What is Sound Therapy?
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Everything has a sound, (even if we can't hear it) and it’s own unique vibration.
The frequency at which something naturally vibrates is called resonance. Each part of our bodies has its own natural resonance, and vibrational medicine is based on the idea that disease is a result of those natural resonances becoming out of tune which could be due to stress, illness or environmental factors, trauma etc.
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It is now widely accepted that most illness is stress related and any treatment that promotes relaxation and helps to reduce stress, can be a very effective way to prevent and treat illness.
One of the main things sound therapy does is put your body into the parasympathetic state.
Being in a parasympathetic state affects you on an emotional level and a physiological level. It increases antibody production for better immunity, it helps decrease cortisol, which helps you decrease high blood pressure, and it increases alpha and theta waves so you can be more alert during the day and go into a deeper sleep, where healing happens.
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When you're in the sympathetic, or "fight or flight" state whether that's from; feeling regularly unsafe, perceived danger, stress or pain, your body is surging with cortisol and inflammatory molecules which is not healthy for the body if its activated too frequently.
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Sound and music help us to access altered states of consciousness, restoring harmony and balance to our body’s biological rhythms and processes, and re-establishing correct functioning of the Endocrine system (the glands). This encourages the release of powerful healing and feel good hormones such as endorphins, oxytocin and serotonin as your body's healing response is activated. Other natural chemicals are also released, such as melatonin (important for sleep) and nitric oxide, vital for the body’s health and vitality. It also helps to lower Cortisol, (stress hormone) levels.
Your brain waves start to slow down and synchronise with the overtones and sounds because of the principle of Sympathetic Resonance. (Resonance is the vibratory rate of an object and sympathetic resonance is when one vibrating object causes another to vibrate in harmony with it, or match it’s rate of vibration.)
This helps you to enter a meditative state where you can tune in and access your innate wisdom. Your subconscious becomes active and more receptive to suggestions or affirmations when you are in an Alpha/Theta state.
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“Receptor antennas can also read vibrational energy fields such as light, sound, and radio frequencies. The antennas on these energy receptors vibrate like tuning forks. If an energy vibration in the environment resonates with a receptor's antenna, it will alter the protein's charge, causing the receptor to change shape. Because these receptors can read energy fields, the notion that only physical molecules can impact cell physiology is outmoded.
Biological behaviour can be controlled by invisible forces as well as it can be controlled by physical molecules like penicillin, a fact that provides the scientific underpinning for pharmaceutical free energy medicine.” Bruce Lipton
What are Binaural Beats?
Have you ever wanted to quickly enter states of relaxation, focus, high-energy, or meditation at will? I have found that sound, especially in the form of binaural beats can be really effective for this. Let me explain why and what binaural beats actually are...stick with me, it's worth it! ;-)
Binaural beats effectively synchronise & entrain your brainwaves to enhance a specific brainwave pattern. Entraining your brainwaves can be a highly effective method for personal growth by allowing you to change your state whenever you want.
What are the benefits of modifying our brainwaves?
In general, we are accustomed to being in the Beta brain rhythm. We are in a Beta brainwave pattern when we are consciously alert. It’s the default and dominant brainwave for most of us, most of the time. We are in Beta when we feel alert, agitated, tense, hurried, pressured, and stressed.
When we alter our brain rhythm to Alpha, we are slowing our brainwaves down. The benefit of this is that we put ourselves in the ideal brain state for optimal performance and super learning.
(Brain wave chart below).
Some forms of meditation, relaxation exercises, and activities that enable a sense of calm, also naturally create this Alpha state.
According to neuroscientists, the effect of decreasing the brain rhythm from Beta to Alpha via relaxation techniques, sound therapy and the use of binaural beats entrainment, changes the levels of certain beneficial brain chemicals.
Studies show that Alpha states significantly increase the release of melatonin, beta-endorphin, norepinephrine and dopamine. These naturally occurring chemicals are linked to feelings of expanded mental clarity and generate an internal environment for new learning and accessing previously learned information. This positive effect lasts for hours and even days.
What most people don't realize is that although the creation of binaural beats music has only been possible through technological advancement in the last 100 years or so, the use of this natural science dates back thousands of years.
Ancient cultures were aware of how the brain could be entrained through sound repetition long before modern science was able to explain the process. They didn't refer to this science as binaural beats, but what they did know was that consistent, rhythmic sound had extremely powerful healing and spiritual benefits.
Scientist Melinda Maxfield, PhD, conducted research on drumbeats used during rituals of ancient cultures and found that they generally beat at a steady rate of 4.5 beats per second.
This consistent beat induces a trance-like state for the tribe, due to the brain shifting into a 4.5 beats-per-second brainwave frequency, which is a low Theta brainwave state.
Through the use of repetitive drumming and chanting, Tibetan monks, Native American shamans, Hindu healers and master Yogis have been able to induce specific brainwave states for transcending consciousness, healing, concentration and spiritual growth.
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How do Binaural Beats work?
The word binaural means “having or relating to two ears”. Brainwave entrainment happens inside the brain, and is caused by a physiological response. Upon hearing two tones of different frequencies – sent simultaneously to the left and right ears through headphones – the brain perceives a third tone based on the mathematical difference between the two frequencies.
The brain then follows along at the new frequency (5 Hz), producing brainwaves at the same rate of Hertz (Hz). The technical term for this process is ‘frequency following response'.
For example: if a 100 Hz sound frequency is sent to the left ear, and a 105 Hz to the right ear, the brain will process those two frequencies and perceive a new frequency at 5 Hz which is in the Theta range.
All you have to do is put on a pair on headphones, relax and press play. It's that easy.
(Recommended listening is at least 12 minutes a day.)