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Sound Therapy for Mental Health: Insights from a Christian Integrative Therapist

  • Writer: Diana S Rice
    Diana S Rice
  • Jul 8, 2024
  • 6 min read

Updated: Sep 7

Liberation Lunes

July 8th, 2024

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Introduction: Why Hearing Matters in Mental Health


Welcome to the first blog in my series on the five senses and their impact on mental health. Today, we focus on hearing.

As a non-pathologizing clinician, I believe anxiety and depression are not diseases but symptoms. By exploring how our senses influence mental health, we can uncover alternative, holistic ways to heal—always honoring faith, science, and God’s design for our bodies.


Sound is one of the most powerful yet overlooked tools for mental health. The words we hear, the music we choose, and the environments we expose ourselves to literally shape our nervous system, beliefs, and mood. When we shift what enters our ears, we can transform what takes root in our hearts and minds.


The Power of Hearing: A Double-Edged Sword

Hearing is not passive—it imprints us. The voices and sounds around us can become either chains or channels of freedom.


Negative Auditory Influences

  • Negative Self-Talk: If you grew up hearing criticism or harshness, those messages don’t just fade. They echo internally, creating patterns of shame and anxiety. As Proverbs 18:21 reminds us, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.”

  • Toxic Music: Aggressive or despairing lyrics can pull you into hopelessness. Just like junk food harms the body, unhealthy auditory input harms the mind.

  • Gossip & Negativity: Repetitive exposure to negative conversations creates what I call a “toxic soundtrack”—a mental environment of stress and heaviness.


Positive Auditory Influences

Now, let’s explore how we can use hearing to promote healing and improve mental health. These five tools align with both faith and science, helping us shift from stress to restoration.


1. Listening to Uplifting Music

Music directly impacts our brain chemistry—boosting dopamine and serotonin. Create playlists with positive, hope-filled songs that remind you of joy and resilience. Here’s one of my Christian playlists that keeps me grounded.


2. Meditation and Relaxation Apps

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Apps offering guided meditations, calming sounds, and affirmations help reduce stress and reset your nervous system. Even 5 minutes can shift your entire day. Try my Morning Meditations playlist on YouTube to start your mornings with peace.


3. Affirmations and Positive Talk

Replace ANTs (automatic negative thoughts) with life-giving truths. Neuroscience confirms repetition rewires the brain. Proverbs 16:24 says: “Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.”


4. Biblical Affirmations

Scripture is the most powerful affirmation. Psalm 139:14 (“I am fearfully and wonderfully made”) and Isaiah 41:10 (“Do not fear, for I am with you…”) remind us of God’s promises and anchor our worth in His truth.


5. Sound Healing

Sound healing uses instruments like bowls, gongs, and tuning forks to calm the nervous system. Research by Dr. Tamara Goldsby at UC San Diego shows sound baths reduce anxiety, depression, and anger while increasing spiritual well-being.


📚 Read her published work:

For Christians, the key is intention: we worship the Healer, not the healing tool.


The Science: Why Sound Healing Works

Dr. Goldsby’s studies reveal measurable changes in mood states after sound baths: lowered tension, anxiety, depression, anger, and fatigue, and increased spiritual well-being.

Sound affects the nervous system by slowing the heart rate, reducing cortisol, and creating deep relaxation. It is considered safe for most people, though those with PTSD or sound sensitivity should sit farther from the instruments.


Is Sound Healing Biblical?


This is a common question: “Is sound healing biblical?”


The truth: sound is neutral; intention matters. Scripture consistently shows God using sound as a channel of His presence:

  • 1 Samuel 16:23: David’s harp soothed Saul’s troubled spirit.

  • Psalm 150:4: “Praise him with timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe.”

  • Joshua 6:20: The walls of Jericho fell after the trumpet blast.

  • John 1:1: “In the beginning was the Word…”

  • Revelation 14:2: John hears “a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters.”


Sound was created with power. As long as we seek the Creator rather than idolizing the tool, sound healing aligns with biblical values.


Sound and Healing Across Cultures

Sound has been used for healing across history:

  • Indigenous drumming and chanting

  • The Jewish shofar in festivals

  • Gregorian chants in Christian worship

  • African rhythms regulating community emotion

  • Ayurvedic mantras and Chinese tonal medicine


These practices remind us: sound is part of God’s universal design.


My Personal Journey with Healing Through Sound

For years, I’ve practiced a news fast, avoiding fear-driven media. Instead, I fill my days with:

  • Worship music

  • Native American flute and hang drum

  • Binaural beats

  • Birdsong and ocean waves

This aligns with Viktor Frankl’s wisdom: “Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”

(Update as of September 7, 2025: I experienced my first sound bath at 5 Elements Spa in Deerfield Beach. For a full hour, I was immersed in bowls and gongs that seemed to travel through my whole body. I left feeling lighter, calmer, and deeply restored—similar to the renewal I’ve experienced through acupuncture, yoga, prayer, massage, breathwork and meditation. It was, simply put, lovely.)


Practical Steps to Improve Mental Health Through Hearing

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Just like the graphic shows, here are four simple steps you can start today:

1. Be Mindful of Your Auditory Environment

Notice the sounds around you. Do they fuel stress or peace? Track your mood after listening to certain music, news, or conversations.

2. Create a Positive Soundscape

Surround yourself with sounds that promote healing. Play worship music, Scripture audio, instrumental pieces, or nature sounds.

3. Engage in Active Listening

When listening to music or in conversation, be fully present. Notice the layers of sound, lyrics, and tone. This deepens focus and rewires the nervous system toward calm.

4. Limit Exposure to Negative Sounds

Cut back on gossip, toxic media, and constant news cycles. Reducing “junk noise” frees space for sounds that build hope and resilience.


Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of hearing and the way sound can restore our souls. Teach us to choose words, music, and sounds that align with Your truth. Guard our hearts and minds with peace as we tune in to Your voice above all others. Amen.


In Service, Faith, Hope and Love,

Diana



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Disclaimer: The content provided on "Liberation Lunes" is for entertainment and informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical or mental condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read on this blog. The views expressed on this blog are my personal opinions and do not represent the views of any professional organizations with which I am affiliated. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor, 911, or 988 immediately. "Liberation Lunes" does not recommend or endorse any specific tests, physicians, products, procedures, opinions, or other information that may be mentioned on the blog. Reliance on any information provided by "Liberation Lunes," others appearing on the blog at the invitation of "Liberation Lunes," or other visitors to the blog is solely at your own risk.

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