This is the only FHT and ITEC Accredited Sound therapy Certification in the world (2026)
Sound and Vibration
Everything in the Universe vibrates at a certain frequence, the earth, moon, stars and all that exists. Everything is a vibration, our bodies have a whole number of rhythms, nothing stays still. The motion generates frequencies which then generate sound, resulting in everything, including the cells in our bodies having a resonate sound and frequence even though it may not be heard by the human ear.
Each celestial body, in fact, each and every atom, produces the particular sound account of its movement, its rhythm or vibration. All these sounds have vibrations from a universal harmony, in which each element, while having its own function and character, contributes to the whole.
— Pythagoras
We trust the magic of sound, will contribute an ever greater measure to the relief of human suffering.
— Roberto Assagioli M.D. (1888-1974) Founder of Transpersonal Psychology
Sound therapy, or sound healing, uses sound waves and vibrations to promote deep relaxation, reduce stress, and improve overall well-being. Based on the principle that everything in the universe vibrates at a unique frequency, it aims to bring a person's natural resonance back into healthy balance by using therapeutic sounds from instruments like singing bowls, gongs, chimes, drums and voice. Benefits can include improved sleep, emotional release, and enhanced physical and mental health.
Rhythmic patterns appear throughout the universe, from the very small to the very large. Atoms are patterns of probability waves, molecules are vibrating structures, and living organisms manifest multiple, interdependent patterns of fluctuations. Plants, animals and human beings undergo cycles of activity and rest, and all their physiological functions oscillate in rhythms of various periodicities.
— Fritjof Capra, Author of 'The Tao of Physics'
Origins of Sound Healing Therapy
Sound Healing Therapy is one of the oldest forms of healing known to mankind. Almost every culture has used sound and vibration for healing and transformation, from Ancient Egypt, Greek, Mayans, Babylonians, Romans, Native Indigenous of the Americas, China, Aboriginal, Celts and more.
Many cultures around the world have been using Sound as a powerful healing tool for thousands of years and 'Doctors' in ancient Greece used vibration to aid in digestion, treat mental disturbance, and induce sleep.
Sound therapy has origins in ancient practices worldwide, including the Aboriginal people in Australian who used didgeridoo for healing, Tibetan and yogic traditions using singing bowls, the human voice with mantra chants, and the ancient Greek concepts of sound for balance and harmony. Modern sound healing began in the middle of the 20th century with pioneers like English osteopath Sir Peter Guy Manners, who researched audible voice frequencies for therapeutic effects.
Ancient Cultures and Sound Healing
Aboriginal Australian Culture:-
Around 40,000 years ago, Aboriginal Australians used the didgeridoo to heal various ailments, making it one of the earliest documented cultures to use sound healing.
Tibetan and Indian Traditions:-
Monks in Tibet and Nepal used singing bowls in spiritual and healing ceremonies. Yogic traditions incorporate mantras and bija (seed syllables) to stimulate organ systems and promote healing.
Greek Philosophy:-
The ancient Greeks, including Pythagoras, explored the therapeutic effects of music and sound, using harmonious musical intervals to promote balance and health. Apollo was the god associated with both music and healing.
Chinese Traditions:-
In Chinese Qigong, specific sounds and mantras are used to stimulate and harmonise the body's internal organ systems.
Egyptian Practices:-
Ancient Egyptians also recognised the power of sound and music, incorporating it into healing practices.
Islamic Hospitals:-
Hospitals in the medieval Islamic world, such as the Al-Mansuri Hospital in Cairo, regularly used music and sound therapy, particularly for mental illnesses.
Shaman Medicine People:-
Shamans use sound healing to induce trance states for healing and spiritual journeys by employing instruments like drums and rattles to create rhythmic vibrations, which help alter consciousness, connect with Spirit guides, and facilitate physical, emotional, and spiritual healing. They utilise specific frequencies, chants, and resonant tools such as singing bowls and flutes to promote deep states of relaxation, release blockages, and create a sacred space for powerful energetic healing.
Modern Development:-
Sir Peter Guy Manners:-
In the mid-20th century, English Osteopath Sir Peter Guy Manners pioneered sound as a medical practice in the West. He researched the effects of audible voice frequencies and discovered hundreds of healing frequencies associated with specific body parts.
In recent decades, sound healing has gained popularity in Western cultures, with modern scientific studies showing promising results for stress reduction, anxiety relief, and mood improvement.
