Singing bowl therapy for stress and anxiety part 1

by Elena Vidrascu, MSc

JPHMP presents Preventing America’s Next Drug Epidemic: A Multidisciplinary Approach, a new series designed to introduce the many facets of substance abuse, and how integrating the work of multiple partners may be the best approach towards prevention and treatment.

Can sound waves heal our bodies and minds? There’s a growing belief that certain holistic healing methods such as sound therapy do lead to positive health outcomes. In this two-part series, I explore the potential healing properties of sound therapy by examining the physiological responses we have to audio stimulation. I start by trying to better understand sound waves and how our ears and brains process information received audibly. Then I look at the relationship between our brain waves and our health in an effort to introduce you to sound healing. Next time, I’ll talk with Alexander Tuttle, musician and sound therapist based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to discuss the healing properties of sound in treating chronic pain, stress, anxiety, and drug addiction.

Listen to the audio or read the transcript below. When you’re finished, be sure to leave me a comment. Do you have any experience with sound healing therapies?

Transcript:

Welcome to Preventing America’s Next Drug Epidemic: A Multidisciplinary Approach, a series designed to introduce the many facets of substance use and how integrating the work of multiple partners may be the best approach towards prevention and treatment. I’m your host Elena Vidrascu, and in this two-part podcast, I’ll be looking at the use of sound therapy to help people struggling with various health conditions such as pain, anxiety, stress, and drug addiction.

In this episode, I will introduce you to sound healing and describe its interaction with our brains. Next time, I will be joined by Alexander Tuttle to discuss his use of a variety of sound instruments to deliver sound healing.

Regardless of what music you like to listen to, you can likely reflect on the power that it has had to get you through difficult times, motivate you during a workout, enhance your focus throughout a work task, and so on. We can feel that emotional connection, that energy with each beat. It’s not just the lyrics that influence what music we select at a given point, but also the rhythm, melody, harmony, volume, and intensity.

How is it that sound exerts such a powerful physiological response as to reduce anxiety and stress? Well, sound is not inert. Sound travels from the source, such as a musical device, to our ears, in the form of waves that travel slower than light waves. The sensation of loudness is influenced by the height and frequency of sound waves, with greater height and frequency corresponding to a louder perception of sound. Frequency is measured in hertz, and 20 Hz means that tone or beat vibrates 20 times every second. We can typically hear sounds that are between 20 and 20,000 hertz.

The sound wave hits our eardrum, making it vibrate and transmit this vibration deeper into our ear, through a fluid-filled tunnel that contains hair cells. The vibrations cause the fluid to move in waves, which then makes the hair cells move. This information from the hair cells is sent from the auditory nerve in the ear, to the brain, which can then decode it. If each ear hears a tone of a different frequency, then the difference between the two frequencies will be perceived by the brain. For example, if our right ear hears a 200 Hz tone, and our left ear a 210 Hz tone, then our brain will perceive this as a 10 Hz beat. This binaural beat is one method used by sound therapy.

Sound therapy uses low frequencies that fall in the alpha-theta-gamma-delta range, which corresponds to the brainwave frequencies that vibrate in the lower range. To put this into perspective, let’s think for a moment about the sleep cycle. When we’re awake and fully conscious and alert, the frequency of our brain waves is between 14-30 Hz, which are called beta waves. When we begin to fall asleep and dissociate ourselves from the external environment, our brain starts to drift into a calm state, characteristic of alpha waves, which range from about 8 to 12 Hz. Waves in this frequency range can stimulate production of serotonin, the chemical that anti-depressants like SSRIs are responsible for increasing. There is also evidence for enhanced memory, reductions in cortisol, the major stress hormone, and emotional stability. Creative flow states may also be enhanced, and actually, when the brain of Albert Einstein was analyzed using an EEG, it showed he produced consistent alpha-band activity while solving complex mathematical tasks. Once we get into even deeper sleep, we delve into even lower vibrational frequencies, say between 4-8 Hz, called theta brainwaves. These brain waves are present during deep relaxation, when we are dreaming during REM sleep. It is believed that this mental state allows us to reach our subconscious.

Now let’s switch gears and explore how brain waves are associated with our health, and how sound therapy may help myriad problems. Let’s take drug addiction as our first example. Research has demonstrated that detoxified alcoholic patients have increased beta activity and a decrease in both alpha and theta, meaning they’re more in an alert phase. In the early stage of individuals abstinent from heroin, there has been reported deficiency in alpha activity, compared to healthy controls. In individuals who have been abstinent from cocaine for a long period of time, there is reduced activity in theta and delta waves, which are of the lowest frequency. In delta wave state, we are in our deep dreamless sleep. We experience cortisol reduction, immune boosting, and release of beta endorphins, which are responsible for suppressing pain. Some of the beneficial effects of low frequency sound therapy with drug addiction is believed to be as a result of this increase in beta endorphins.

