AUSTIN, Texas – The effects of being quarantined for long periods of time can take a heavy toll on any person’s mental health or well-being. The worldwide pandemic has triggered anxiety, depression and fear within people of all ages and walks of life, but for some, finding solace could be as simple as turning on the radio.
- Tibetan "singing bowls" produce a perfect pitch and vibration
- Sound healing can help with anxiety, depression and PTSD
Before Danielle Bauman became a sound therapist, she struggled with anxiety and depression for several years. Like many of us, the Austin woman used to cope by listening to music in her car and allowing the sound to provoke tears or a sense of comfort within her.
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“There was a part of me that said, ‘I can’t do this anymore’,” said Bauman.
It was a few years ago when she found herself unhappy with a career she no longer had passion for and a distaste for the direction her life was headed.
“I felt like I was wilting away,” said Bauman. “Honestly. It was awful.”
Feeling isolated and overwhelmed, she turned to Restorative Yoga. Along her journey, she was introduced to Tibetan “singing bowls” and their use for healing.
Each bowl is individually hand-shaped from metal to produce a perfect pitch with vibration when played. Each sound or note correlates with a healing property. For thousands of years, “sound healing” has been used in Eastern medicine, but it’s still fairly new in Western culture. The therapy is based in psychoacoustics--the scientific study of the perception of sound. Both ancient and current research has widely supported evidence that proves music is much more than a source of entertainment.
“The vibration, itself, is what we’re feeling when we hear music,” said Bauman.
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Bauman always felt a connection to music, but she says it wasn’t until a few years ago that she realized how powerful the connection truly was.
“Literally the first time I heard these bowls, I sat up, and I cried,” said Bauman. “I didn’t ... I didn’t even know what was happening to me, but I could feel something in my body for the first time … in a long time.”
She said the sound was so powerful, it completely changed her life.
“I knew from that moment, if this could have such an effect on me, of all people … then this could really, really help people that have struggled with anxiety, PTSD, depression … all of those feelings that kind of put us in a negative vibration with ourselves,” she said.
The impact of the therapy was significant enough to cause Bauman to become certified in the practice. After experiencing severe anxiety and depression dissipate through sound healing, the 37-year-old is hoping her story can inspire others during these uncertain times.
“Right now, especially with everybody stuck inside, there’s this anxiety … it’s a fear. We’re all kind of scared,” said Bauman. “The bowls are not affected by traffic, by coronavirus, by anxiety and stress. All those things that we are affected by will kind of mess up our vibration a little bit, mess up our energetic flow,” said Bauman.
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Bauman suggests listening to different genres of music while paying attention to how your body feels or reacts. Placing the speaker on your chest will amplify the effect, and you may find that something you usually wouldn’t listen to is actually the most comforting sound to your body in that moment.
“I don’t want to say that playing singing bowls or listening to music can heal anyone, but it did change me in a way that made me feel like I could heal myself,” said Bauman. “This is something that everybody can do,” she said.
As the world stands still, it’s easier than ever to hear. All you have to do is listen.
“It’s there, and it’s something that we can all be a part of. It’s something we all have within us, and it connects us,” said Bauman.