Benefits of Sound Healing Therapy
- Sports and other physical injuries
- Pain relief
- Helps improve cognitive functions in Dementia and Alzheimer's disease
- Fibromyalgia
- Digestive issues
- Skin issues
- Anxiety, Depression and other mental health issues
- Irritable Bowel
- Tight muscles
- Balances the Nervous System
- Relief from Stress and Anxiety
- Tension
- Asthma
- Improves and Balances Lymph System
- Grounding
- Improved concentration
- Enhanced creativity
- Improved vision (physical, mental and spiritual)
- Brain hemisphere balancing
- Restoration of equilibrium in the endocrine system by vibrating the pituitary
- Relief of sinus congestion and headaches
- Induction of alpha brainwave activity or deep meditation
- Increases energy through stimulation of the cerebrospinal fluid (possibly the physical form of Kundalini energy)
- Chakra and aura balancing and cleaning (and corresponding organs and glands)
- Space clearing
- Easier access to intuition and higher consciousness
- And much more
This therapy can be used alone or alongside my existing Body and Energy Therapies for an even deeper level of healing. Sound can help to cleanse and comforts in a cocoon of healing sound and vibration which shifts the brain from Beta (waking state) to Theta or Delta (meditation state) through vibration and the use of various sound healing instruments.
Sound and vibrational energy and emotion are all deeply connected and so Sound and Vibrational healing energy can benefit, not only on a physical level, moving and releasing energy and trauma trapped in our cells, but also on an emotional and energetic level. Human emotions have their immediate expression through sound and vibration, and it is often the repression of the emotions that creates emotional blockages. Sound and vibration can be used to unlock the blocked emotions and release them creating energy shifts in the physical, emotional and auric bodies.
Sound and vibration healing has many benefits including re-balancing the physical, emotional and spiritual bodies, relief from stress and anxiety, regenerates the parasympathetic nervous system, awakens higher states of consciousness, stimulating the circulatory and glandular systems, improving sleep, increasing vital energy flow (Chi), improving creativity, intuition and motivation.
Stress and Anxiety Reduction:-
The calming effect of sound waves helps to reduce stress and promote a state of deep rest.
Improved Sleep:-
Many people experience better sleep quality after sound healing sessions.
Emotional Release:-
Sound therapy can provide a safe way to tap into and release emotions, contributing to emotional well-being.
Enhanced Well-being:-
The combination of relaxation, stress reduction, and potential physical benefits fosters a sense of overall balance and harmony.
Pain Reduction:-
Some studies have shown that the sound of singing bowls can be metabolised in the body as endogenous opioids, acting as an internal pain reliever.
Vibrational Effects of Sound
Pleasant, harmonious rich in overtone vibration.
- Human Body – 70% to 80% water, therefore, transmits vibration very well.
- In air, sound travels at 340 metres per second (760mph). In water, sound travels at 1,500 metres per second (3,350mph).
- 100 trillion cells in the human body all vibrate at a frequency.
- Vibration continues through the skin, tissues, cavities, organs and bones.
Sound as a complementary modality
- The universe is sound – Deepak Chopra M.D.
- Medicine will soon encompass sound – Mitchell Gaynor M.D.
- Sound effective in treating a range of complaints – Andrew Weill M.D.
- For people with motor problems, sound acts as a catalyst – Oliver Sacks M.D.
- Sound from Tibetan Singing Bowls are chemically metabolised into 'endogenous opiates' that act on the body as internal painkillers and healing agents – David Simon M.D.
- Healing the body, heart, mind with sound – Dr. J. Thompson
- Healing through sound – Dr. Shelly Snow, Concordia University, Canada
Sound Healing Therapy uses
Vibrational Resonance:-
The core idea of sound healing is that the body has its own natural frequency. When this frequency is disrupted by stress, illness, or other factors, the body becomes out of tune, leading to dis-ease.
Restoring Harmony:-
Sound therapy uses external frequencies to help bring the body's natural resonances back into a state of balance and harmony.
Brainwave Regulation:-
The soothing vibrations and tones can slow down brainwave patterns, lower heart rate, and calm the nervous system, promoting deep relaxation.
Energy Flow:-
In some practices, sound waves are directed at specific energy centers (chakras) and along meridians (energy lines) in the body to improve the flow of vital life-force energy, known as Qi.
Instruments and Practices
Singing Bowls:-
Tibetan and crystal singing bowls are popular, with their vibrations said to balance chakras and clear energy blockages, creating resonant vibrations that promote relaxation, focus, and a higher sense of peace.
Gongs:-
Used for their powerful sound. Gongs can provide deep resonance and relaxation.
Chimes and Drums:-
Koshi chimes and shaman drums are also used to create therapeutic soundscapes.
Sound Baths:-
A common format where practitioners create a "bath" of sound and vibration for participants to relax and immerse themselves in.
Drums:-
Used to create a rhythmic, heartbeat-like sound associated with the earth and physical healing, helping to enter a deep meditative state.
