Music is part of our lives. We often easily remember a person or a moment in life when listening to a specific song. Music makes us smile, dance and more able to socialise in different environments, but it can also make us cry and get depressed when listening to songs that remind us of a bad moment in our lives. What can never be denied is that music has a big influence on us all.

Therefore, as the Western music we listen to every day influences our happiness, sound therapy seems to show evidence in terms of improving well-being. But what exactly does sound therapy consist of?

In short, sound therapy activates a healing process through sound waves that penetrate into your body and improve physical and emotional balance, helping in cases of stress, anxiety, hypertension, depression, sleep disorders and pain.

As Adèle, a certified sound healing therapist, explains, there are different instruments that can be used on sound healing sessions such as Tibetans bowls, ocean drums or rainsticks, among others. The interesting part is that you add as many instruments as you want.


How does sound healing work?

Sound healing, sound therapy, sound baths or a sound healing journey - as Adèle prefers to call it - are different ways of the same treatment that use repetitive notes at different vibrations to bring your focus away from your thoughts. "I call it a sound healing journey because for me it's a journey, it's a journey to a connection with yourself, which is the most important thing."

“When you hit the bowl, a very strong vibration comes out of the bowl and vibrates for about 60 seconds or even more, depending on the size of the instrument. And these vibrations have a very good effect on your body because these frequencies penetrate your body, being a way of improving your health because sound will affect your body's energy flow, allowing you to relax, relieving pain and making you more concentrated.” During the sound bath, Adèle uses her voice to guide her clients into a meditative space.

In fact, before sound therapy she used to work in the corporate world but it was only when she did her first session of sound healing as a client that she felt her calling. “I've tried a lot of things: I tried hypnosis, Reiki, crystals. But when I did sound therapy for the first time in Dubai, it was so powerful and beneficial to me that I decided to get my certification. So I extended my trip from two weeks to four months. It seems like this is what I've always been looking for”, she said.

When she talks about her new job, it is impossible not to notice her passion. She really wants to spread awareness for this new old therapy. "Everyone needs to know about sound healing because it's so powerful and it's such a beautiful practice,” she said.

According to the therapist, a session usually takes 75 minutes, either in group or private sessions. It usually starts with a gentle flow, which gets more powerful during the practice, and in the end it becomes gentle again. This rhythm is also designed to manage client’s sensations, “as when it gets more powerful a lot of emotions start to coming to the surface but when it’s gentler you are able to truly relax”, she said, exemplifying that sometimes it takes 30 minutes just for people to come back to themselves after the end of a session.

“What I love in sound healing is that everyone has a very unique experience but everyone finds a benefit to it, even if it’s just one hour to relax,” she said.

For the future, she wants to get in touch with the corporate area, as she believes that sound healing is a great tool to implement for team building. “It is a very good activity for employees because, after sound baths, people will feel more focused, less stressed and have a better sleep” which will improve their performance at work, as well as their well-being.

Adèle is from France and currently lives in Portugal in a motorhome, so she’s not based in one single place. She’s at the moment travelling between Lagos, Vila Nova de Mil Fontes and Ericeira. If you want to get in touch, follow @abeautifulflow on Instagram and Facebook.

Author

Paula Martins is a fully qualified journalist, who finds writing a means of self-expression. She studied Journalism and Communication at University of Coimbra and recently Law in the Algarve. Press card: 8252

Paula Martins