Has anyone had a sound bath? Something weird happened to me …

[Mintakan]

And I want to see if it’s normal.

On Saturday I went to my first sound bath. I had a burn out in 2021 (run my own business) so I’m working on finding activities that help relaxation. A friend who is a yoga teacher suggested a sound bath with Himalayan and crystal singing bowls.

The whole setting was fabulous. Everyone has a personal sheepskin rug, we had blankets, eye masks and cushions for head and knees. She gave us all a hot cup of herbal tea when we arrived.

She explained the process and that we might experience some physical reactions, goosebumps, pins and needles etc.

About halfway through when she starts on the lower note bowls I had a visceral reaction. All the hair on my body stood on end and my fight or flight response was triggered. I started to panic and wanted to run out of the room.

I suffered with crippling panic attacks as a teenager and recognised it immediately and was able to do my breathing exercises to bring myself back down.

I was really enjoying it up to that point. I have no idea what happened. The rest of the session passed without incident. I’m hoping that someone else has experienced similar? I’d like to go back again but would like to avoid a repeat!

Leaving woo aside - in a relaxed state suppressed emotions and trauma are likely to rise to the surface. I would allow it to surface and work through it.

Thanks to this thread I've booked a sound bath session this weekend. I'll be 39+1 so hopefully won't trigger anything too massive!

Your practioner's set-up sounds lovely @Mintakan May I ask which general region in the country you are please?

I think the op said she wasn't in the UK

I've not been to a sound bath but had a similar experience during a reiki session. I'd come out of a damaging relationship and was going to regular yoga classes as part of my self care plan (as you do 😁). One of the instructors also offered reiki sessions, so I went along not really knowing what to expect - certainly not going as a 'believer' - but thinking at the least it'd be relaxing. It was, until she started working over my middle (solar plexus chakra?) and I felt sudden,absolute panic and the urge to run out of the room. I breathed my way through it, but the feeling was bizarre - like energy suddenly manifesting in that area and trying to move but being blocked from going anywhere.

Sorry but I love your name 😂
My son affectionately calls me big chungus

I booked a yoga session with a sound bath after yesterday after seeing social media photos of gongs etc .
Only booked yesterday (session is March) and now I'm fascinated with all the updates, I've never been to one before so very curious to see what happens .

This thread is fascinating. I went to a sound bath in Nov (my mum had passed away the year before and trying to process that and calm down). I too felt a huge urge to laugh in the session. Then spent the next 4/5 days very teary. My sister was exactly the same. We do still plan to go again though

I've never been to a sound bath but I can't get a massage or anything similar at a beauty spa as it gives me panic attacks. I also run my own business and it is very stressful but it is like I can't relax without my body getting stressed out by it!

I had a fear reaction to a gong bath-- real panic feeling as if something dangerous was rushing up to me. That was my first one, after that I was ok.

I've had similar at a yoga camp I went to an it made me feel suddenly terrified. I assume it's something to do with the vibrations on a primal level?

I once went to a meditating dance group, the music was slow and low in tune, movements a bit like tai chi.

Must have been based on a similar idea as I found myself in tears and couldn't bear going back.
Would like to try the sound bath after reading this thread.

@Chickenvoicesinmyhead sorry am not in the UK.

Ok so I talked to the teacher. She said that it sounds like my body reacting to the vibrations and the unusual sensations can trigger fight or flight in people who have trauma. She also said that it's possible for the vibrations can release emotions that are "stuck". All of this makes sense.

She said that it was normal and next time I probably won't have the same reaction but if I do just to let her know and she can help. It really reassured me that she sees this all the time and it's part of the process.

I am going to try again in a couple of weeks and I will report back.

Yes, I have experience that sort of laughter, too. This was different. It was truly joyful. You can be happy and stressed at the same time, but the stress inevitably influences expression of happiness. I think that the sound bath allowed the happiness to come forward.

I went to a gong bath… loved it… fell asleep at the start and woke up at the end

Setting aside the potential metaphysical explanations, from a purely physical point of view, the vagus nerve is impacted by vibration and that can trigger effects all over the body in a multitude of ways. Things like deep/yogic breathing which people use to calm themselves down are working on the vagus and the deep chanting/humming used in some meditation practices also activate the vagus nerve internally, but if powerful enough, the body can also respond to external vibration in a similar way.

I have an illness that results in dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system and my vagus nerve is kind of overactive and easily irritated (not really the right way to describe it, but you get the idea). I am also a big live music fan, but deep bass in an enclosed space or even outside, if loud enough, at a festival can make me lose the ability to think or speak and ultimately faint.

There’s a fair bit of research in this area.(This is an interesting study.)

Things like

There was a thread a while go about sound baths and a poster’s friend had an orgasm in one! I’ve not fancied it, since I read that (call me a prude)

I do love a bell in yoga though

Sweeet 🥰 My chungus is my cat 😊

😱 Now that might tempt me back 😂😂😂😂

I try to go to sound baths regularly and had something similar happen to me once! It felt like there was a small tornado above my pelvis and I was ridiculously aroused the whole time. It only happened like that once unfortunately .

Other times I have felt fear, joy, had visuals, been the most tranquil I've ever been; it's different every time. My theory is that the vibrations shake up your cells and they release some of the chemicals and hormones stored in there. Try to drink lots of water both before and after a soundbath too.

It's not surprising really. Sound can affect you in way we don't always understand. Apparently the WW2 air raid sirens were deliberately modulated to be unsettling and create a sense of urgency in order to wake sleeping people and motivate them to react to them quickly. And they are if you listen to them. They give you an adrenaline spike.

Thanks for sharing your experience. It prompted me to speak to my yoga teacher who does gong baths. He said he’s seen similar reactions to
yours, and it is related to emotions that have been stagnant coming to the fore.

I find the beat of a big drum when a parade is coming towards me makes me want to cry. It's that deep, low sound. I feel it deep in my stomach. I breathe away the feelings of panic but tears will often fall. Its a completely physical reaction.

Ok I would definitely go more often if that was a guaranteed outcome 😂😂

Better than a panic attack!

I've had a lot of trauma, and always have an excessive reaction to anything holistic. When I have had acupuncture, I end up bleeding everywhere or with the little needles literally popping out everywhere. I only practice yoga and meditation in private now, because (along with plenty of gas) I seem to release a lot of emotions accidentally, sometimes making a weird sound that comes out of me when I relax. I often cry when I listen to certain music frequencies and get 'frisson' from music a lot, which I know not everyone experiences but for me I can be walking along with my music headphones on, and suddenly a piece of music will move me so that all my hairs stand on end and I can no longer walk as I am physically overwhelmed by the music. It's not always a positive thing, it can feel very claustrophobic, and as I am actually claustrophobic it can make me feel panicky and have to turn the music off. I'm not sure it is necessarily healing, I don't know. I'm been very susceptible to hypnosis in the past as well.