You probably don’t need scientific research to know the soothing effects of your favorite song. And for certain types of sound, there are studies showing the secrets behind their benefits. It’s nothing short of mind-blowing!
Sound healing is an ancient practice that has seen a revival with recent research. It works since everything is energy – so sound waves and music directly affect your mood, emotions, and state of being.
In this article, we’ll look at what research says about a few types of sacred sounds – binaural beats, Sacred Acoustics, and Solfeggio frequencies.
The benefits of binaural beats
Binaural beats work with headphones. They are created by feeding slightly different frequencies to each ear. A pulse is created inside the brain, corresponding to the gap between the two frequencies.
Research has shown many potential benefits with binaural beats. Some examples:
- Anxiety: A 2019 meta-analysis showed that binaural beats could reduce anxiety levels and the perception of pain. A study by Karen Newell, co-creator of Sacred Acoustics, showed a 26% reduction of anxiety in participants after listening to binaural beats for 20 minutes a day for two weeks. Quite remarkable, considering the minimal effort!
- Sleep: About 1/3 of adults suffer from insomnia. Studies show that binaural beats could help people fall asleep faster. The trick? Using a difference of 4Hz, which is the border between the brainwave states of delta and theta (asleep and awake).
- Memory: A study revealed that binaural beats boost short- and long-term memory. It could potentially improve attention too.
- Meditation: Besides cognition and mood, binaural beats may have effects on a deeper level. This is because they slow down mental activity and help go beyond the mind and into higher levels of consciousness.
- Spiritual/Noetic experiences: Anecdotally, binaural beats could facilitate noetic experiences. Some reported effects while listening:
- Heightened intuition
- Visuals
- Receiving messages
- Connecting with departed loved ones
A potential explanation is that binaural beats relax the body, but the mind is still alert. The listener enters what’s known as the hypnogogic state, a state between wakefulness and sleep. In that state, the barriers to the subconscious – and superconscious – are lower.
When your mind thinks your body is asleep, it seems to awaken to senses beyond the five ordinary – which can facilitate access to the noetic realms.
Sacred Acoustics as the ticket to the noetic realms
Sacred Acoustics is a technology for sound healing. It is a blend of binaural and monaural beats, and the frequencies are selected to provoke a shift of consciousness in the listener.
Although it’s challenging to “prove” noetic experiences, there are plenty of anecdotes on Sacred Acoustics as a ticket to their fascinating realms.
One of these stories comes from Theresa Cheung. Theresa shares how she found it hard to meditate. That is until she attempted to meditate with Sacred Acoustics.
She describes how the tones started to absorb her, and she was drawn into a sound world “like a vortex.” Here, describing in ordinary language starts to get challenging: “I felt … that I had stepped into the sound”.
Towards the end of the meditative experience, she felt a nothingness – something she describes as frightening but liberating. “I was there, but I wasn’t there; I was outside of myself. … When I opened my eyes, instead of feeling groggy as I expected, I was wide awake. Was that because I had had a power nap or because I had entered into another realm of consciousness?”
Dr. Eben Alexander is known for his Near-Death Experience (NDE) recounted in his books. He shared how the presence of an angelic choir during the experience helped him ascend into the higher realms. The NDE encouraged him to explore brainwave entertainment technology to revisit those realms.
Sacred Acoustics again shows us the connection between music and the noetic realms. Some comments from its users:
- “I feel like an instrument that was strummed so hard that the vibration is still shaking me. It was phenomenal… I almost want to cry…”. Crying is a common reaction because Sacred Acoustics activate the heart and help release traumas.
- “…It was so extremely intense and after a while I didn’t feel my heart at all… It was all vibration, spirit.” When engaging with Sacred Acoustics, losing touch with one’s body is common.
- “My wife passed away in 2015… I reached her, and we had a conversation.” This is just one of the testimonials on how Sacred Acoustics help the listener connect with a deceased loved one.
- “…I found that I would almost be going through a tunnel type process and then I would pull myself back… Then I’d flow again… Then I finally let go…” This story shows how sacred sounds help the listener surrender.
Solfeggio frequencies – the brainwaves of the cosmos?
Solfeggio frequencies are the fundamental tones in Western Christianity and Eastern Indian religions. Physician Dr. Joseph Puleo brought them back into the limelight in the 1970s. He made a mathematical numerical reduction to identify six measurable tones said to bring the body back to balance and facilitate healing.
In 1988, biochemist Dr. Glen Rein made the fascinating discovery that music based on Solfeggio frequencies could repair DNA! He tested the impact of four types of music on human DNA by measuring the rate of UV light absorption. Gregorian music and Sanskrit chants showed to heal DNA by 5-9%.
Sound healing with Solfeggio frequencies has shown profound positive effects physically, mentally, and emotionally. This discovery led to the emergence of music therapy.
Why are Solfeggio frequencies so healing? Because they are in harmony with the Schumann resonance. The Schumann resonance, also known as the “Earth’s heartbeat,” was discovered by German physicist Winfried Otto Schumann. He noticed electromagnetic resonances between the surface of the Earth and the ionosphere (the electrically charged part of the atmosphere).
These resonances magically matched the human brainwave states: alpha, beta, gamma, delta, and theta. Solfeggio frequencies are octaves (think of it like multiples) of the Schumann resonance, where each frequency has specific demonstrated benefits. For example, 528Hz has been shown to decrease the toxicity of ethanol, the intoxicating molecule in alcoholic beverages, and increase cell lifetime by 20%! Sounds good to us.
Conclusion
Music and sound have been used since the dawn of time for healing. As scientists discover the underlying mechanisms, we see the undeniable interconnectedness of all things: the heartbeat of the Earth vibrating in tune with human brainwaves. Mere coincidence or magic? That’s a mystery we’ll leave to you to ponder.
