What sounds do you love? What songs shift your state? What is the genre of music that you tend to find solace in?
Today, I “riff” on this idea of sound as a doorway into state change. Most of us already DO this without thought or effort.
What if you engaged with sound more intentionally this week as a way to support your physical, emotional, energetic well-being.
The album I reference: Angel Aura
Here is some fun scientific evidence (thanks to chatGPT) about the power of sound:
1. Sound Reduces Stress by Activating the Parasympathetic Nervous System
Scientific Finding:
Listening to certain types of music or soothing soundscapes (e.g., nature sounds, chanting, low-frequency tones) has been shown to lower cortisol levels and activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which promotes a state of rest and repair.
Study Reference:
A 2013 study in PLOS ONE found that listening to relaxing music post-stressor exposure significantly reduced cortisol levels and supported faster physiological recovery.
🧠 Why it matters:
Chronic stress keeps the nervous system in a fight-or-flight state. Sound can help shift the body toward a rest-and-digest mode, supporting immune function, digestion, and emotional regulation.
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2. Sound Enhances Brain Plasticity and Cognitive Function
Scientific Finding:
Certain sound frequencies and musical training have been shown to increase neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to reorganize and form new neural connections.
Study Reference:
A 2018 study in Frontiers in Neuroscience revealed that sound-based therapies like music listening or rhythmic auditory stimulation can enhance cognitive flexibility and working memory, especially in trauma-affected individuals.
🧠 Why it matters:
For those healing from trauma, increasing brain plasticity helps in rewiring maladaptive patterns and improving executive function, mood, and resilience.
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3. Vibrational Sound Therapy Can Reduce PTSD Symptoms
Scientific Finding:
Low-frequency sound vibration therapy (e.g., vibroacoustic therapy, tuning forks, or singing bowls) has been found to significantly reduce PTSD symptoms, including hyperarousal and emotional numbing.
Study Reference:
A pilot study published in Journal of Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine (2016) found that vibroacoustic therapy led to reductions in PTSD symptoms in trauma survivors, particularly veterans, by supporting autonomic regulation and emotional processing.
🧠 Why it matters:
Sound therapy helps reconnect body and mind, often disrupted by trauma, by engaging sensory input and facilitating embodied healing.
Lastly, from the wisdom traditions, sound as a Meditation doorway:
Bodies feed on sound.
Sonic waves on inner waters.
Vibration strengthens bones.
Ecstatic undulation awaits you.
Take a bite of crunchy K, slippery S, a rugged Rrrr.
Enjoy a yummy vowel— ah, ee, oo, or uu.
Throw it in a bowl of Mmmm.
Treasure the impact on your tongue—
Kreem, Shreem, Raam, Yumm, Hreem, Laam.
Pronounce a sound out loud, then whisper softly.
Now hear with your inner ear.
Allow the resonance to enchant you within.
The sound goes on resounding, continuing of itself.
As the hum dissolves into silence,
Be nurtured
In the tenderness of infinite space.
Sutra 19 from The Radiance Sutras by Dr. Lorin Roche
Thank you for being here. You are so so appreciated. ✨
With love, Heather and Jai jai
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