Rattles:-
Produce a shaking, rhythmic sound that can stimulate the nervous system, promote movement and flow, and help release blocked emotions.
Flutes and other instruments:-
Lyres, flutes, and gongs are also used to create resonant sounds for healing and to enhance the sacredness of a ritual.
Chanting and singing:-
The human voice itself is a powerful tool for producing resonant frequencies that create a healing environment.
Specific frequencies:-
Shamans work with sounds that align with natural harmonic frequencies, similar to the concept of binaural beats in modern sound healing, to promote biological and mental vitality.
Since ancient times, music and sound has been recognised for its therapeutic value. Greek physicians used flutes, lyres, and zithers to heal their patients. They used vibration to aid in digestion, treat mental disturbance, and induce sleep. Aristotle (373–323 BCE). Dr. Assad Meymandi - The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) in 2009
In his famous book 'De Anima' Dr Assad Meymandi wrote that "flute music could arouse strong emotions and purify the soul. Ancient Egyptians describe musical incantations for healing the sick."
How do singing bowls help in the healing process?
Illness can be descripted as dis-harmony within the body, an imbalance in the cells or an organ. When there is a blockage, the organ stops vibrating at a healthy frequence, and results in some form of illness. Using sound, one can break-up, dissolve and remove these blockages.
Sound from Tibetan Singing Bowls entrain the brain to move into the Theta brain waive (4-8hz), that induces deep meditative and peaceful states, clarity of mind and intuition.
The sound vibrations impact our nervous system, engaging our relaxation reflex and inhibiting the stress or pain response. Through listening and absorbing vibrations of Tibetan Singing Bowls, one's internal dialogue, the "inner critic" is quietened. Their sound synchronises brain waves and enhances awareness of mind-body connection.
Just like when a stone is dropped into a pond, concentric waves spread over the water's surface. Every molecule of the water is set moving. During sound massage, something similar happens with our bodies, for it consists of 80% liquid. The gentle sound waves spread through liquid in tissues, muscles, tendons, bones, cavities and organs. These "waves" stimulate the entire body, allowing for tension and blockages to clear away. The more the body is free of tension, the further spreading the sound.
— Pewter Hess – "Singing Bowls for Health & Inner Harmony"
What should I expect in a Sound Healing Session?
Before you arrive, I will have opened Sacred Space and have the space cleansed. Upon your arrival, you will be required to complete a New Client Consultation form and have a brief discussion of the issues you wish to address, all of which will be confidential. If it is your second or subsequent session, I will include any additional information provided to your consultation form. You will then lie face down on the massage table/plinth (fully clothed) where I will proceed to perform the treatment, placing the sound therapy bowls on various parts of the body. You will then lie face up, where I will also place the sound therapy bowls on various parts of your body. I may also use other instruments in the session. Following the session, we will have a brief review and discuss progress. If you are unable to lie on a massage table/plinth or if you use a walking aid or wheelchair for mobility, Sound Healing Therapy can be carried out in a chair or wheelchair.
At the end of the healing session, I will ensure you are present and back in your body before leaving.
How often should I receive Sound Healing Therapy?
It is recommended to receive at least six weekly sound healing therapy sessions consecutively to work through the issue. The reason for this is to allow the sound and vibrations work within your body and break through the issues and blockages within your energy fields. A person may not notice a difference in the first or second week, therefore, the person should give their body time to adjust to the new vibrations and break down any blockages held. However, this is a recommendation and it is entirely up to the person how many sessions they attend.
Is there any situation where I cannot receive Sound Healing Therapy?
You cannot receive Sound Healing Therapy if you are currently receiving Cancer Treatment, or within trimester one of pregnancy.
If you have Trigeminal Neuralgia Sound Healing Therapy cannot be given around the head area of the body.
If you are being treated for a serious physical or mental disorder or are taking medications, before you make an appointment, you are required to provide a letter signed by your Medical Doctor stating that they have no objections to you receiving Sound Healing Treatment.
If you would like to receive Sound Healing Therapy and you are attending and/or, under the medical care/supervision of a Medical Practitioner/Consultant/Hospital and/or, you are taking prescribed medication and/or, receiving medical treatments from a Medical Practitioner/Consultant/Hospital for a serious physical and/or mental illness, you are required to provide their written consent and approval to receive Sound Healing Therapy to Sanctuary of Solace prior to, or when making an appointment.
The therapies and treatments I provide are always complementary and are not alternative to conventional medicine. You are required to read Sanctuary of Solace Cancellation Policy, Disclaimer and Privacy Policy prior to making an appointment or receiving any therapy/treatment.