Lower frequency brain waves can also stimulate the release of nitric oxide, which signals smooth muscles to relax, so our blood vessels dilate and increase blood flow. Release of nitric oxide positively affects pain transmission and control, which some scientists believe helps to modify our relationship to pain. In a 2015 study of patients suffering with fibromyalgia, low-frequency sound stimulation was delivered twice a week for five weeks. The medication dose was reduced in about 74% of patients and completely discontinued in 26%. A majority of these patients were able to significantly increase the amount of time they spent sitting and standing without pain. Although it wasn’t determined whether this was due to nitric oxide or beta endorphin increase, it’s consistent with reported beneficial effects of using low frequency sound stimulation.

The idea of accessing these desired brain wave states using sound is very intriguing. There is an optimal range of frequencies that can open the gateway for learning and memory, allowing one to change unwanted subconscious behaviors. This range can increase suggestibility, or the quality of being inclined to accept and act on the suggestions of others. Therapy can make great use of this tactic, and if you’re interested in learning more about the use of sound healing, stay tuned for the 2nd episode of this 2-part podcast, where I will speak with Alexander Tuttle about his private practice using sound healing for enhanced wellbeing. Please visit jphmpdirect.com for my previous blog posts and podcast episodes. And while you’re there, consider joining our community to help advance public health by subscribing to our newsletter.

Thank you for listening to the 1st episode of this 2-part podcast. Next time, I will speak with Alexander Tuttle, musician and sound therapist on the healing properties of sound to alleviate chronic pain, anxiety, stress, and drug addiction.

Related reading in the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice:*

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Elena Vidrascu, MSc, recently graduated from Wake Forest University with her MSc in Physiology and Pharmacology. Her primary field of interest is substance abuse, with goals to disseminate information to the public, including addicts and those in recovery, and to influence policy change to push for more integrative approaches towards prevention and treatment. In her spare time, she enjoys playing tennis, hiking, doing puzzles, and cuddling with her kitten Maple.

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Related

A Tibetan singing bowl is a type of bowl that vibrates and produces a rich, deep tone when played. Also known as singing bowls or Himalayan bowls, Tibetan singing bowls are said to promote relaxation and offer powerful healing properties. 

Buddhist monks have long used Tibetan singing bowls in meditation practice. In addition, some wellness practitioners (including music therapists, massage therapists, and yoga therapists) use Tibetan singing bowls during treatment.

This article discusses how Tibetan singing bowls are used and their purported benefits. It also covers what you should consider before you try using this type of treatment.

History of Tibetan Singing Bowls

There is debate about the exact origins of the Tibetan singing bowl, although there is some evidence that it may have originated in China sometime around the 16th century BC. Traditional bowls were made of a variety of metals including mercury, lead, silver, iron, gold, and copper. 

During the 1970s, people began importing the bowls to North America and Europe. They grew in popularity in the 1990s as a complementary and alternative treatment for a variety of ailments.

Recap

Tibetan signing bowls have a history that dates back thousands of years, but they only became popular in the U.S. starting in the 1970s.

Uses for Tibetan Singing Bowls

Very few scientific studies have examined the potential benefits of Tibetan singing bowls, despite their long history of use. But some people do report that using the bowls help them feel more relaxed.

Uses for singing bowl therapy include:

• Stress relief: Some research supports the use of Tibetan singing bowls as a way to promote relaxation and reduce feelings of anxiety.
• Improving sleep: Because singing bowl therapy has been linked to decreased anxiety and tension, it may be helpful for improving sleep. Further research is needed to support this.
• Lowering blood pressure: A preliminary study published in the American Journal of Health Promotion in 2014 examined the benefits of starting a directed relaxation session with 12 minutes of singing bowl sounds. It found a greater reduction in systolic blood pressure and heart rate compared to silence before the session.
• Reducing depression: One study linked singing bowl therapy to improvements in mood and suggested that this approach may be a low-cost way to help reduce symptoms of depression.
• Stimulating the immune system: Some also claim that Tibetan singing bowls can stimulate the immune system and produce beneficial changes in brain waves.
• Pain relief: One study looking at chronic spinal pain found that people treated with singing bowl therapy experienced significantly decreased pain intensity as well as decreased stress. However, placebo treatment had the same effects, so the study’s authors concluded that singing bowl therapy’s effectiveness for pain relief could not be confirmed.
• Balancing and harmonizing the body: Many proponents claim that the vibrations of a singing bowl can produce beneficial changes in the body by “harmonizing” the cells and “balancing the body’s energy system.”
• Enhancing other healing practices: Some people use the bowls in combination with other healing practices, such as meditation and deep breathing.

Do Singing Bowls Work?

