In Episode 47, we talked with Raj Karki about using singing bowls for sound therapy. Tonight, we’ll look at scientific research into whether sound really can heal you.

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Welcome to the PEEP Podcast! I’m your host Nicolle Morock, and on this episode, we’re looking deeper into the healing power of sound.

But first, I want to take a moment to thank a few librarians! You see, every October for the past decade, I’ve participated in the Haunted Carolina program for Wake County Public Libraries, and in recent years, I’ve also been able to do a program for the teens at the Oberlin Road Library in Raleigh, NC’s Village District. This week, I’m speaking with the teens at North Regional, and next month, I’m scheduled for the teen’s program at Northeast Regional, and I’ll be at Southeast Regional Library in June. Plus, my most recent three books – Please, don’t call me psychic, The Tritium Hypothesis, and The Dark Season – are all available at the libraries. It’s all very exciting!

I grew up loving visits to the library, and always went straight to the “new age” or “unexplained” section, so to be able to give back to the community in this way really makes me feel good. Thanks to the Wake County librarians who have been so supportive and encouraging over the years! I truly appreciate it!

And speaking of books, I’m currently working on my first fantasy/myth novel. I actually started writing it back in 2010, and it’s been calling me to finish it. The process is slow-going because that initial part that’s already written was started in handwritten journals, so I am starting by transcribing them to Word. Then I have to actually finish writing it. I’d like to complete it and have it to an editor before the end of the year, so I’m going to take a short hiatus from the podcast. If you’re a long-time listener, you know I need to do this every so often, and this is one of those times. I will not publish a show on March 15^th, which would be my next normal drop date. So, after this episode, the next one will be released on March 29, 2023. Please don’t unfollow. I promise I’ll return!

Okay, now back to the topic of this episode – sound therapy in its many forms!

From cat purrs to Tibetan singing bowls, people across cultures for thousands of years have claimed that certain sounds have healing properties. I mean you’ve heard the old saying, “Music soothes the savage beast,” right? Well, there seems to be something to that. Let’s look at some recent research into how different sounds may be able to positively affect our wellbeing.

Let’s start with a popular one that is still somewhat controversial: Binaural Beats.

Binaural beats are created by two sounds played at the same time at slightly different frequencies – for example, 1200 and 1210 Hz. Our brain hears both sounds and can also pick up on that 10 Hz difference, which is called the binaural beat. Different beats can create different effects in the brain, including inducing brain waves similar to those experienced during REM sleep.

Many small studies have claimed that binaural beats can reduce anxiety and enhance meditation, but there is no consensus on those claims, yet. The studies were small, the results were self-reported and subjective, and the researchers didn’t account for other potential influences. However, many people swear by them, and you can find recordings on YouTube if you want to try them yourself.

Just be sure to use good quality stereo headphones because the binaural beat requires both original tones to travel through your auditory system – one in each ear – to be detected.

If you try it for yourself, visit the Facebook group and let us know how it went!

If you listened to Episode 47, you met Raj Karki, a meditation expert who uses Tibetan singing bowls for sound baths in his healing practice. While practitioners and clients make similar claims to those who use binaural beats, is there scientific evidence to back the bowls?

A study published in 2016 titled, “Effects of Singing Bowl Sound Meditation on Mood, Tension, and Well-being: An Observational Study,” by Tamara Goldsby, Michael Goldsby, Mary McWalters, and Paul Mills in the Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, shared the results of a small, non-randomized, observational study that added to the mounting research into the use of singing bowls for healing.

The study abstract summarizes its findings:

Poor mood and elevated anxiety are linked to increased incidence of disease. This study examined the effects of sound meditation, specifically Tibetan singing bowl meditation, on mood, anxiety, pain, and spiritual well-being. Sixty-two women and men (mean age 49.7 years) participated. As compared with pre-meditation, following the sound meditation participants reported significantly less tension, anger, fatigue, and depressed mood. Additionally, participants who were previously naïve to this type of meditation experienced a significantly greater reduction in tension compared with participants experienced in this meditation. Feeling of spiritual well-being significantly increased across all participants. Tibetan singing bowl meditation may be a feasible low-cost low technology intervention for reducing feelings of tension, anxiety, and depression, and increasing spiritual well-being. This meditation type may be especially useful in decreasing tension in individuals who have not previously practiced this form of meditation.

End quote.

While this study was also small and the researchers admit they can’t yet explain why the singing bowls work, they noted that binaural beats created during a singing bowl sound bath might be a factor. They also quoted other similarly focused studies that showed similar results.

Moving on to low frequency sound stimulation (LFSS) and its potential benefits for fibromyalgia sufferers – this one really caught my attention. With quite a few friends who deal with the symptoms of fibromyalgia daily, I’d love to see anything that can reduce their pain, fatigue, mental fog, and other symptoms.

A study titled, “The effect of low-frequency sound stimulation on patients with fibromyalgia: A clinical study,” published in the journal Pain Research and Management in 2015, shared results that showed promise.

The LFSS they used was 40 Hz. 19 female participants received two treatments per week over five weeks for a total of ten treatments each. All reported significant improvement in pain, sleep quality, and cervical muscle range of motion. Some even were able to stop taking their medication temporarily. While the ten treatments were not a cure, and symptoms eventually returned – for most participants in 10-14 days – the data is encouraging!

Because this, too, was a small study, more research is needed.

And last but not least, let’s talk about cat purrs. If you’re a cat’s human like I am, you know how soothing those purrs can be. Petting your furry companion – whether feline or canine – has been shown to improve blood pressure and reduce stress, but cats have the paw up on dogs. We may not understand the mechanism of that soft vibration cats make, but the evidence is pretty solid.

Here, I’m going to quote an article that quotes a study because I had a little difficulty finding the original research. An article was published in Orthopedics This Week published on June 22, 2018 by author B.W. Young (using initials so I don’t mispronounce their name), titled, “Is there healing power in a cat’s purr?” In this article, Professor Leslie A. Lyons, Ph.D., principal investigator in the Feline Genetics Laboratory is part of the Department of Veterinary Medicine & Surgery in the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine, was interviewed about the potential benefits of cat purrs. This article quotes her as saying the following:

Recent “research on frequencies that promote bone growth, fracture healing, pain relief ad relief of breathlessness and inflammation, show that frequencies between 20 Hertz and 150 Hertz are healing frequencies. All cat species have purr frequencies between 20 Hertz and 150 Hertz with the exception of the cheetah.” The cheetah purrs at 25, 50, 100, 125 and 150 Hertz. “This corresponds exactly with the best healing frequencies.”

The article goes on to say:

Lyons notes that the purring of a cat lowers stress — petting a purring cat has a calming effect. It decreases the symptoms of dyspnoea (difficulty in breathing) in cats and humans. It also lowers blood pressure and reduces the risk of heart disease. Cat owners have 40% less risk of having a heart attack.

So, here’s one more reason to be a cat lover!

As always, links to the quoted article and studies will be in the show notes, so you can read more details for yourself and follow the interesting bunny trails.

Thanks for listening!

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