Are Sound Baths Safe? Exploring the Potential Risks and Benefits

I was recently preparing some materials for my Rewild + Untame Community, and I discovered that this is the most searched question regarding sound baths. 

I was completely shocked by this. How could something so relaxing, restorative, and supportive to one’s mental health and well-being be dangerous?!

But then I thought about it some more and where that question might be coming from. 

Internets: I am here to provide you with an answer to this question, and it is not a simple one, I am afraid to say.

Are sound bath’s dangerous? I think no…and maybe yes. 

The short answer: no

The short answer is that no, sound baths are no more dangerous than any other frequency you might encounter during the day. This would include the sounds of traffic during your commute, background sounds at work, the sounds of your kids complaining (arguably dangerous), or the sound of the espresso machine at your favorite coffee shop. 

As with any of these other sounds, if the volume of the sound bath is too high, meaning if the decibels are too excessive, you might have temporary or permanent hearing damage. But I have yet to experience a sound bath that gave me decibel level warnings on my smart watch, so I think we are ok on this one. Of course, if you are ever questioning, try some ear plugs. But I don’t think you will need them. 

How a sound bath works— the alchemy of sound baths

When we are experiencing a sound bath, what is happening is actually much healthier than any of my other examples simply because the sound is intentional. The frequencies are offered for the purposes of relaxation or some other goal the practitioner may have. 

This contrasts significantly to the stress that is caused to our bodies by mindless noise and even background urban noise. 

What is more, when we experience a sound bath, we are given the potential to experience a rearranging of our body’s own frequencies into a more ordered pattern. How do we know this is true? Quantum physics. Literally everything is frequency—every last thing that exists—with a lot of space in between. Different densities of matter manifest as higher or lower frequencies as do color, light, infrared, microwave, and so on. 

The instruments we use in sound practice create harmonious frequencies. This can be seen through cymatics, the study of the shapes of sounds. And while different instruments produce different timbres, or qualities of tone, some of them produce one or two frequencies at once, such as the crystal bowl, or all audible frequencies at one time, like the gongs. In either case, these frequencies are ordered and used with intention, and what science tells us is that this has the potential to re-order any disharmonious frequencies are bodies may be creating or carrying. Much study is being done on this, and I believe in future years, medicine will largely be frequency based.

You should know the credentials, experience, and basic philosophy of your sound practitioner, and you should trust the person, as this can be an intimate and emotional healing art. Photo cred: Andrea Dodge Photography

Yes, sound baths can be dangerous

But what about other dangers of sound baths?

Here is where I think the answer can be “yes—sound baths can be dangerous.” It’s the matter of the sound practitioner. 

THE MATTER OF TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE

There are lots of sound practitioners out there, more and more every day as this is becoming a trendy and popular healing modality. Some of these practitioners have no formal experience or training. Some are looking to make a quick buck. Still others think that sound is “cool,” but they may not have the wisdom to hold space for the transformations that can happen when frequency is used. And while some of us may experience sound healing first in yoga class, other sound practices can go much deeper. 

I would advise using discernment in these particular areas. Check to see if your practitioner has any formal training or credentials or experience. All are valid. 

THE MATTER OF THE SPIRITUAL REALM

I have been a musician my entire life, and one thing I can say with certainty: music of all kinds opens people up. It opens them to new emotions, new ways of looking at things, and new experiences. But not every thing we could be open to is positive. 

The realm of the spiritual is by far the largest area of potential danger when it comes to sound or any other healing modality, for that matter. Intention is a huge part of the healing process, both on the part of the practitioner and on the part of the participant. The truth is that not all practitioners may have positive intentions. Still others may be open to certain energies or entities with which you, yourself, may not feel comfortable. For example, I do not work with spirit guides, and I do not feel comfortable receiving healing work or even general relaxation assistance from a practitioner who does work with guides as that is outside of my personal belief system. 

Before you work with any healer, you may want to check with them on their healing philosophy as well as their belief system to see if it aligns or clashes with your own. Use discernment, and do not accept healing or sonic experiences from just anyone. 

You may also want to work with a holistic practitioner who uses more than one modality. Combining sound with yoga, meditation, aromatherapy, dance, massage, and overall holistic lifestyle can be very powerful to exact long and lasting transformation. 

Those are my answers to whether or not sound baths are dangerous. What do you think?

Online sound baths are guilt-free self-care and convey 90% of the benefit of an in-person experience. 

Finding yourself searching for “sound baths near me?” Join my Rewild + Untame for guilt-free self-care grounded in reality and rooted in the heart.