Sound Therapy is an alternative therapy that is relatively new in the west but has shown to be able to ease symptoms of anxiety and stress. When choosing a psychotherapist as your chosen therapy specialist in helping you to heal from depression it is likely you have questions about what to expect and have some apprehension if using a therapy new to you. We at Seek a Therapy want to help answer your questions and concerns surrounding psychotherapy in order to help you select the right Psychotherapist for you and on this page we have included some of the most common questions a person may have before treatment.
What is Sound Therapy?
Sound therapists believe that we are all made up of different energy frequencies. They use sound frequencies to interact with these, thus attempting to rebalance the body’s energy.
There is evidence from studies to suggest that sound therapy has a deeply calming effect on people who are exposed to high levels of stress and/or anxiety but maybe you wonder where the therapy originates? Sound has been used as a form of healing or as a calming tool for many thousands of years. A tool often used by sound therapists is the Himalayan singing bowl that has been used in Asia for prayer and meditation and now is used regularly to promote relaxation and well-being. Sound therapy, although not necessarily through mainstream science, was introduced to the UK around two thousand years ago via the establishment of BAST.
It is believed, through sound therapy can help treat stress-related illnesses, mild depression, anxiety and even arthritis and tinnitus alongside orthodox medicines. Sound therapists also believe that the practice can help balance emotions and quieten busy minds that have many racing thoughts and most people feel calm and relaxed following treatments. Some people report feeling relaxed for several days after the initial treatment.
Whatever the reason you come for sound therapy it is believed that sound can help you to enjoy a better quality of life.
What to Expect From Sound Therapy
Before each session, the practitioner will ask the client about their medical history and any current health problems. The practitioner will then adapt their treatment accordingly, using relaxing or stimulating sounds to try to rebalance the body – gongs, drums, bells, bowls, tuning forks and the human voice are all used. According to practitioner Lyz Cooper: “Clients are wrapped up in [these sounds] like a cocoon, and allowed to go on a journey.”
How does Sound Therapy Work And Is There Evidence to Prove That It Works?
Evidence of using sound, music, and chants to heal the sick dates back thousands of years to ancient Egyptians and Australia’s Aborigines but there is no strong scientific research conducted to confirm whether the vibrational fields of people are profoundly affected by the use of sound but many users of the therapy do report a prolonged sense of peace. Something that science does understand is that music is a known ‘de-stressor’. Scientists from the national institutes of Health found that subjects who listened to classical music before a stressful event recovered from the stress faster than those who listened to rippling water or simply relaxed in quiet.
Music is a known de-stressor. Scientists from the National Institutes of Health found that subjects who listened to classical music before a stressful event recovered from the stress faster than those who listened to rippling water or simply relaxed in quiet.
Here is a small experiment that asked people who care for dementia patients to use sound therapy :
A 2012 study split 39 people caring for family members with dementia into two groups. One was tasked with listening to relaxing music for 12 minutes each day for eight weeks. The other used the same amount of time to practice kirtan kriya, a meditative form of yoga that involves chanting.
At the end of the study, the group that listened to relaxing music felt good, with 31.2% ( 1 in 3 ) reporting substantial improvement in depressive symptoms and 19% scoring higher on a mental health survey. But the chanting group felt better, with 65.2% ( 2 in 3 ) reporting fewer depressive symptoms and 52% reporting better mental health scores.
The study sample is small. But lead author Helen Lavretsky, a professor of psychiatry at UCLA, told Quartz that sound has interesting implications for treating chronic stress and memory problems. Lavretsky is also a fan of sound healing, having experimented with gongs, Tibetan singing bowls, and chanting.
How Can Sound Therapy Help Ease My Stress or Anxiety?
The treatment is thought to work by stimulating cells, called neurons, in areas of the brain involved in governing mood, such as the limbic system. This sits near the top of the brain and controls emotions. Scientists behind the experimental therapy now hope to turn it into an effective alternative to anti- depressant drugs.
Read more: Daily Mail
Sound Therapy International suggests that using sound can activate the neurons in the cortex and other parts of the brain, this, in turn, strengthens what are called neural pathways and help to rebalance brain functions. It is possible that the treatment stimulates the natural increase of dopamine and serotonin production thereby increasing our motivation and happiness.
How Much Does A Typical Sound Therapy Session Cost?
Sound therapy is only available as a private treatment ( we have several sound therapy in our directory in the UK, USA, Europe and Asia) where costs range from £30/$50 per session and sometimes can go up to £70/$100 and occasionally more depending upon the therapist’s experience, speciality and location.
How Do I Know Which Sound Therapist To Choose?
One of the most important parts of any therapy is the relationship between yourself and the therapist. Find a therapist who makes you feel comfortable and at ease or whom you feel may be able to understand your situation.
When you find the right sound therapist that offers you good communication, a partnership, trust, goals and a feeling of genuine understanding then together, you will be able to look into providing a relaxing treatment.
Also, when you do contact a therapist perhaps ask a few questions like do they have any qualifications, how long have they been practising and are they a part of any associations and also, whether they are insured, this will give you added peace of mind before you begin your treatment.
How Long Does It Take To Heal With Sound Therapy?
Many people report feeling their mood easing after just one therapy but for others, You may need further sessions and possibly other more orthodox therapies alongside sound therapy. Therapy like psychotherapy, CBT or counselling may help alongside this.
What If Sound Therapy Doesn’t Work For Me?
First of all, don’t worry!
If you think sound therapy is the right therapy but you have the wrong therapist then you have every right to seek a second opinion and you will not offend your therapist, they just want you to heal from your difficulty as best you can and you deserve to feel better. If, on the other hand, you don’t feel sound therapy is working at all then do not be disheartened, there are many, many different types of therapy to heal from depression and sound therapy is only one. Use our therapy directory to find a different therapy, you may find hypnotherapy works better or possibly some counselling treatment. The key is not to think this is your only option keep trying different things.
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Please note: This information should not replace professional medical advice, it is purely for informational purposes. At all times when you are in crisis please first seek help from your GP or another medical professional. Thankyou