Addiction is a complex problem that is often treated with multiple different approaches to ensure a successful recovery. Relying on only one strategy in treatment is not always effective because it can lead to aspects of a person’s wellness that are overlooked. Becoming well often can involve several different methods including new alternative options like sound therapy.
To heal the body and mind different holistic therapies that can be useful for addiction recovery. Sound therapy is a form of treatment that uses sound waves as a type of healing process to yield improved health overall. People tend to have physiological responses to audio stimulation and these can be utilized to promote relaxation and well-being. Binaural therapy for addiction can be your best bet to simultaneously treat anxiety, stress, and depression as well.
People that struggle not only with addiction but also issues of anxiety, stress, depression, and other problems can benefit from sound therapy. Most people have already experienced the power of listening to music to relax them in times of stress. Sound therapy uses specific sound waves and frequencies to generate a response that will help alleviate symptoms in the body and mind.
What is Sound Therapy?
Sound Healing is a holistic approach to healing and is found to have amazing results in addiction treatment.
Music is known to comfort the soul throughout our history. Advancements in our understanding of mental health have revealed that sound vibrations are powerful means to heal and restructure physical and energetic aspects of the human body.
Energy from sound waves is known to enhance biological systems at the cellular level to work more homeostatically. Sound and energy vibrations help develop a deep sense of peace, and release tension or negative energies. It also balances the energy centers of the body.
The human body is similar to a harp(musical instrument with strings). It resonates and responds to everything that has vibrations and frequency. The rhythms and tones of all frequencies maintain or disbalance our human structure. This influences our lives in turn. Sound vibrations are the primordial frequencies that bridge our physical body and consciousness to nature and the universe.
Sound Therapy, also known as sound healing or vibrational therapy is the art of restoring balance and promoting health in the human body using the power of sound. It is a non-invasive form of treatment that employs various techniques to create sounds. These sounds have a profound effect on your mental, emotional, and physical well-being.
Sound Therapy Concepts and Uses
Sound travels from a musical source to our ears in the form of waves which have a certain height and frequency. Sound wave frequencies are measured in terms of hertz with the amount of Hz corresponding to the number of times a tone vibrates every second. Humans can typically hear sounds with a frequency of anywhere between 20 and 20,000 Hz.
Sound therapy usually uses tones that fall within the lower frequency range which correspond to brainwave frequencies in the lower range. Certain brain wave frequencies such as alpha waves are associated with a calmer state, the production of more serotonin, and a reduction in cortisol, the stress hormone. Even lower frequencies like theta waves are associated with deep relaxation and the ability to reach the subconscious.
In sound therapy, they often use binaural beats to influence brain waves. These are created by putting a sound at one frequency in the left ear and one at another frequency in the right ear. The brain will hear the difference between the two frequencies as a beat. The frequency of the beat can help target certain brainwaves.
Addiction Treatment Using Sound Therapy
Although sound therapy is typically used for reasons of relaxation, focus, or boosting creativity it can also be specifically helpful for treating addiction. People who have just gone through detox treatment typically are in a more alert state of mind with increased beta wave activity and a decrease in alpha and theta which are a more relaxed state. The early stages of abstinence often lead to a deficiency in alpha waves and a reduction in theta and delta waves associated with deep sleep.
People who are just starting their addiction recovery often have trouble sleeping and may be overly anxious. Low-frequency sound therapies can help promote healing sleep and a more calm state of mind by increasing the lower range of brainwave frequencies. Low-frequency brainwaves can minimize their alert state, and cause muscles to relax and blood vessels to dilate which increases blood flow.
Low-frequency sound therapy can also decrease pain which can be a problem for people in early recovery who are dealing with withdrawal and painful reactions to quitting their addiction. It can help ease some of the discomfort that they experience when struggling through certain stages of recovery. If they are struggling with issues like pain, insomnia, anxiety, or other problems then sound therapy can be useful for them in treatment.
How Effective is a Holistic Approach to Addiction
In a holistic treatment approach, seven stages of experimental processing facilitate healing and rebalance. Sound healing therapy helps you to get through the entire process and embrace new life.
1. Recognition:
The first stage is identifying and listing all emotions, thoughts, and experiences that need medical intervention. Identifying the problem correctly and early on guarantees that your treatment can be carried on with precise focus.
2. Rebalancing:
The second stage is beginning the treatment. This will bring stability and remove any unwanted habits/attributes present in you. The purpose is to restore equilibrium and harmony.
3. Observation:
The third stage involves analyzing your result, progress, and growth that occurred with the treatment.
