Gen Zen: A sound bath with singing bowls, rain sticks helped me to relax and sleep better, but it may not be for everyone

SINGAPORE — On the back of a nasty sore throat and sleepless nights, I entered my sound bath session with light scepticism and hope that this meditative experience would offer some healing like some people have claimed. 

Just as water flows in a bath, the tones and vibrations emitted in the session “wash” over the participants when the practitioners use a variety of instruments such as singing bowls, chimes, gongs and rain sticks to create a soothing environment. 

A rain stick creates the gentle repetitive sound of rainfall, through a long hollow tube filled with small hard objects that fall through the tube when tilted.

As for singing bowls, sound therapists use a mallet to strike the bowl for a clear, bell-like ring, or stroke the bowl's outer rim to create a sustained sound.

At one such session in a small space about the size of a living room, sound therapist Fitz Anugerah, who runs holistic healthcare studio Omfitzness, sits behind more than 10 crystal and metal bowls of varying sizes placed on a cloth. 

Five other participants and I laid flat on a yoga mat each. We had with us each a blanket, bolster and eye mask.

To start, Ms Anugerah guided us through a breathing exercise. As someone not used to mindfulness practices, I grew conscious of my short breath. 

Ms Anugerah asked us to imagine floating in a kayak. With my mind racing, I could summon up just negative memories of the sport, the heat and the laborious arm strokes to paddle the kayak.

However, as she used various instruments to create sounds akin to nature, I felt my concerns and bodily tension melt away over the hour.

I wasn’t able to fall asleep, but I felt remarkably more rested and time seemed a blur. 

To close, Ms Fitz returned to the kayak metaphor. This time, I was surprisingly less resistant to it, imagining myself floating, weightless.

As participants shared their experience in a post-session chat, some mentioned dozing off quickly. 

In addition to the sounds of the ocean and delicate, shimmering sound of chimes, I enjoyed the activities that bookended the session: Soft spoken instructions to reflect on our intention in attending the session and the warm tea.

Counsellor Berfont Thum from Intellect, a Singapore-headquartered integrated mental health company, said it is not surprising that one would enjoy the overall experience, including elements such as the customer service provided at such alternative therapy sessions.

“It’s similar to the feeling of a spa treatment or travelling, where our senses undergo a significant change from the everyday routine,” Mr Thum added.

As for people who may not find traditional meditation easy like me, sound baths may be “more accessible” due to its multisensory experience, providing less pressure of “shutting off” one’s brain.

WHAT CAN SOUND BATHS DO? 

Ms Kathy Gabriel, co-founder of Somahaus, a multidisciplinary clinic focusing on whole-person care, said that people find different ways to relax during a session, as some fidget, feel tingling sensations or start to dream, and not all participants fall into deep sleep.

She is also a craniosacral therapist dealing with pain relief by reducing tension in the skull and spine.

Sound therapy in a group setting usually has a “start, a middle and an end”, she added.

Sessions begin with breathwork, grounding and establishing a connection to one’s body before participants can ease into the state of relaxation.

“At the end is often what we call a check-out process, where people can understand some of the different sensations that might have come up throughout their sound journey.”

During therapy sessions, the “entrainment process” is created, referring to the phenomenon where brainwaves will naturally synchronise to rhythms, creating a sense of safety, Ms Gabriel said.

The aim is to create a state of “focused relaxation” where participants can sense that the sound is there, but may not be entirely engaged.

She also said that the synchronisation of these frequencies is important.

“What these (singing) bowls are doing is to restore this homeostatic balance, which has its natural frequency.”

In that sense, an illness or stress throws a body "out of rhythm" when the frequencies are not in sync.

For Ms Anugerah from Omfitzness, sound baths helped to keep her mood and energy up during her recovery in 2020 from lymphoma, which is cancer of the lymphatic system that begins in white blood cells.

She would run a sound bath session at her apartment for friends and family, so that she may relax a week before her chemotherapy appointments. She had obtained a sound bath certification at a yoga instructor course in Singapore before her cancer diagnosis.

These sessions helped her to feel less nauseated from chemotherapy and improved her mindset towards beating cancer. It also helped her to “reset”, having been in a high-stress work environment before she got cancer, she said.

Mr Thum the counsellor said there is a “growing body of evidence” that suggests sound therapy can have a positive impact on mental health. 

The “grounding” experience during the session focuses one’s auditory senses, soothing the ventral vagal nervous system, which supports the feelings of safety and relaxation.

He pointed to a 2017 study published in an international, peer-reviewed journal that seeks to encourage rigorous research on complementary and alternative medicine.

Participants in the study showed decreased tension and fatigue after a single sound meditation session, the Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine reported.

Mr JT Yap, a counsellor and psychotherapist from Range Counselling Services, said that in terms of its short-term effects, a sound bath can be a “less invasive” coping mechanism that can bring about a calmer state of mind.

However, the use of sound baths as a method of therapy — such as for cultivating helpful behaviours towards positive change or mediating conflict resolution — are not well-researched, he added.

WHO SHOULD NOT TAKE SOUND BATHS

Mr Yap cautioned that sound baths may not be for everyone.

People who are not comfortable with auditory stimulation should avoid such sessions. 

This applies to those who have had traumatic experiences, for example, where the sounds could remind them of uncomfortable emotions.

He added that people with epilepsy may also want to consult with their doctors before deciding to try sound baths as a way of coping with stress.

Mr Thum said that people with certain mental health conditions such as severe anxiety or psychosis should approach sound baths with caution and ideally under the guidance of a mental health professional.

Calm.com website, which offers resources for meditation and to keep mental health in balance, advises that activities such as driving may not be recommended after sessions for people who are hypersensitive. This is because sound baths may overstimulate their senses or certain powerful vibrations may cause headaches or disorientation.

Ultimately, how effective a sound bath can be will differ among participants and being agreeable to it helps to unlock healing.

“As with any therapy, approaching the situation with an open mind may bring forth new realisations of how the process could or could not be helpful for them,” Mr Yap said. 

Agreeing, Mr Thum said that scepticism can lead to “nocebo effects”, where negative expectations can hinder the experience. 

In contrast, people who proactively sign up for sound bath sessions may a feel sense of accomplishment and emotional healing by prioritising and addressing the needs of body and mind, he added.

“In the realm of mental health, it is crucial to recognise that what works for one person may not work for another.

“Sound baths, like many alternative therapies, can be a unique and valuable tool within the broader spectrum of mental health care,” Mr Thum added.

After attending the sound bath session on just five hours of sleep, I felt more energised afterward instead of feeling like I needed to nap from my prior exhaustion.

My sore throat, which initially made me conscious of coughing and disrupting the group, was still present but I felt less miserable overall.

Even though each session costs around S$50 to a few hundred dollars, I would consider going for sound baths again, if only as an occasional treat — but it is hard to put a price on the deep sleep I enjoyed that night.