sound therapy Archives - Enlightened Solutions

Sound Therapy: The Sensational Healing of Sonic Power

Written by enlightened solutions on September 24, 2020. Posted in Recovery, treatment. Leave a Comment

Recovery from addictions is not always the same for everyone. Individualized approaches and treatment plans tend to yield better results for those seeking change from addictive behaviors. Exploring alternative therapies, such as sound therapy, may give you more options for your treatment program.

Sound therapy and other sensory therapies can help you heal by incorporating the mind-body connection. Sensations that we experience can elicit emotional responses and release pain. Sound can be a powerful way of stimulating our sensory pathways to help us heal from underlying causes of addiction.

Some sounds in nature, like waterfalls or calm rain, can have a calming effect on us. Other sounds, like musical notes or percussive instruments, can induce specific emotions. Sound therapy can help us learn mindfulness and reduce stress. What might you experience during a sound therapy session?

Mindfulness: Combating Your Distracting Thoughts

A sound therapy session may begin with some basic mindfulness exercises to help you relax and focus. You might even be asked to put a blindfold on to minimize sensory input from your eyes to elevate your sense of hearing. You may complete some breathing exercises or meditation. These exercises can be therapeutic in and of themselves, as you can also utilize mindfulness practices in other areas of your life.

The purpose of practicing mindfulness during sound therapy is to allow distracting thoughts to disappear from your conscious mind so that you can focus on the session. Remember that you can use mindfulness and breathing exercises outside of your sound therapy sessions!

Techniques and Sounds: What to Expect

Sound therapists may use a variety of devices and instruments to create sounds during your session. Sound therapists may use simple instruments like Tibetian sound bowls, gongs, or chimes, to create sounds. The sounds may also be akin to natural sounds, like white noise or other ambient non-musical sounds. Your sound therapist may also use pre-recorded sounds from electronic devices during your session.

As your sound therapist repeats or plays the sounds, you will be asked to relax further. You may feel certain emotions during the session, as sounds can trigger specific feelings in our minds. Sound therapists may also use a technique known as bilateral stimulation.

Bilateral Stimulation in Sound Therapy

Bilateral stimulation is a way of stimulating the brain by producing sensations that alternate from one side of the body to the other. A sound therapist may use bilateral stimulation by producing a sound for one ear and then the other ear in a repetitive, side-to-side fashion.

Bilateral stimulation activates both hemispheres of the brain and can help you relax more easily. Bilateral stimulation is a common practice in other therapies, such as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and your sound therapist may use this technique during your session as well.

Music Therapy: A Type of Sound Therapy

Music therapy can also be considered a form of sound therapy. During a music therapy session, you will listen to or engage in playing music with a trained music therapist. You may be asked to sing or write songs to learn new ways of expressing your feelings and emotions. A music therapist may also play specific songs to help you experience certain emotions within a safe environment.

Music and song can have a powerful effect on the mind and you might find yourself experiencing emotions that you struggle with managing. Your music therapist can help you learn to manage these emotions after eliciting them during your session.

The Benefits of Sound Therapy

Sounds, like music and specific pitches, can induce an emotional response in your mind. You may associate a specific song or sound with a memory or a thought. Sound therapy can benefit those in recovery from addiction by teaching new ways of relaxing and providing safe environments for experiencing emotions.

Following a sound therapy session, you may feel more relaxed and better able to manage stress. Sometimes, the after-effects of sound therapy sessions can carry over throughout the rest of the day. You may also benefit from learning how to focus and silence distracting thoughts as you engage in mindful practices during your sessions.

You may feel less anxious and experience positive mood changes. If you utilize alcohol or other substances as a means of relaxing or distracting yourself from thoughts, sound therapy may be a healthy substitute for your addictive behavior.

You may find yourself able to relax more easily without the negative effects of substance or alcohol addictions. Incorporating alternative approaches to treatment, like sound therapy and music therapy, can enhance your existing recovery plan.

Alternative therapies can help you to find newer and exciting approaches to manage your addictions and enhance your recovery treatment. Some approaches may be new to you and exposing yourself to a variety of treatment options can help you feel more in control of your treatment. Sound therapy, and other sensory therapies, can teach you how to relax, focus, and be more mindful throughout your day. In recovery, finding choices and alternative therapies can empower you to cultivate a unique and individualized approach to your recovery treatment. You will be inclined to participate in your recovery if the treatment suits your needs and interests. At Enlightened Solutions, we understand the value of sound therapy and other therapeutic techniques in helping our clients learn to cope with their addictive behaviors. Call us today at (833) 801-5483 to find a pathway to recovery that fits your needs and personality!

How Sound Therapy Works

Written by enlightened solutions on October 16, 2017. Posted in Alternative Therapy. Leave a Comment

Sound therapy is rooted in the concept of energetic vibrations. To understand the power of sound therapy, consider this in the context of each person’s energetic field. This is the idea that each person has a circle of energy that extends beyond the solid matter of their own body. Since every person is surrounded by their own energetic field, it is understood that these fields, permeable matter, overlap with the fields of others. It is through this overlap that the interconnection of life can be explored.

Sound therapy is the exploration of how different frequencies of sound can influence the quality of a person’s energetic field. There is an optimal frequency state for each individual associated with their balanced state of physical, emotional and spiritual presence. This frequency may be different for different people. When a given person is out of balance in any one of these states, physical emotional or spiritual, the energetic field is also affected. Since there is an overlap between people, when one individual is out of balance, their energetic field may influence the field of those people with whom they come into contact. The frequency of sound is one method to calibrate your field to its optimal frequency. This application of sound therapy, and other practices, is sometimes referred to as ‘energy hygiene’.