It is important to note that while Tibetan singing bowls are often used for these purposes, research is still needed to determine what impact they actually have. Proponents may suggest that they have these benefits, but that does not mean that they actually work. Some of the claims don’t have a clear scientific basis.

How to Use Tibetan Singing Bowls

During singing bowl treatment, you will lie on the floor while the bowls are placed in different configurations. For example, they might be placed around your body, on your body, or in different locations around the room.

Once positioned, the practitioner will use mallets to strike the bowls in a sequence in order to produce sounds and vibrations. In some cases, your practitioner may also include a guided meditation.

To use a singing bowl yourself, firmly press the accompanying mallet in a circular motion against the bowl’s outside edge or rim. When you hear a bright, clear tone, you can slow down the motion. Use your full arm to make the motion, rather than just rotating your wrist.

You can also make the same circular motion against the outside belly of the bowl. Additionally, you can gently strike the bowl before beginning the circular motion.

Impact of Tibetan Singing Bowls

A few different theories have been proposed to explain why Tibetan singing bowls might be beneficial. Such theories suggest that: 

• The vibrations that the bowls produce may affect the mind and body.
• The sounds the bowls create may impact brain waves in order to induce relaxation.
• They may induce the same psychological effects and benefits as listening to music.

Sound Therapy

The benefits of listening to the bowls may be related to the ancient practice of sound therapy. Often used by Indigenous cultures throughout the world, sound therapy involves pulsing sounds, clapping, drumming, and singing for ceremonial, spiritual, and health purposes.

For example, singing bowls are often used during sound baths, a meditative experience in which people meditate while listening to resonant sounds. Research has found that sound baths can have a variety of beneficial effects, including improving positive moods, reducing anxiety, and decreasing pain.

A 2020 review of the existing research concluded that there was not enough current evidence to recommend the use of singing bowl therapies. However, the authors of the study noted that there was evidence indicating that this type of treatment had some positive effects that warrant further investigation.

Recap

While proponents suggest that Tibetan singing bowls can have a variety of positive effects such as reducing stress, lowering blood pressure, and helping with pain relief, more research is needed.

Tips for Buying a Tibetan Singing Bowl

If you are interested in trying Tibetan singing bowls, there are a number of places where you can find them. Some sources include:

• Online retailers
• Meditation centers
• Yoga studios
• Music shops
• Stores that specialize in new age products

Experts suggest that higher-quality bowls tend to produce more resonant sounds.

Smaller to medium-sized bowls are often more appropriate for beginners. Larger singing bowls may be suited to more advanced users. There are a number of good-quality singing bowls available that are small enough to be comfortable for beginning users but still produce quality sounds.

Look for a high quality bowl that is able to produce a variety of resonant tones. Some experts suggest purchasing a hand-hammered bowl as opposed to a machine-made one in order to obtain a more resonant tone.

Risks and Side Effects

While using Tibetan singing bowls is generally regarded as safe, there is not a great deal of research on the possible risks and side effects of this type of treatment. People who may want to avoid singing bowl therapy include those who:

• Are prone to headaches: Some people report experiencing headaches as a result of the noise and vibrations that the singing bowls produce. 
• Are pregnant: Because the effects on pregnancy are not known, you might want to avoid this type of therapy if you are currently pregnant.
• Have epilepsy: In some instances, noise and vibrations may trigger seizures.

Summary

Tibetan singing bowls are believed to promote relaxation, relieve stress, and produce other healing effects. Originating in China thousands of years ago, these bowls have become increasingly popular in other countries over the last few decades.

Purported benefits include improving sleep, reducing depression, relieving pain, and increasing immunity. However, current evidence cannot substantiate these benefits. While there appear to be some positive effects, more research is needed to determine how and when singing bowls are best used.

A Word From Verywell

Tibetan singing bowls may have some benefits, but more research is needed to support their use as a treatment for stress, anxiety, and other concerns. Some research does indicate that these singing bowls can enhance meditation and deep breathing, which may help maximize the stress-relieving benefits of those practices.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is a singing bowl used for?

  A singing bowl is used to help promote meditation and relaxation. In addition to aiding in stress relief, the resonant sounds they produce are purported to have other health benefits as well.

• How do you meditate with a Tibetan singing bowl?

  Singing bowls can be used for meditation in a variety of ways. While meditating, you can gently tap on the sides of the bowl to produce gentle sounds and vibrations that you can focus on. You can incorporate repetitive motion into your meditation by slowly rubbing the mallet around the inside of the bowl in a clockwise direction.

• How do you clean a Tibetan singing bowl?

  Clean your singing bowl by wiping it down gently with a soft, slightly damp cloth. You can also use a non-acidic sanitizing cleanser to remove soiled spots. Avoid harsh cleansers and never put your bowl in the dishwasher.

• Do you put water in a singing bowl?

  A singing bowl can be used with or without water. Water in the bowl can produce different resonant vibrations and sounds.