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The Mechanism of
Sound Therapy
 Studies
conducted by sound therapists
had shown that certain sounds
can slow the breathing rate and
create a feeling of overall
well-being; others can slow a
racing heart, even soothe a
restless baby. Sound can also
change skin temperature, reduce
blood pressure and muscle
tension, and influence brain
wave frequencies. Even some
sounds which are beyond the
range of the ear, for example,
ultrasonic waves, can have a
profound effect on the human
condition.
Defined as "oscillating energy
waves within the audible range,"
sound originates and travels
from one source to another as
waves, each sound with its own
velocity and intensity, and each
with its own frequency, pitch,
and wavelength. (Music is
essentially a pleasurable
sequence of sound waves.) The
intensity of the vibration, or
the loudness of sound, is
measured in units called
decibels. Although volume is a
factor, it is not necessary that
one be consciously aware of a
sound for it to have an effect
because sound creates a response
in the entire body, not just the
ear.
People respond to sound
vibrations in two main ways: via
rhythm entrainment and
resonance. Steven Halpern,
Ph.D., of San Anselmo,
California, states that rhythm
entrainment describes the
phenomenon whereby, in the
presence of any external
rhythmic stimulus, the natural
rhythm of the heartbeat will be
overridden and caused to pulse
in sync with the sound source.
This may be the rhythm of drums,
or the rhythmic pulse of the
music, or it may just be your
refrigerator's motor.
Resonance refers to the physical
phenomenon in which different
frequencies of sound (different
pitches) stimulate the body to
vibrate in different areas.
Typically, low sound resonates
in the lower parts of the body
and high sound resonates in the
higher parts of the body.
Sound is linked to the physical
body by the eighth and tenth
cranial nerves. These carry
sound impulses through the ear
and skull to the brain. Motor
and sensory impulses are then
sent along the vagus nerve
(which helps regulate breathing,
speech, and heart rate) to the
throat, larynx, heart, and
diaphragm. Don G. Campbell,
B.M.E.D., Director of the
Institute for Music, Health, and
Education in Boulder, Colorado,
explains, the vagus nerve and
the emotional responses to the
limbic system (specific areas of
the brain responsible for
emotion and motivation) are the
link between the ear, the brain,
and the autonomic nervous system
that may account for the
effectiveness of sound therapy
in treating physical and
emotional disorders.
Various elements of sound
influence separate parts of the
brain. Rhythm, for example,
engages the reptilian or
hindbrain (see illustration),
while its tempo can alter the
sense of time. The human body
also has its own rhythmic
patterns, and there is growing
evidence that the rhythms of the
heart, the brain, and other
organs enjoy a special
synchronicity. Illness can arise
when these inner rhythms are
disturbed. Tone engages the
limbic midbrain (see
illustration), which governs
emotion. Campbell, says the real
power of sound is in the way the
tonal or harmonic aspects
influence our emotions and
midbrain functions.
Sound can also be used to help
the body regulate its
corticosteroid hormone levels,
helping to control the severity
of spastic muscle tremors,
reduce cancer-related pain, and
reduce stress in heart patients.
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