Healing with sound dates back as far as ancient Greece.
Apollo was the god of music and medicine. Aesculapius cured mental disorders with songs. The philosophers Plato and Aristotle claimed that music affected the soul and the emotions. Hippocrates played music for his patients, too.
In Ancient Egypt, music therapy was a staple in temples.
In biblical times, instruments were used to vanquish evil spirits from human souls.
Native American culture uses song and dance to heal the sick.
Instances of sound healing therapy are limitless.
Fast forward a few centuries to the 1940s, when the United States military incorporated music into their programmes for the recuperation of army personnel during World War II. This is often described as the official dawn of music therapy.
Today it is used in all aspects of medicine and spiritual growth. While it is still considered an alternative to modern medicine, scores of evidence suggest that it is effective — and necessary — to our emotional and psychological health.
Yet, it remains misunderstood.
Some people assume that those who partake in sound healing therapy are crackpots who seek magical solutions to medical problems. However, music therapy, or sound healing, has a basis in both neurology and psychology.

Sound healing is the process in which a practitioner uses music — including the emotional, psychological, spiritual, physical, social, mental, and superficial — to improve the health of their patient.
Sound healing therapy improves many facets of the patient’s life, including emotional and social development, cognitive and motor functioning, and psychological and psychiatric health.
Healing with sound happens in a number of ways. Patients listen or sing along, improvise musical acts, meditate, chant, and play musical instruments. Some practitioners subject the patient to specifically crafted sounds to induce positive brainwaves.

Almost everything we experience in the universe is simply our perception of waves.
When sound waves reach our ears, they are converted into electrical signals that travel up the auditory nerve into the auditory cortex, the part of the brain that processes sound. Once sound waves reach our brains, they trigger responses in our bodies.
This process alters our emotions, releases hormones, and triggers certain impulses.
Although research on how music changes our brains is lacking, there is evidence to suggest that musicians have different brains than those who are not musically inclined.
Research has shown that the brains of musicians are more symmetrical. And that the parts of the brain responsible for motor and cognitive functioning, coordination, and reasoning, are significantly larger. And thanks to an enlarged corpus callosum, the two hemispheres of the brain have better communication.
In neurological studies, it has been proven that listening to music makes us more productive and creative. It can relieve stress and improves our moods.
This is because listening to music floods our brains with dopamine. It also releases oxytocin, a natural painkiller and hormone that allows us to bond with others. In fact, oxytocin is most commonly found in mothers during labor.
Music also helps language development and improves communication.
It’s even been shown to increase our IQs, so it’s safe to say that music makes us smarter. It improves our memory too, warding off brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s.
Music is powerful. It can change our brains, and so it changes our bodies.

When listening to upbeat or cheery music, or when listening to deep, melancholy songs, our emotions flare and we can better process our feelings. The difference is that we only care to listen to sad songs when we are feeling sad because (and here’s the kicker) we know it makes us feel better.
A 2006 study done by the Journal of Advanced Nursing discovered that those who listen to music feel less pain and experiences less anxiety than those who don’t.
Since sounds come at different frequencies and we too emit our own waves, healing with sound happens by matching frequencies to those that are conducive to healing and relaxation.
A study in the 1970s proposed that when one tone is played to one ear, and a different tone is played to the other, the two hemispheres of the brain connect and create a third (internal) tone called a binaural beat.
Binaural beats synchronize the brain, providing clarity, alertness, and greater concentration. It’s solid evidence that our brains and bodies respond to sound in both a cognitive and physical way.
So, let’s say you have a headache. A sound can be played that will override the pain brain waves.
Or, let’s say you’re in a bad mood after a poor night’s sleep. Playing a relaxing song might lift your spirits and help you forget you’re aggravated.
Sounds and songs also elicit memories retrieval, and this can be used to help patients who are traumatized or depressed.
There are a number of methods, instruments, and techniques for using sound therapy. But at its foundation is the premise of entrainment.

Of course for sound healing, certain tools will be required. Some of these instruments are easily found or learned. For others, they might require professionals or special circumstances.
The following is a list of musical instruments known for their spiritual and healing properties.

Voice
The most basic musical instrument you can use is your voice. You can use your voice to relax, heal, or focus, by humming, chanting, singing, and even praying (or affirming) what you need.
There are various tricks to learn when approaching healing with your voice, from the fascinating Tibetan throat singing to speaking a simple mantra every morning. It is entirely up to you.
Although many fascinating instruments exist and have been designed to inspire healing in us, never forget that you, yourself, are an instrument and that you carry the power to heal with you everywhere that you go.

Didgeridoo
Didgeridoos originated in Australia as an indigenous and spiritual instrument 1,500 years ago. Its original purposes are believed to be ceremonial.
An interesting fact is that in some traditional aboriginal communities, women are prohibited from playing the didgeridoo. In western healing, the didgeridoo is used as a part of meditation and healing, most commonly to unblock energies, or for concentration.
In 2005, the British Medical Journal discovered that playing the didgeridoo reduced both snoring and sleep apnea, by strengthening the muscles of the upper airway. It also improves the symptoms of asthma.

