The human health effects of singing bowls: A systematic review

Investigating the Effect of Singing Bowl Sound on the Level of State-trait Anxiety and Physiological Variables of Patients Awaiting Angiography

PURPOSE

Many patients are anxious and fearful while waiting for angiography, which may negatively affect the performance of this test and their physiological variables. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of singing bowl sounds on situational anxiety and physiological variables of patients awaiting angiography.

DESIGN

A semiexperimental pretest and post-test study.

METHODS

This semiexperimental pretest and post-test study with 2 groups was conducted from October 2022 to March 2023 in 60 patients (30 in the intervention group and 30 in the control group) awaiting angiography at the Angiography Department of Rouhani Hospital, affiliated with Babol University of Medical Sciences. One hour before angiography, the intervention group received the singing bowl intervention in addition to routine departmental interventions, whereas the control group received only routine departmental interventions. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Form Y-1 was used to measure anxiety.

FINDINGS

State-trait anxiety after the intervention was significantly lower in the intervention group than in the control group (P = .00). Systolic and diastolic blood pressure, pulse rate, and respiration were the same in the intervention and control groups before and after the intervention and showed no statistically significant difference (P > .05).

CONCLUSIONS

The results indicated that the singing bowl intervention led to an improvement in anxiety in patients waiting for angiography. Considering that this intervention was performed with a simple, cheap, and accessible instrument, it is therefore suggested that this method be used to reduce state-trait anxiety in clinical anxiety-provoking conditions. Since the physiological variables of the patients before and after the intervention showed no statistically significant difference in both groups, it is suggested that the physiological variables should be investigated in future studies and several clinical situations so that a scientific opinion on the effect of the singing bowl on these variables can be given with more certainty.

Vibration-reduced anxiety-like behavior relies on ameliorating abnormalities of the somatosensory cortex and medial prefrontal cortex

Tibetan singing bowls emit low-frequency sounds and produce perceptible harmonic tones and vibrations through manual tapping. The sounds the singing bowls produce have been shown to enhance relaxation and reduce anxiety. However, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we used chronic restraint stress or sleep deprivation to establish mouse models of anxiety that exhibit anxiety-like behaviors. We then supplied treatment with singing bowls in a bottomless cage placed on the top of a cushion. We found that unlike in humans, the combination of harmonic tones and vibrations did not improve anxiety-like behaviors in mice, while individual vibration components did. Additionally, the vibration of singing bowls increased the level of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor 1 in the somatosensory cortex and prefrontal cortex of the mice, decreased the level of γ-aminobutyric acid A (GABA) receptor α 1 subtype, reduced the level of CaMKII in the prefrontal cortex, and increased the number of GABAergic interneurons. At the same time, electrophysiological tests showed that the vibration of singing bowls significantly reduced the abnormal low-frequency gamma oscillation peak frequency in the medial prefrontal cortex caused by stress restraint pressure and sleep deprivation. Results from this study indicate that the vibration of singing bowls can alleviate anxiety-like behaviors by reducing abnormal molecular and electrophysiological events in somatosensory and medial prefrontal cortex.

Exploring the healing power of singing bowls: An overview of key findings and potential benefits

Singing bowl sound meditation is an ancient practice that has been used for centuries in Tibetan and Buddhist cultures as a form of healing and relaxation. The practice involves the use of singing bowls, which produce a soothing sound believed to have a powerful effect on the body's energy system, helping to balance the chakras and promote healing. Over the years, several studies have been conducted to explore the effects of singing bowl sound meditation on mood, tension, and well-being. The reasons behind the positive effects of singing bowl sound healings are not fully understood. Possible explanations include alterations in brain waves, binaural beats, and the vibrations of singing bowls interacting with the energy field surrounding the human body, known as the biofield. Studies have shown that singing bowl sound meditation can produce physiological and psychological responses, reducing negative affect and increasing positive affect, as well as improving blood pressure, heart rate, and respiratory rate. Singing bowl sound meditation may be an effective low-cost and low-technology intervention for reducing feelings of tension, anxiety, and depression while promoting spiritual well-being. However, further research is needed to determine the long-term effects of singing bowl sound meditation on physiological and psychological well-being, as well as its potential clinical applications.

Acute Relaxation Response Induced by Tibetan Singing Bowl Sounds: A Randomized Controlled Trial

The prevalence of anxiety has increased dramatically due to COVID-19, so effective preventive interventions are welcome. The main objective of our study was to compare the acute relaxation response (RR) induced by Tibetan singing bowl (TSB) sound-based treatment against progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) and a control waiting list group (CWL) in a single treatment session in an adult nonclinical anxious population. In this cross-sectional randomized control trial, 50 participants selected based on high state anxiety were randomly assigned to one of the experimental groups. Pre/post self-reported anxiety, electroencephalographic activity (EEG), and heart rate variability (HRV) were recorded at baseline (T1), minute 15 (T2), minute 30 (T3), and minute 45 (T4). The TSB group showed significant reductions in alpha power (from T2 to T4) and increased HRV (from T3 to T4) compared with the PMR and CWL groups. Moreover, TSB and PMR both showed significant reductions in self-reported anxiety compared with CWL, with this effect being more evident in the TSB group. We concluded that a single session of TSB treatment was able to induce a more evident psychological/physiological relaxation response compared with PMR and CWL. TSB could be a relevant acute intervention in stressful situations or crisis intervention and while waiting for conventional interventions.

