Since ancient times, humans have used sound and frequencies to promote healing. Frequency healing (also known as vagus nerve stimulation) activates your parasympathetic nervous system – your body’s “rest, digest and heal” mode.
Results of the Tinnitus Primary Functions Questionnaire indicated significant increases in concentration abilities and decreases in tinnitus annoyance among most participants.
Relieves Stress
Sound therapy can be used to relieve stress and boost moods. It’s often implemented during acupuncture treatments, relaxation techniques or holistic wellness programs as a form of stress relief or to promote relaxation and sleep. Studies have proven its efficacy for anxiety reduction and blood pressure reduction; relaxation promotion; sleep promotion and an array of medical conditions (some sound therapy treatments can even help prepare women for labor through hypnobirthing sessions); it has even been found helpful against symptoms associated with fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome.
Studies have demonstrated that high frequency sounds can provide relief for tinnitus sufferers. Their masking effect helps decrease perceived loudness and annoyance of tinnitus, providing much-needed comfort to those living with this condition. Sound therapy may also improve concentration abilities as well as decrease functional impacts from daily living due to tinnitus.
Recent study participants were exposed to nine distinct masking sounds and their responses were evaluated on the Tinnitus Primary Functions Questionnaire (TPFQ). Results revealed that 22 out of 23 participants experienced an improvement in their annoyance ratings during exposure; concentration subscale and total scores also saw significant enhancements during this timeframe.
Participants were allowed to choose their desired masking sound; stream and wave sounds were most often chosen to provide relief from tinnitus, while other options such as broadband noise, forest sounds, rain noises, fan noises and brown noises were also options. Reverberations of their own voice as well as tones produced by 4 and 5-string bass guitars were also chosen by participants; 35-50Hz tones are not typically considered one of Solfeggio frequencies that aid healing but have been reported to improve bone healing among rats.
TPFQ results revealed a decrease in tinnitus annoyance only during exposure to HyperSound sound stimulus and quickly rebounded once these sounds had been turned off, as most participants rated concentration and hearing subscales higher than emotion and sleep subscales, suggesting tinnitus had more of an impact than initially anticipated on concentration, hearing, emotion regulation, and sleep patterns.
Enhances Sleep
Frequency healing utilizes various sound frequencies to align energy centers in the body and promote health on all levels. This may involve specific tones and sounds, vocal sound exercises, tuning forks or other tools designed to resonate healing frequencies within the body, or technological devices emitting these desired frequencies – all designed to relieve stress, enhance sleep quality, facilitate meditation or provide other beneficial health effects. Frequency healing has many uses including stress reduction, sleep improvement and meditation among many other uses.
Participants were exposed to a customized high frequency directional audio system (HyperSound) for 30 minutes and then asked to rate their tinnitus loudness and annoyance on a standard questionnaire before and during sound exposure interval. Results demonstrated that all but three participants reported a decrease in loudness during this interval.
Most participants reported this method as successfully masking their tinnitus to where it could no longer be heard during sound exposure periods, though three individuals did not report an decrease in loudness but instead experienced increased tinnitus after sound exposure than before it.
Mehta et al’s earlier work demonstrated that masking high-frequency sound with broadband noise could help relieve tinnitus symptoms, however this study used an alternative sound therapy stimulus and demonstrated greater masking effects for over half of its participants.
The results of this study demonstrate that this form of sound therapy can enhance concentration abilities and diminish functional impact associated with tinnitus, as evidenced by improved mean scores on concentration, emotion, hearing and sleep subscales as well as improvements to overall Tinnitus Primary Functions Questionnaire scores.
Figure 4, Plot A displays each participant’s typical and post-exposure loudness ratings on an x-axis and percentage changes in annoyance on a y-axis, with participant 11 experiencing the greatest change; their rating increased by 81% during sound exposure interval.
Promotes Healing
Sound healing (or frequency therapy) has long been used by different cultures worldwide for healing purposes. On a molecular level, human bodies and many objects vibrate at specific frequencies which can be transmitted via flutes, lyres, air currents or the ground itself; their vibrations then create resonance within our bodies which helps the mind and spirit heal themselves.
Ancient medicine women and men utilized frequency healing through various means, including drumming, didgeridooing, singing bowls and spiritual practices like chanting or meditation to achieve physical relaxation as well as emotional health benefits. These methods provided not only relaxation but also provided catharsis and emotional release.
High frequency sound therapy has recently been rediscovered as an effective tool for mental, physical, and emotional wellness. Therapeutic applications exist that include stress reduction, sleep enhancement, anxiety treatment and treating depression/PTSD/OCD etc.
One study demonstrated how sound therapy could successfully alleviate participants’ tinnitus (ringing in the ears), by changing participants’ perception of noise and altering their response to it. Further, their TPFQ scores dropped during and post exposure than before their exposure began.
Studies have also demonstrated that music and sound therapy can alleviate tinnitus by decreasing emotional distress, improving attention spans, or decreasing loudness or masking noise levels. Other benefits of sound therapy include its capacity to enhance meditation practice, lower stress levels and promote both cognitive and physical healing.
Research on sound therapy continues to expand rapidly. With new information becoming available, physicians must remain open-minded when considering it as part of a holistic treatment plan – but remain culturally aware in doing so and advise patients only work with practitioners who possess rigorous modern sound healing training from accredited institutions.
Evidence continues to build that frequency therapy can have beneficial effects on the body when combined with other peer-reviewed therapies. Unfortunately, most physicians on Sermo remain unfamiliar with sound therapy and may be unwilling to refer their patients to practitioners who specialize in it.
Enhances Relationships
Sound therapy helps create greater equilibrium and harmony in your life, providing relief from stress, improving mood, relieving hypertension, stomach pain, joint discomfort and depression symptoms, while simultaneously strengthening relationships both at home and work.
Sound therapy provides a holistic healing experience that addresses mind, body and spirit at once. Sound therapies often utilize vibrational sounds to bring harmony between left and right brain functions as well as encourage deeper meditation states. Sound therapies may also help shift brainwave states for clearer focus and enhanced productivity.
Frequency healing dates back millennia. Philosophers such as Aristotle and Pythagoras used flute music to soothe emotions and promote emotional healing, while more recently scientists have discovered how specific sound frequencies can heal DNA while activating the parasympathetic nervous system – thus relieving stress while encouraging deep relaxation and sleep.
One study using audio-visual entrainment on women suffering from seasonal affective disorder (SAD) using sound and audiovisual entrainment therapy found that those who listened regularly experienced reduced depression, anxiety and improved social functioning. Another research paper conducted with people experiencing chronic fibromyalgia, arthritis and back pain showed they experienced reduced symptoms as well as an improvement in quality of life when listening to sound therapy sessions with soothing vibrations from sound therapy devices.
Oura App members can access sleep meditations and stories featuring Solfeggio frequencies – sound patterns from 174 Hz to 963 Hz designed to resonate with human brainwaves and create vibrations to bring about balance and wellbeing.
Use Oura app’s Daytime Stress feature to track and manage your daily stress levels, set goals for improving energy and focus, and utilize sleep meditations that incorporate solfeggio frequencies to relax before bed. At night when it’s time for bed use solfeggio frequencies for sleep meditations that have been proven to stimulate the production of nitric oxide in your body – something linked to reduced blood pressure levels and an overall sense of wellbeing.