Do 'sound baths' really work to de-stress? I took one to find out - Chron

It might sound a little "out there" to suggest that vibrations of sound can heal and enhance your wellbeing.

But it's not so outlandish to want to turn on a soothing song during the most stressful moments. If you turn up Nina Simone's "Feeling Good," it's not preposterous to think that just the mere vibrations of sound will de-stress the most jangled, pandemic-fraught nerves.

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So what happens during a healing sound bath? Nationally-recognized sound therapist Sara Auster describes the experience as a combination of singing bowls, gongs, tuning forks and tone-emitting instruments that stimulate your alpha and theta brain waves. That's where the good stuff comes in, she says.

"These waves are associated with deep, meditative, and peaceful states that are highly conducive to healing," Auster explained. "As these sounds assist a downshift of the nervous system, they can slow the heart and respiratory rate, creating therapeutic and restorative conditions for mind and body."

These Buddhist singing bowls are used to stimulate your alpha and theta brain waves, giving you a sonic soak into a deep, peaceful state. This is conducive to healing.

Godong/Universal Images Group via Getty

When I accepted an invite to a healing sound bath, I didn't quite know what to expect other than a meditative experience. I know some are interested in controlling the moment all the time, but this was a soul-refreshing opportunity for me to "not" be in control and nurture my mind in that oh-so-"OM" moment.

I arrived a little disheveled, and our sonic mediation mentor Marc Mori led a group sound bath session at Houston's urban oasis clinic. To be honest, Mori's intuitive approach was almost like directing a symphony of layered, ethereal tones. The Tibetan singing bowls quickly immerse you into a dream state. The soundscape took me into poignant moments of my day, like the glimpse of sunlight breaking through the trees. It can also lull you into a slumber. But try not to snooze unless you need that precious sleep, because you only get the full benefit of a sound bath while you're awake.

Cypress QiGong practitioner Marc Mori uses Tibetan singing bowls in meditation to help others  de-stress and connect with their life energy.

Marc Mori

During the sound bath, Mori asked all participants to consider their intention, their deepest desire for their purpose in life. Breathing in, I was summoned to visualize the "out" breath, letting go of things like worry, impatience and stress. Taking another deep breath in, I was asked to connect with all the things that charged my life energy, my "Chi or Qi" as Mori described.

"A lot of disease and our condition comes from stress, the narrative we have within ourselves," Mori said. "The default network of our brain gives us states of negativity and positivity. Sometimes, these are visceral reactions we have through a multitude of experiences in our life. Through sound, like a mother's voice to the child or healing bowls, these soothing messages relax people. These will wire our neural networks to better read the situations rather than sensing them as threat assessments. Our brains never get a break if we continually interpret things as threat assessments. Those people who are better regulated in this way are calmer."

Marc Mori's intuitive approach was almost like directing a symphony of layered, ethereal tones.

Featured image: Tibetan singing bowl

Carlos Osorio/Toronto Star via Getty Images

Mori, the Cypress QiGong practioner and instructor, took an unconventional route into the world of alternative healing. It was more or less something of a spiritual awakening that's led him to visit Kathmandu and Dubai after a 25-year career in the FBI.

"I was seeking other paradigms in my life," Mori said. "I knew there was much more than life than this."

Looking back at the soundscape experience, the dreamy sonic vibrations helped me drift to a different shore. It was a little disorienting at first to disengage from the harmonies. Confession: the tuning fork burrowed against the nape of my neck was a little trippy, but also interesting.

What the sonic soak resoundingly accomplished is a clarity of mind and a deeper sense of peace. One note to those interested in delving into sound baths: Be careful to be gentle with yourself following mediation and drink plenty of water. Sleep, journal and try to create something new, reflecting upon the experience.

"You take the good, bad and the ugly and learn to love yourself in all aspects of who you are and embracing that is all you can do is move forward," Mori said in reflection of the post-sound bath experience. "If we have all the regrets and complexes, that can really block our movement forward. [We need to] love ourselves even in the difficult times. Loving the situation for all the good things it brought."

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Do 'sound baths' really work to de-stress? I took one to find out - Chron
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