Sound bath wellness claims examined by researchers
7 reported
A Guardian Australia column examines the evidence behind sound baths, a wellness trend where participants pay to lie on yoga mats or float on inflatable loungers while practitioners ring chimes and bang gongs. Online interest in these experiences has risen exponentially in the last decade, with some offered outdoors in locations such as Sydney Harbour. Marketing copy claims the sounds “soothe and calm your nervous system” and “penetrate every cell in your body,” while specific frequencies are purported to promote healing. Researchers interviewed for the article say it is plausible that sound baths can affect mood, but caution that benefits can be overstated. A 2016 observational study linked Tibetan singing bowl meditation to reduced tension, anger and fatigue, though it lacked a control group and cannot establish causation. A separate randomised controlled trial in breast cancer patients linked Tibetan sound meditation to improved cognitive function and mental health. Experts note that the effects of sound on wellbeing largely relate to how people perceive and interpret sounds, rather than specific frequencies, and that focused music listening can be a meditative experience.
What’s reported
Sound baths involve participants lying on yoga mats, hanging in cocoons, or floating on inflatable pool loungers while practitioners ring chimes and bang gongs.
Online interest in sound baths has risen exponentially in the last decade.
Some sound baths are offered outdoors, such as on Sydney Harbour, where participants can be blindfolded and “rocked gently by the tide.”
A 2016 observational study of Tibetan singing bowl meditation reported reduced tension, anger and fatigue, but had no control group and cannot establish causation.
A randomised controlled trial in breast cancer patients linked Tibetan sound meditation to improved cognitive function and mental health.
Dr Sandra Garrido, a senior research fellow at the University of Sydney, said sound baths “can be relaxing, it’s a nice experience – but I wouldn’t pay too much money for it.”
Dr Amanda Krause, a senior lecturer at James Cook University, said music therapists are registered in Australia, but there is no single equivalent regulatory body for sound bath practitioners.
Key figures
Dr Vince Polito, senior lecturer in the school of psychological sciences at Macquarie University
Dr Sandra Garrido, senior research fellow at the University of Sydney’s school of psychology
Dr Amanda Krause, senior lecturer in psychology at James Cook University and president of the Australian Music and Psychology Society
Donna Lu, assistant editor, climate, environment and science at Guardian Australia
Sources: The Guardian
