FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is Sound Frequency Therapy?

Sound frequency therapy is a unique new treatment that combines four components that assist in enhancing the therapeutic process.  These treatment techniques include:

relaxation/visual imagery
brainwave entrainment
vibroacoustic therapy
cranial electrotherapy stimulation (CES)
psychoeducation.

Brainwave entrainment and vibroacoustic techniques complement the visual imagery by lowering anxiety and increasing relaxation and a general sense of well being.  These techniques further allow the educational information to be incorporated and processed on a deeper psychological and emotional level.

What is Sound for Healing?

Sound for Healing is a treatment program designed to help clients manage a number of specific psychological conditions.  This program can be used by itself or as a complementary tool in psychotherapy.  This program, however, is always managed by a licensed practitioner.  In cases of more severe psychological disorders, the techniques described in the Sound for Healing program may be used as part of traditional psychotherapy.  In less severe cases or as a post-treatment follow-up, this program may be used independently of traditional psychotherapy.  In either case, the client will gain a better understanding of their specific difficulty and learn new skills for relaxation and develop strategies for management of their disorder.

What Are The Therapeutic Applications?

Cognitive behavioral techniques such as guided imagery and relaxation have been shown to be effective tools in the treatment of psychological disorders such as anger, anxiety, depression, insomnia, pain, phobias, and stress.  In addition, psychoeducation in conjunction with traditional psychotherapy has been shown to be useful in managing many of these conditions, particularly following short term treatment interventions that have become typical practice for managed care scenarios.

Barriers to psychological interventions often involve hypervigilance and low hypnotic susceptibility.  These conditions may accompany disorders such as anxiety, depression and stress.  Brainwave entrainment and vibroacoustic therapy are effective tools in helping clients to relax and more actively participate in the guided visualization process.  Further, these techniques by themselves have been shown in certain cases to reduce stress, increase concentration and produce a sense of physical health and well being.

Is There Evidence These Techniques Work?

The short answer is yes.  Each of the techniques used in this program has shown a track record that extends over several decades.  One of the unique features of the Sound for Healing program, however, is the integrated use of several treatment methods. 

Relaxation and guided imagery techniques have been used to treat a variety of psychological and physical conditions.  More specifically, cognitive therapy in the form of guided imagery, progressive muscle relaxation and psychoeducation techniques are empirically supported psychotherapy for generalized anxiety disorder, depression and panic disorder.  These techniques are also particularly useful in treating the anxiety and depression that accompany surgery and the medical treatment of cancer.  With respect to this mind-body connection, physicians and psychologists have been aware for many years that emotional states and psychological stress have profound effects on physical health.  Well documented evidence converging from several areas of research has only recently, however, demonstrated the efficacy of mind-related interventions in the treatment of certain physical conditions.  Some of the most convincing clinical evidence in the form of meta-analyses (a statistical comparison of the results of multiple studies) indicate that individuals suffering from conditions such as insomnia, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, headache and chronic low back pain can benefit from techniques such as guided imagery, muscle relaxation, stress management and cognitive-behavioral therapy.

The use of brainwave entrainment as an adjunct to cognitive therapy is based on two hypotheses.  The first is that the modification of brainwave frequencies in specified ways can have a positive effect on attention and relaxation.  The second hypothesis is that brainwave frequencies and/or amplitudes in certain frequency bands can be modified by listening to or “feeling” audible sound.  The first hypothesis concerning the therapeutic use of brainwave modification on psychological conditions is somewhat complicated.  However, there is a significant body of literature to suggest that EEG biofeedback training is effective in the treatment of a number of psychological and physical conditions.  The most convincing of these studies involve the treatment of attention-related disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety, depression and insomnia.  With respect to the second hypothesis, recent studies have shown that audible sound can be used to increase the production of brainwave patterns associated with relaxation.  In addition, the modification of mood, reduction of anxiety and increased hypnotic susceptibility have been demonstrated using sound in the form of binaural auditory beats.

The use of vibroacoustic therapy has appeared in the literature for several decades and has been noted for its positive effects on pain, muscle tone, heart rate and blood pressure.  More recent studies have documented that music with pulsed low frequency sound can be used to decrease blood pressure, pulse rate and muscle tension as well as increasing subjective feelings of health and well being.

Recent studies have shown the efficacy of CES in the treatment of anxiety, insomnia and attention disorders.  In addition, this technique has been shown convincing results in the reduction of anxiety in patients undergoing routine dental procedures.  Although the specific mechanism by which CES exerts its therapeutic effects has not been clearly delineated, several studies suggest that treatment with CES changes frequency domain variables of the electroencephalogram (EEG) spectrum.

Are There Any Adverse Side Effects - How Safe Is It?

While sound frequency therapy is a relatively new treatment, its various components have been subjected to research over the course of the past 15 years.  For example, the use of relaxation therapy has shown a low occurrence of negative side effects.  More specifically, a recent survey of 116 psychologists that routinely use relaxation therapy indicated that treatment was only discontinued in 4% of patients due to adverse side effects. These symptoms included intrusive thoughts or sensations, and feelings of floating, dizziness and vulnerability.  These types of side effects might be expected in a small number of cases and Sound for Healing follows the recommendation from this study that “a careful evaluation of patients within the context of an appropriate professional relationship” be conducted.

Disclaimer

Information on this web site is intended as educational and is not intended to substitute for consultation with your physician or mental health provider.  Sound for healing is a new technique and should not be used without the management of a trained therapist.