Sound Healing Science:
At a Glance
by Adrian DiMatteo
Founder, Sonic Institute
The science of sound healing is gaining credence in mainstream society. However, due to its complexity, sound healing is largely misunderstood—reduced to pseudo-scientific claims by amateur practitioners or derided as spiritual fantasy by uninformed members of the medical establishment. Nevertheless, scientific evidence abounds for the diverse benefits and applications of sound-based therapies.
Let’s start with some basic physics.
Sound waves (aka acoustic waves) are mechanical pressure waves—oscillations of matter which propagate through various particle fields (solid, liquid, gas and plasma) down to the subatomic level. In other words, sound (measured in phonons) is heat energy generated by the excitation of particles.
This begs the question: How can sound waves affect the psychophysiological systems of living organisms?
So much research has been done on this topic that the National Institutes of Health hosted a multi-day conference entitled: “‘Music as Medicine: The Science and Clinical Practice,’ sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and jointly organized by NIH, the NEA, the Renée Fleming Foundation, and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.” (1)
Ultrasound and sonograms are familiar concepts to many of us, but this barely scratches the surface of how sound frequencies are being used in a variety of medical contexts. It is beyond the scope of this article to explain them, but suffice it to say that sonic therapies are making waves in the fields of cancer treatment, genetics, pain management, neurology, agriculture, biochemistry and biomedical imaging to name a few.(2)
We can observe various impacts of sound waves on physical bodies, such as using targeted infrasound frequencies to restructure tumors and render cancer cells more receptive to chemotherapy.(3)
But there’s more to health than physical wellbeing.
When mechanical pressure waves enter the brain through the auditory complex, they are converted into electromagnetic, electrochemical signals which are interpreted by the brain. This neurological process is scarcely understood, and it intersects with psychology when considering how human beings make meaning out of sound. Sociocultural and other epigenetic (environmental) factors produce complex and subjective responses to sonic stimuli.
One thing we know for certain, is that music processing, especially music making, “[engages] more mental faculties than during almost any other activity: motor systems, motor planning, imaging, sensory feedback, coordination, emotions, auditory processing, and — if we’re inspired—creativity spirituality, pro-social feelings, and possibly a state of heightened awareness coupled with calm known as the flow state.”(4) I’ll add memory as another major component to this list.
(4) “I Heard There Was A Secret Chord,” Daniel J. Levetin
Music therapy (not to be confused with the broader term, ‘sound healing’) relies on empirical science to justify treatment methods for people with a wide range of conditions such as:
Parkinson’s — Using musical rhythm to aid with coordination and motor skills
Alzheimer’s — Stimulating access to memory through musical cues from significant life experiences
PTSD — Promoting emotional regulation through rhythm-induced trance and music associated with positive emotional states from the individual’s past.
Neurochemically, we can say that human beings make meaning out of sonic patterns (such as music or language) and associate that meaning with memories and emotional states. Therefore, the endocrine and nervous systems are also sympathetic to sonic stimuli (from the inside out and the outside in). Dangerously loud sounds cause autonomic reactions (such as rushing to plug your ears) and sounds associated with emotional states trigger the release of associated memories and hormones (like the song from a loved one’s funeral or first dance at a wedding).
Cognitive (mental) and somatic (physical) systems are interdependent. Thoughts impact emotions, emotions impact the physical body and vice versa. No single pathology can be dissociated from its context, as no single violin is separate from the symphony in which it plays. Therefore, we must distinguish between the objective effects of specific sound frequencies on a physical body, and the subjective cognitive interpretations of sound within an individual’s experience.
The materialist scientist prefers the objective standards of empirical evidence, but they often overlook the importance of subjective reality. As we understand from the placebo effect, faith in the capacity of a medicine to heal often determines the efficacy of a treatment. Therefore, sound healing strategies consider evidence-based methods in conjunction with individual belief systems to create dynamic, personalized treatment protocols.
Let’s consider the multisensory nature of sound cognition. All of the senses are inextricably linked. The sound of a potato chip crunching is accompanied by its visual impression. The sight of a fire engine is associated with its siren. The touch of a deep bass frequency is felt in the rattling car. The scent of a fireplace is paired with crackling wood. Neural connections are strengthened by multisensory input. Knowing this, shamans facilitate healing through complex ceremonies involving various modalities, such as hands-on treatment, music making, ceremonial art, dance, herbalism, psychology, astronomy, etc.).
Sound healing operates where auditory cognition converges with other cognitive functions. In a laboratory, it is appropriate to isolate and study various pathological phenomena, but in daily life, holistic treatment requires an integrated strategy that addresses interdependent mental, emotional and physical imbalances and causes of suffering.
Sound healing reaches across the aisle, where natural and social sciences converge.
Sound Healing Science: At a Glance
Music + The Body
Sound waves tangibly impact the physical body in many ways, depending on whether the sounds are passively received or actively produced, including:
Stimulation of the vagus nerve (affecting digestion, heart rate and immune function)
Promoting coherence between the electromagnetic fields of the heart and brain
Regulation of the circulatory system
Regulation of the endocrine system
Regulation of the sympathetic, parasympathetic and autonomic nervous systems
Music + The Brain
Music cognition involves more parts of the brain than virtually any other activity, affecting:
Memory (hippocampus)
Motor skills and spatial awareness (cerebrum, cerebellum, motor cortex, sensory cortex, and visual cortex)
Linguistic and auditory processing (auditory cortex, cerebellum, prefrontal cortex)
Emotional processing (limbic system, nucleus accumbens, amygdala, and the cerebellum)
Playing music requires creativity, imagination, focus and coordination. Learning an instrument and practicing music enhances these capacities. Psychologically, music provides a means of nonverbal communication, providing an outlet for connecting with and expressing emotion. As a safe and healthy activity, it can help deemphasize obsessive thinking and compulsive behavior. As a non-invasive treatment, sound and music therapies promote relaxation and reduce pain while reducing or eliminating the need for pharmaceutical medications and their associated side effects.
Music + The Human Spirit
Simply put, music is a deeply human activity (although not limited to the human species). Musical practices and traditions are distinguishing aspects of culture and are deeply interwoven with cosmology and community life. In that regard, shared music-making and dance can promote meaningful relationships and connections within and across social groups, leading to an improved quality of life, shared values and sense of belonging.
Due to the interwoven mental, physical and emotional aspects of music cognition, music-making lies at the intersections of art, psychology, philosophy and science. Because of this, music therapies are well positioned to promote balance on all levels and provide access to cathartic and transcendental experiences.
To order a copy of Adrian’s book, “Elements of Sound: A Full-Spectrum Exploration of Sound and Consciousness” visit the Sonic Institute.
Adrian DiMatteo (B.M. Eastman School of Music, 2012) is the founder of the Sonic Institute. He is an international performing and recording artist, author (Elements of Sound: A Full-Spectrum Exploration of Sound and Consciousness), music educator, app creator (Chord Atlas), and sound meditation facilitator with over 20 years’ experience in the music world. Adrian has toured and traveled extensively—exploring sound, language, musical culture and how they affect individual and collective wellbeing. Hundreds of students have graduated from Sound Healer Training programs and weekend retreats that Adrian regularly facilitates nationwide. To date, he has offered musical experiences to thousands of people in hospitals, hospices, elder care facilities, prisons and children’s centers.
Great article! Thanks