Understanding the Difference Between Sound Healing and Music Therapy
In the realm of holistic health and wellness, sound and music are increasingly recognized for their therapeutic benefits. Both sound healing and music therapy are powerful practices that use the vibrations of sound to promote healing and well-being. While they share some similarities, they are distinct practices with different methods and outcomes. If you’re curious about how these therapies differ and which might be best suited for your healing journey, read on.
What is Sound Healing?
Sound healing is an ancient practice that uses specific tones, frequencies, and vibrations to balance the body’s energy, reduce stress, and promote physical and emotional healing. Practitioners of sound healing often use instruments like Tibetan singing bowls, crystal bowls, tuning forks, gongs, and even the human voice to create sound vibrations that resonate with the body’s energy centers, or chakras.
How Does Sound Healing Work?
The premise behind sound healing is that everything in the universe, including the human body, is made up of vibrations. When these vibrations are out of harmony, it can lead to physical, emotional, or mental imbalances. Sound healing works by restoring these vibrations to their natural, harmonious state, facilitating healing on multiple levels.
For example, the vibrations from a singing bowl can help to align the chakras, release blocked energy, and bring the body back into a state of balance. Each instrument and frequency used in sound healing is chosen for its ability to resonate with specific parts of the body or energy field, making this practice deeply personalized and holistic.
Benefits of Sound Healing:
Deep relaxation and stress relief
Improved sleep and reduced anxiety
Enhanced mental clarity and focus
Release of emotional blockages
Alignment and balancing of chakras
What’s music therapy?
Music therapy is a safe, evidence-based clinical practice, facilitated by a certified music therapist, that helps participants reach non-musical goals and positive change, through music. The music therapist engages the participant in music interventions, or experiences - singing songs, vocalizing, improvising instrumentally or vocally, moving to music, and listening to music - with an intention guided by the goal that the participant is working towards. Music therapy can be facilitated in 1:1 or group format. The process involves referral (by self or other practitioner), assessment, creation of goals and care plan, implementation of care plan, ongoing tracking of progress and assessment of effectiveness of sessions.
How Does Music Therapy Work?
Music therapy is holistic and reaches participants on emotional, cognitive, spiritual, and physical levels. Research shows that music reaches all areas of the brain and can create changes in the brain. A certified music therapist knows how to use music to help people see the changes they are looking for because music therapists are guided by research. For example, research shows that listening to a sad song when you’re sad can help you feel better. This is because music reaches the emotional centers of the brain, so listening to music that matches your mood helps you feel validated, while experiencing the release of endorphins, feel good chemicals .
It is important to note that every person has their unique life experiences and way that music reaches them. Music therapists are trained to meet participants in the moment, where they are at, and use the participant’s preferred music to establish a sense of trust and safety.
Here are some examples of goals, relevant to the community that Harmonia Healing + Music supports, that can be reached through music therapy:
Goal: overcoming fear of using your voice in public and social situations
Music experience:
Over a series a sessions the music therapist may guide the participant in:
Vocalizing and vocal exercises so that the participant can embody their voice and get comfortable with how their voice sounds
Exploring the feelings around sharing voice by improvising on instruments
Writing a song that begins by talking about the participant’s fears then ends on an empowering message of how they want to feel when sharing their voice
Goal: stress relief and burnout prevention
Music experience:
Over a series of sessions the music therapist may guide the participant in:
Releasing stress through instrumental improvisation i.e. drumming
Writing a song about the causes of their stress
Progressive muscle relaxation with music that the participant can then practice throughout the time in between sessions
Goal: support in coping with loss of a loved one
Music experience:
Over a series of sessions the music therapist may guide the participant in:
Listening to songs that resonate with participants’ story of loss and discussing the meaningful lyrics
Writing a song about their loved one
Creating a playlist of songs that were meaningful to their loved one
Benefits of music therapy:
Reduce depression and anxiety
Emotional expression and regulation
Increased self awareness
Rehabilitation of speech and language, motor movements
Enhanced quality of life
Anyone can benefit from music therapy and you don’t have to consider yourself musical to participate in music therapy. However, if you have a heartbeat, you are musical. You have an internal rhythm, a drum that lives inside of you. In every case, it is the process of music making, not the result, that matters in music therapy.
Key differences?
The main difference between sound healing and music therapy is that sound healing is receptive, while music therapy is active. In sound healing, participants are typically seated or lying down, listening to, feeling, and receiving the sounds the practitioner makes. In music therapy, participants are active in their process because they are supported in engaging in success based music interventions. In music therapy there is also the importance of the therapeutic relationship between therapist and participant, founded on trust, that allows the participant to feel safe in their growth and expansion.
What’s the right choice for you?
Of course in music therapy, like in sound healing, the benefit of vibrational sounds is present. Sound and music have been used as tools for healing for centuries and all cultures have their own music. Both are beneficial. You may seek sound healing or music therapy based on what you’re needing.
If you’re needing a receptive, relaxing, meditative, one time experience for relieving stress, a sound healing session (or series of sessions) or event may be right for you. If you’re looking for more consistent support and being held therapeutically while working through the challenges life presents, and music resonates with you, music therapy may be what you’re needing.
We'd love to help you start your healing journey with music - book a connection call today.
