Not everyone knows, that there are a few wonderful informative pages on the website, all about sound.
I thought I'd add some of these research nuggets to the blog, for easy access, and more moments of 'wow'.
So, mental health and sound.
I hold this space carefully, as we explore the mind and sound. In no way is the information about how only sound can fix, heal or mend. Mental health is vast, and complex, everyone is different. Sometimes medicine helps, other times exercise, therapy, community.... But in this article, I'm just looking at sound....
As a teacher and healer, I believe that our overall well-being is multi-faceted and there are no quick fixes. However, I do believe everything is connected, from your stress response to your adrenal system to your brainwave activity. I will not tell you that one practice will cure you, but I will talk of the powerful healing benefits of this ancient modality, that can be traced back through time. The mind is a complex thing, and on this page, I will talk about how sound healing affects our brain, mental health and wellbeing.
what you'll learn:
+ Neuroscience, mental health and sound.
+ Brainwave states, Entrainment and mental health
+ Sleep and sound
+ Nervous system and sound
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BRAINWAVE ENTRAINMENT
Our behaviour, emotions, and thoughts are communicated as electrical pulses between neurons within our brains. If you think about how the brain fires in different settings: eg resting in bed vs sky diving, the electrical pulses will be very different.
At a fundamental level, these pulses — known as brainwaves — can be thought of as conversations between neurons; the electrical gossip amongst our brain cells. And, as science has unveiled, it turns out we can influence and deliberately change our brainwave patterns through something called brainwave entrainment (also referred to as brainwave synchronization or neural entrainment) which refers to the phenomenon that brainwaves will naturally synchronize to the rhythm of external stimuli, such as flickering lights, speech, music, or vibrations.
Just like other waves of energy, brainwaves have a range of distinct wavelengths. Lower frequencies put you in a relaxed, meditative, or drowsy state; higher frequencies keep you engaged, focused, and alert.
We have five sets of brainwaves: Delta, Theta, Alpha, Beta, and Gamma.
Delta waves are the very low-frequency waves that occur when we are sleeping (0.1 Hz to 4 Hz).
Theta waves happen when we are drowsy or very close to asleep (4 Hz to about 7 Hz).
Alpha waves are the chill, calm, waves that happen when you’re relaxed, or meditating (8Hz and 13 Hz).
Beta waves (14 Hz to 30 Hz) are where we live most of the time — engaged, conversing, emailing, and reading.
Gamma waves (31 Hz to 100 Hz) occur when you’re hyper-focused and very attentive; also known as a flow state.
During a Soundbath, we are aiming to get the client into a very calm state, this is done through a series of very specific techniques, executed by playing bowls, gongs, drums, chimes etc to encourage the brainwave state of Alpha, Theta, Delta.
When we reach these states, we are also allowing other nervous system to reset, Your stress hormones, cortisol, decreases as other hormones such as serotonin, catecholamines, DHEA, melatonin, endorphins and HGH increase(Human Growth hormone produced by the pituitary gland).
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FIGHTING STRESS WITH SOUND.
Here are few things that are happening internally, when dealing with stress. In this day and age, many of us are carrying low level continous stress. Read on to find out how this is effecting your health. Physically and mentally.
With a sounbath, we are using rhythm, sound, harmony, intention, and vibrations to correct these internal habits, that are often brought on by external factors.
Stress
Stress triggers a combination of signals within the body from both hormones and nerves. These signals cause your adrenal glands to release hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol.
The result is an increased heart rate and energy as part of the fight-or-flight response. It’s your body’s way of preparing itself for potentially dangerous or harmful situations.
Cortisol also helps to limit any functions that aren’t essential in a fight-or-flight situation. Once the threat passes, your hormones return to their usual levels, and bodily functions return to typical levels.
But when you’re under constant stress, this response doesn’t always turn off.
Long-term exposure to cortisol and other stress hormones can negatively affect almost all of your body’s processes. This can increase your risk of health issues such as heart disease, lung issues, obesity, anxiety, depression, and more.
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Melatonin
Often referred to as the “sleep hormone,” melatonin is directly responsible for promoting healthy rest and regulating your body’s circadian rhythm. Most of your body’s hormones are produced in your brain’s pituitary gland— melatonin is produced in the pineal gland, which is associated with your sleep-wake cycle.
Sleep disruption or poor quality sleep can negatively impact your body’s melatonin production. And because a good night’s sleep is so important to your overall health and wellbeing, it’s vital to manage melatonin with proper sleep.
Many Americans don’t get enough quality rest each night, and many take a melatonin supplement to help them sleep. As a result, melatonin is one of the most commonly taken health supplements today.
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Cortisol
Sleep regulates cortisol, often known as the “stress hormone.” However, this isn’t cortisol’s main purpose. Along with melatonin, cortisol is key to maintaining your sleep pattern.
When you wake up, your cortisol level temporarily spikes, helping to wake you up and feel refreshed as melatonin production reduces. As you approach your bedtime, cortisol production reduces as melatonin production ramps up, helping your body prepare for sleep
Most of the cells in your body have cortisol receptors. They use it for a variety of functions, such as:
blood sugar regulation
inflammation reduction
metabolism regulation
memory formulation
What Happens When we Produce Too Much Cortisol?
High cortisol can causeTrusted Source several symptoms throughout your body. Symptoms can vary depending on what’s causing the increase in your cortisol levels.
General signs and symptoms of too much cortisol include:
weight gain, mostly around the midsection and upper back
weight gain and rounding of the face
thinning skin
easy bruising
flushed face
slowed healing
muscle weakness
severe fatigue
irritability
difficulty concentrating
headache
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SO WHY IS THIS LINKED TO SOUND?
If we can entrain brainwaves, encourage cellular healing, quieten the chatter of the mind and build neural pathways, we are taking agency over our mental health*.
The whole system is linked, by entraining our brainwaves, we are encouraging a delta, alpha, and theta state, which in turn lowers our stress levels, the para-sympathetic system comes back online, allowing a rest and digest state of the nervous system.
Our endocrine system responds, by increasing serotonin and melatonin, the happy hormone and sleep hormone, encouraging a good night's sleep which in turn helps further healing and a healing body and mind.
*Being mindful to mention that severe Mental Health problems include psychosis, bipolar disorder, 'personality disorder' and eating disorders. These difficulties often occur alongside mood difficulties including depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and often should be supported by a doctor, and or therapist. I believe that sound healing can be a fantastic modality to run alongside Western medicine.
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I’d love to continue to build my community, so if you’d like to book again or take a look at what I have on offer, here are some helpful links.
SUBSCRIBE/BECOME A SITE MEMBER AND EARN POINTS: https://www.echoyogaandsound.com/login
SOUNDBATHS: https://www.echoyogaandsound.com/soundbaths
PRIVATE 1-2-1 IN THE YURT: https://www.echoyogaandsound.com/privatesoundbath
YOGA CLASSES TUESDAYS: https://www.echoyogaandsound.com/yogaclass
MINI RETREATS & CEREMONIES:
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