Courtesy of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
Pleasant sounds, such as the chirp of a songbird or a gentle breeze in the trees, help us unwind from our busy lives. In a similar way, the holistic practice of sound therapy is based on exposure to frequencies that can decelerate our brain waves from beta (heightened focus) to the meditative states of alpha and theta. In addition, these frequencies can calm our nervous systems and may promote healing.
Sound therapy sessions, often known as sound baths, are guided by a sound therapist or practitioner. Attendees typically dress in comfortable clothing, recline on a blanket or yoga mat, close their eyes, and await a variety of soniferous elements, including singing bowls, chimes, gongs, drums, and other instruments. These tones permeate the indoor or outdoor space and wash over listeners, encouraging a deep sense of wellness.
For practitioner Tanya F. Cain, the relaxation she experienced during a sound therapy class prompted her to purchase her own set of singing bowls, a type of musical instrument made of crystal and used in sound therapy. Though she says sound baths weren’t “on her radar yet” during her initial meditations, she found the bowl tones calming, as did her husband and then-teenage son. Encouraged by their positive feedback, Cain soon began to host sound baths through her business, Healing Vibes by Tanya. The 75-minute sessions, including an introduction to sound healing, a guided meditation, and a discussion afterward, take place at Painting with a Twist in Lawrenceville, the Wellness Studio at ProMotion in Grayson, Freeman’s Mill Park in Gwinnett County, and private venues.
“Sound healing has the ability to change people’s lives,” Cain says. “It’s not magic, but it helps people experience peace.”
Another sound practitioner, Rebecca Turk, was inspired to try meditation as relief from her hectic career in marketing. “Sitting and meditating didn’t work for me by itself, but the sounds helped me be in the moment,” she says. A sound therapist for the last six years, Turk hosts sound baths around the city through her brand, SNDBATH. Regular sessions are held at Evolation Yoga in Midtown, The Chapel on Sycamore in Decatur, and multiple private settings. Turk also partners with the Georgia Aquarium for its Wellness by the Water series, which hosts a large-scale public sound bath in the windowed aquarium ballroom. As many as 400 attendees experience soothing tones against a backdrop of colorful fish, stingrays, and the aquarium’s famous whale sharks.
“What most people find is that they relax and sleep better for up to three days afterward,” Turk says. “They find they can deal with the stress of daily life more easily.”
Although sound baths have gained popularity recently, longtime therapist Michael Murphy Burke has 30 years of experience guiding what he calls “sound journeys.” Burke hosts private sessions at his home sound “temple” in Alpharetta, as well as public sessions at Gruvn Yoga in Marietta, Crossroads Yoga in Milton, Saltville Grotto & Spa in Snellville, and AUM Wellness Studio in Alpharetta.
According to Burke, he fully recovered from a personal health crisis a year and a half ago using sound-based healing. Refusing to believe the news that he had heart failure, Burke departed the hospital for home—which his loved ones had almost cleared out, assuming the worst—and dedicated the coming days to playing his piano. “All that was left inside my home at that point were my bed and my piano,” he says. “It was clear that I was supposed to make sounds and rest.”
This article appears in our August 2024 issue.
