pressure, ease the parasympathetic nervous system and helps to recover from stress.
Today, sound bath therapy comes in many different forms. These include using music, sounds, binaural beats, mantras, chanting, tuning forks and sound baths with singing bowls. This form of meditation helps to guide listeners into a deepened state of relaxation. Amid a world governed by the accessibility of digital media, juggling jobs and now a pandemic, it is also a great way to unplug and enter into your mind. Such deep mediation can also promote inner healing when facing underlying thoughts that trigger addiction and mental health disorders.
How Does it Work
Simply put, a sound bath is a form of meditation that uses vibrations from the notes played on instruments to evoke a relaxed state. Different notes send different vibrations throughout your body. Some believe these vibrations speak to your nervous system in helping to relax it. However, it is more than just nice-sounding notes strung together; there is intent to each sequence. These specifically tuned frequencies engage a different chakra or energy within, which help cleanse you by moving energy through your body to bring you into a vibrational harmony state. In a sound bath study, the participants reported feeling centered after treatment and even capable of letting go of mental blockages (National Center for Biotechnology Information). As a result, this technique is aimed to help you let go of worries and find a place of balance and serenity.
What Makes a Good Sound Bath?
There are certain things to consider in creating a great sound bath. The quality of instruments is essential, and so is the skill of the musician or instructor playing them. Blending and merging the gongs’ sounds and bowls matters in the making for a more therapeutic experience. Additionally, knowledge of music theory, volume management and the connection between the instruments, the performers and the recipient all influence the quality of a sound bath. To perform a quality sound bath experience takes the focus from all that are involved. Wandering thoughts can distract you. Having a good instructor will help to guide your experience.
How Can Sound Bath Therapy Help with Addiction Recovery?
Sound bath therapy is a form of meditation that brings you in touch with some of your most underlying thoughts, memories and past experiences. Much like other forms of mindfulness therapies, sound bath therapy helps you face challenging thoughts and emotions to understand and even free some of the negative residual energy surrounding these thoughts. Such thoughts and negative energies can interfere with your recovery on a conscious and subconscious level, leaving you to feel stressed, anxious and depressed. When you don’t confront the underlying causes of your anxiety, stress and depression, you may feel the need to relapse.
Sound bath therapy also implements breathwork. Learning to regulate your breathing can help you reach a state of clarity that can activate epiphanies and creative insights, both of which are vital to the addiction recovery process. The therapy also aids in helping you work out issues that you could not solve prior. Generally, more profound relaxation of the body and mind allows you to feel happier and more relaxed.
How to Practice a Sound Bath at Home
Given the current pandemic, you might worry that you cannot utilize the benefits of a sound bath. However, with the right preparation, you can engage in a meaningful meditative experience from the comfort of your own home. Start by finding a safe place in your home environment where you feel comfortable. You can further dress your environment to incorporate calming elements, pillow, blankets or art that inspires you. It may be best if you have a pair of headphones. This way, you can find good instructors online to perform the therapy.
At New Hope Ranch near Austin, Texas, we implement elements similar to a sound bath with our experiential and holistic therapies. Patients have the opportunity to practice music, meditation, yoga and the like to help create the ideal space to recover from alcohol or drugs. To learn more, reach out to New Hope Ranch by calling us at (737) 600-8565.