When you begin your journey with sound therapy, remember that individuals function at different frequencies, so the different frequencies of sound my influence some people positively and some people negatively. It is advantageous to explore sounds when in a neutral state to discover which sounds are soothing. This discovery process from a neutral state allows one to identify which sounds will be most effective when a distressing incident occurs.

Making Sound Therapy Work For You

The process of identifying advantageous sounds to support an individual’s equilibrium reflects the journey that different individuals take in recovery to discover a higher power of their own understanding. While some people have a higher power that does not resonate with other people in recovery, the process of building a relationship with that power is replicable in spite of the difference in concepts. The same is true for the sound journey – surrender to the exploration of sound and discover which audible vibrations are soothing. Trust these sounds in your spiritual toolkit, even if they do not have the same impact for others.

If you are struggling with addiction, alcoholism, and/or mental health, know that there is hope. There is a solution. Harmoniously fusing together the best elements of clinical care, holistic healing, and 12-step philosophy, Enlightened Solutions has created a program of total transformation for men and women seeking recovery. Call 833-801-5483 today for information on our partial care programs in New Jersey.

Why Is Sound Therapy Effective For Addiction Treatment?

Written by enlightened solutions on May 26, 2017. Posted in Addiction, Alternative Therapy, Recovery, Sound Therapy. Leave a Comment

Sound therapy is one of many alternative treatment methods that can be used during treatment for addiction, alcoholism, and co-occurring mental health disorders.

How Does Sound Therapy Work?

Sound therapy can be conducted through different mediums of producing sound. Traditional sound therapy uses a variety of instruments like chimes, drums, gongs, and tuning forks. Modern sound therapy utilizes electronic sound and computer technology to create specific rhythms, patterns, and frequencies.

See How Sound Therapy Works

The primary function of sound healing is using vibrations to create change and healing in the mind and the body, thereby helping the spirit heal. For example, some electronic sound therapy mimics the primordial sounds we experience in the womb as we are carried by our mothers during pregnancy. Such ambient sounds can be relaxing and conjure a sense of calm, safety, and protection.

Why Does Sound Therapy Work?

Specifics of sound therapy have not been deeply researched on a scientific level. According to The News Minute, there are different theories. Physical vibrations from instruments or a “sound bed” cause vibrations in the physical body which encourages relaxation and pain relief or release of tension. Sound waves interact with brain waves, which is how we hear and create meaning out of what we hear. Sounds have different frequencies, which can cause different frequencies in the brain. A more simple theory suggests that ambient sounds are simply relaxing and being immersed in sound for an extended period of time causes deep relaxation. More complicated theories include Pythagorean formulae and complicated tonal systems which are complex and specific to the need for healing.

What Is The Connection Between Sound Therapy And Addiction Treatment?

Addiction lives in the mind, the body, and the spirit. During treatment, the body is in the earliest stages of recovering from addiction. Toxic energy lives inside of the joints and muscles which inhibit full recovery. Additionally, there is a lot of stress in early recovery due to withdrawal, coping with emotions, and working through cravings. Sound therapy helps neutralize the brain, stimulate healing in the body, and create a much-needed sense of relaxation.

How Sounds Are Healing For Recovery

Enlightened Solutions has witnessed the transformative and healing effect of holistic healing and spiritual wellness in addiction treatment. Our partial care programs for dual diagnosis integrate healing, clinical therapy, and 12 step philosophy. For more information on how we are helping clients find lifelong recovery, call us today at 833-801-5483.

Sounds Are Healing For Recovery

Written by enlightened solutions on March 28, 2017. Posted in Addiction, Healthy Living, Recovery. Leave a Comment

Sounds and noises influence us from the moment we start developing in the womb. There is a reason mothers put headphones over their stomach bumps for the baby to hear. Parents start talking to their baby months before birth is due because the growing child will hear what is happening outside. Inside the womb there are all kinds of noises- the beating heart, the swoosh and gush of fluids, the movement in organs. Outside the womb there are all the noises of life, voices, music, and more.

Certain vibrations and collections of notes or sounds are calming while others induce anxiety. Metal rock, for example, has been proven to actually relax people, as has classical music and other forms of music. Our bodies react naturally to vibrations and sounds. Naturally, then, music or sound therapy makes sense as a healing modality.

What is Sound Therapy?

According to MNN, the Mother Nature Network, sound therapy is a form of holistic healing which “…can benefit the well-being of our bodies and minds, helping the body heal from mental stress and even physical pain.” The article explains that sound therapy is helpful for mind, spirit, and body. “Various studies have shown that the use of low-frequency sounds can lessen the pain and anxiety associated with fibromyalgia…”

How Is Sound Therapy Conducted?

All sound therapy needs to happen is sound. Sound therapy could include the use of specific instruments like acoustic guitar, violin, or Tibetan singing bowls, as well as the soundtrack to various natural sounds like birds, gurgling creeks, or the wind. “White noise” apps have a soundboard available to mixx all kinds of sounds to create the most perfect combination. Sound therapy is about helping clients get lost into a relaxing sensation of sound. Sometimes, clients can participate in creating that sound. Bringing treatment into the process can look like a sound therapy practitioner asking the clients about how they feel before and after the sound therapy, what kinds of feelings the sound therapy produces, and more. Sound can help balance the brain and the mind-body connection, bringing someone more into the present with themselves.

Why Is Relaxation Important For Addiction Treatment?

Cravings are high during the treatment phase of addiction recovery. Nerves and anxiety are usually coupled with cravings, as can depression. Relaxation is helpful for detaching the association between relief and one’s substance of choice. The more one relaxes, the more they can go with the flow of their feelings and experiences in treatment, without returning to old coping behaviors like substance abuse.

Enlightened Solutions has created a holistic healing program of treatment which utilizes spiritual modalities with proven clinical treatment. Start your recovery with us. 833-801-5483.

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