4. Celebration:
The fourth stage is about celebration. Celebrating progress, healthier life, and a balanced mind.
5. Disposal:
The fifth stage revolves around methods to let go of unwanted habits, feelings, beliefs, and patterns that had previously resulted in disharmony in the body.
6. Acceptance:
The sixth stage is about acknowledging that therapies/medication has worked. Embracing newfound insights, views, and opportunities is integral.
7. Rehabilitation:
Everything learned during the first 6 stages is appreciated in the seventh stage. You are taught to incorporate these new insights into your new life and relationships.
Sound therapy plays a vital role in guiding you through these stages. It makes room for change within the mind that begins the healing process. It breaks and reassigns the circuits that were formed due to addiction.
Sound Healing therapy aims at reproducing the feeling of being a part of nature. It allows you to Recognize, Rebalance, Celebrate, and Rehabilitate to lead better lives.
Benefits of Sound Therapy for Addiction Treatment
Sound therapy is a holistic approach to addiction treatment. It involves the use of sound waves to promote relaxation, reduce stress and improve your overall health. It works on your body’s energy field and chakras. Here are some key benefits that accelerate the healing process.
- Complete relaxation
- Relief from emotional tension
- Increased Focus and Concentration
- Increased self-awareness
- Reduce Anxiety
- Improving sleep
- Increases Energy Levels
- Brings Inner Life
- Expanding Consciousness
Sound healing is a non-invasive and gentle therapy to promote healing without any side effects. It can be used on people of all ages.
Why Does Sound Therapy Work?
While sound healing therapy is not a replacement for the conventional methods of addiction treatment, research has found this to help manage certain conditions and improve the mental and emotional state of addicted patients. The effectiveness of sound therapy can be attributed to the following factors.
Vibrations:
Everything in the universe is in a state of vibration. This includes our bodies as well. Sound therapy utilizes this fact to utilize certain frequencies with different energy centers. When these energy centers are exposed to these vibrations, they are brought back into balance.
Stress Reduction:
Listening to music or soothing sounds relaxes the body by reducing the release of stress-causing hormones such as cortisol.
Altered Consciousness:
Similar to meditation, sound healing therapy can induce an altered state of consciousness. These altered states serve to promote calmness, clarity, and connectedness.
Distraction from the state of pain/ discomfort:
Listening to music and certain healing sounds serves as a distraction from physical and emotional pain. This promotes a sense of relief and promotes an optimistic mindset.
Empowers your meditation state:
The right kind of sound will smoothen your meditation journey and elevate your mind into deeper states of self-awareness.
It is important to note that your belief in the treatment will increase its effectiveness and improve the outcome. Having a positive mindset toward all forms of treatment will speed up your recovery.
What is the Connection Between Sound Therapy and Addiction Treatment?
There are numerous types of addiction and people with addiction are at different stages of addiction. This makes it a very wide range of problems to solve. Trying alternate means of treatment helps in accelerating the healing process.
Sound therapy is used as a complementary approach to addiction treatment. This is not a standalone treatment program. The connection between sound therapy and addiction treatment lies in its ability to address various elements of addiction recovery.
- Reduces stress
- Regulates emotions
- Increases self-awareness
- Serves as a distraction
- Promotes community and connection
- Promotes healthy habits
How to Use Sound Therapy
Some treatment centers may specifically offer sound therapy sessions for their patients. For programs that don’t, patients can still find options for sound therapy that they can use on their own. They can use tracks that offer binaural beats or low-frequency sound waves to help promote relaxation and sleep.
Listening to binaural beats for some time such as 30 minutes before going to sleep or at a time when you feel stressed out can help produce more alpha and theta waves. As your brain waves slow down through the audio stimulation you can start to experience a more relaxed state of mind even after a short time listening to it. If your therapists in addiction treatment are not familiar with sound therapy you can look for options online to help you make use of this type of therapy.
Addiction and quitting an addiction can cause changes in the brain that need to be counteracted in recovery. Sound therapy helps increase lower brain wave frequencies that may be deficient for people with addictions. When used in connection with regular therapy and other treatment techniques it can be a helpful supplement for treating anxiety, stress, and sleeplessness.
Conclusion
The integration of sound healing into your existing treatment will add a powerful dimension to your recovery process. Addiction is a complex challenge and a comprehensive approach that addresses physical, emotional, and psychological aspects is your best bet if you want complete recovery. Sound healing fosters a sense of connection with yourself, the people around you, and nature. This can significantly benefit your recovery journey and overall well-being.
