If you’ve come to one of our sound baths, you might have heard us talk about brainwave entrainment. This phenomenon is what makes virtual sound baths just as “effective” for entering a meditative state as in person gong baths. In case you’re curious to learn more, we break it down for you here:
Sound is in essence a vibration - compressions in the air that come to your ear. The ear translates this vibration into electric signals, and the auditory nerve carries this to the brain. Millions of neurons respond to that sound and the frequencies impact our physiology and mental state. Rhythmic stimulation of sound affects your brain chemistry and can influence your mood and nervous system.
Depending on the type of sonic stimulation you are hearing, sound can either rev up your engine (think fast-paced dance music), or help you downshift into a lower gear (think soft classical music or gong sounds). Sounds that rev you up prepare you for fight or flight (activating the sympathetic nervous system) and sounds that calm you down prepare you to rest and digest (activating the parasympathetic nervous system).
The complex and drone like sounds of the gong help to entrain your brainwaves from the beta brainwave state (normal waking consciousness - when you are mentally engaged and alert) into the lower alpha and theta states (relaxed and healing states).
In these healing states, your heart rate, respiration, and blood pressure come into balance while your mind has a chance to rest and reset - improving creativity, memory, focus and overall mood. Of course you can reach these states without the help of sound, but sound offers a “fast-track” – a more immediate way to downshift because of the unique effect sound has on the brain.
Come experience the powerful effect sound can have on your brainwaves by joining us for a gong bath online or in person. See when you can catch us next here.