Djembe
Originating from West Africa, the djembe is a wooden drum dressed in rope and goat hide. Typically it used to alter consciousness by inducing trances. It is said that it calms the spirit and reduces stress, most likely in playing it. This is a common drum in drumming circles. They are also used for meditation.

Gong
Although the sound of the gong can be quite harsh if not played correctly, it is said thatthe gong alleviates physical, emotional, and spiritual pain. The earliest record of the gong’s existence dates back to 4.000 B.C.. Although they are often used for entertainment, for example in the commencement of sporting events, gongs are an important instrument in sound healing and have been used in meditation, yoga, and even in chakra balancing.
Hammered Dulcimer
It’s almost as though this instrument were a cross between a harp, a drum, and a keyboard. With its absolutely enchanting sound, many claim that it is the best sound to listen to calm the mind, relax, and meditate. As it is very calming, it reduces stress and anxiety.
This a very ethereal instrument that might inspire feelings of wanderlust or nostalgia, and is best used to resolve emotional turmoil. It is also atmospheric and is therefore perfect for concentration. It has its origins in medieval Europe.

Hang
The youngest of the sound healing instruments is the Hang, created by two Swedish innovators only seventeen years ago. The hang serves the same function as the steel pan, only harmonic and far more resonant.
Since this is quite similar to the singing bowl, it has the same healing purposes. It can be used for concentration, meditation, and relaxation; however, it also can be used to heal on a cellular level with its deep vibrations. It is a very melodic instrument and learning to play it can be therapeutic as well.

Kalimba
Another instrument that originates in Africa, the Kalimba goes thousands of years back. Made of wood and metal keys, it is often referred to as a thumb piano. Very similar in sound to a harp and the hang, it is reminiscent of music boxes and lullabies. It is very simple to learn how to play.
As with most other sound healing instruments, it is used for relaxation and to calm the mind. In Zimbabwe, it is believed that the Kalimba heals mental illness.

Monochord
Rumoured to be an invention of Pythagoras, the Monochord is an ancient musical instrument that has stood the test of time in both entertainment and spirituality. The vibrations that this string instrument produces are said to re-energize the body and the mind. This particular instrument is also perfect for meditation or yoga as it has an enchanting sound that sounds as though it comes from a magical realm.
Native American Flute
The Native American flute is a favorite in music therapy, because on top of emitting a very calm and emotive sound, it’s believed to significantly reduces stress, lower the heart rate and blood pressure, and alleviate anxiety and depression. Most who use this instrument in sound healing therapy also use it to center patients and promote internal harmony.

Rain Stick
A creation of the Aztecs, rain sticks are the spiritual rendition of the shakers we made as children (and might be the inspiration behind them).
A rain stick is mostly a dried out cactus with small, hard objects such as stones or seeds sealed inside, producing the sound of falling rain. It is used to relieve stress, anxiety, and depression, and to promote serenity and relaxation. Using it (as with drums) is quite therapeutic, and the sound of it will give your mood a boost in the right direction.
Singing Bowl
As mentioned above, singing bowls are so popular in healing with sound that they have an entire method dedicated just to them.
Singing bowl therapy is one of — if not the — most popular sound healing methods because of its effective and various aspects of healing. From lowered blood pressure to relief from anxiety to the opening of the pineal gland. Singing bowls are also one of the rare healing instruments that are used for various types of pain.
It is a method well worth considering if you are interested in sound therapy.

Tuning Fork
Tuning forks are, as the name suggests, tools designed to tune other instruments that were invented in 1711. The tuning fork, itself, is, in fact, a harmonic instrument. As mentioned above, tuning forks can be used in sound healing therapy in a fashion reminiscent of acupuncture. After all, your body is an instrument, too. Tuning forks are said to balance our energies and center us.

Wind Chimes
Wind chimes might be the most magical of all the sound therapy tools. Who of us is not amazed by the sound of them?
Wind chimes might be simple garden ornaments or decorations to most of us, but they go far back in time to India, China, and even Ancient Rome. Wind chimes are a favorite in Feng Shui and are said to harmonize and maximize the flow of our life force. Since they require the natural element of air to sound them and usually come to life on their own without human influence, they are also said to carry elemental power.
As with most, they center, balance, and promote relaxation. They also invoke feelings of joy and contentment.

The subject of sound healing still requires more research to be fully understood. What is fact, though, is that those who try it are in support of it and that no one can argue with the power of music.
Whether you are looking for an alternative method of healing to coincide with traditional medicine, or are simply looking for a new way to relax, recuperate, and rejuvenate your mind, sound healing has so many possibilities that you are guaranteed to find something that suits you (even if it is only recreational).
Sound therapy is even more effective when used in conjunction with meditation. If you are looking to delve into different waters, perhaps it will be worth it to invest in (and learn how to play) one or more of the instruments listed above.