Neurophysiological Effects of a Singing Bowl Massage

Background and Objectives: In recent years, singing bowl sound interventions have been progressively implemented in the fields of well-being, therapy and education; however, the effectiveness has only scarcely been investigated. Therefore, this study was aimed at determining neurophysiological effects of a singing bowl massage. Materials and Methods: In this prospective cohort study 64-channel EEG, ECG and respiration was recorded from 34 participants (mean age 36.03 ± 13.43 years, 24 females/10 males) before, during and after a professional singing bowl massage. Further, subjective changes in well-being were assessed. EEG data were analyzed by determining the effect sizes of distinct frequency bands. Significant differences were calculated by a two-tailed t-test corrected for multiple comparisons. Heart rate variability metrics, heart rate and respiration rate were estimated and compared. Results: Overall EEG power decreased during the sound condition compared to a task-free resting state (d = −0.30, p = 0.002). After the intervention, global EEG power was further reduced (d = −0.46, p < 0.001), revealing a decrease in the beta 2 (d = −0.15, p = 0.002) and the gamma frequency band (d = −0.21, p = 0.004). The mean heart rate was significantly lower after the intervention (75.5 ± 19.8 vs. 71.5 ± 17.9, p < 0.001) and the respiration rate higher (13.5 ± 5.3 vs. 15.2 ± 6.3, p = 0.018). 91.2% of the participants felt more integrated, 97.1% more balanced and 76.5% more vitalized. Conclusions: The neurophysiological effects of a singing bowl sound massage may be interpreted as a shift towards a more mindful, meditative state of consciousness. The intervention was perceived as beneficial for the wellbeing.

Sound Healing: Mood, Emotional, and Spiritual Well-Being Interrelationships

Psychosocial stress, tension, and depression are quite common in many parts of the developed world. Integrative medicine techniques which may potentially increase spiritual and emotional well-being may be useful in combating chronic psychosocial stress, as well as challenges with depression and excessive tension. The present observational study examines the effect of singing-bowl sound healing on emotional and spiritual well-being and particularly examines interrelationships between changes in spiritual well-being with changes in tension and depressed mood post-sound healing. Participants experienced a sound healing environment of vibrational musical instruments such as singing bowls (bell-like instruments), gongs, and other vibrational instruments. Sixty-two participants were examined in an observational study using singing-bowl sound healing. Emotional and spiritual well-being were examined by utilizing standardized questionnaires. Results revealed significant correlations between improvements in scores of spiritual well-being and reductions in scores of tension and depression post-sound healing. Moreover, effects varied by age of the study participants. Specifically, the association between spiritual well-being improvement and depression improvement was strongest for ages 31–40, while spiritual well-being improvement and tension improvement associations were strongest for ages 51–60. Implications for applying sound healing meditations as a potential low-cost, low-technology therapeutic technique are discussed for emotional and spiritual well-being.

Single Vibroacoustic Impact Effect of Singing Bowls over the Psycho-Emotional State and Cardiovascular System Work

This article presents a two-stage study result of the author's method of vibroacoustic massage using singing bowls application. At the first stage, the effect of vibroacoustic massage single application over psycho-emotional characteristics was studied. 19 studied volunteers took part in our study. The testing results before and after exposures were compared according to the WAM (Weighted average mark), Zung, and Spielberg-Khanin tests. The study of the psycho-emotional sphere showed that after the vibroacoustic massage procedure, the indicators of "well-being" and "activity" of the WAM test significantly improved (p = 0.002). In addition, the depression level determined by the Zung test, personal anxiety indicators (p = 0.004), and situational anxiety ones (p = 0.028) decreased. At the second stage, 62 volunteers were divided into two groups. The first group underwent a vibroacoustic massage session according to the patented author's method. The second group received only acoustic exposure using only singing bowls. Differences in the Kerdo index were revealed in the dynamics, and in the first group, the changes were less significant than in the second one. Changes in heart rate variability characteristics for both groups were similar: there was an increase in parasympathetic influences at rest and during the orthostatic test (increased levels of RMSSD (Root Mean Square of Successive Differences), NN50, pNN50) and a decrease in sympathetic effects at rest and their slight increase with orthostatic loading (TINN, RR triangular index). The dynamics were more significant in the first group that received a vibroacoustic massage session. When assessing changes in the neurovegetative regulation levels activity of the heart rhythm, the main difference was associated with very low-frequency waves power dynamics during the orthostatic test. Thus, vibroacoustic massage using singing bowls improves the psycho-emotional state, reduces depression and anxiety, and increases Parasympaticus (autonomic nervous system) activity.

Metallic: A Bivalent Ambimodal Material Property?

Many metallic visual stimuli, especially the so-called precious metals, have long had a rich symbolic meaning for humans. Intriguingly, however, while metallic is used to describe sensations associated with pretty much every sensory modality, the descriptor is normally positively valenced in the case of vision while typically being negatively valenced in the case of those metallic sensations that are elicited by the stimulation of the chemical senses. In fact, outside the visual modality, metallic would often appear to be used to describe those sensations that are unfamiliar and unpleasant as much as to refer to any identifiable perceptual quality (or attribute). In this review, we assess those sensory stimuli that people choose to refer to as metallic, summarising the multiple, often symbolic, meanings of (especially precious) metals. The evidence of positively valenced sensation transference from metallic serviceware (e.g., plates, cups, and cutlery) to the food and drink with which it comes into contact is also reviewed.