“Sound healing reduces generalized anxiety during the pandemic: A feasibility study” presents a feasibility study on the effectiveness of a virtually-delivered, biofield-based sound healing treatment to reduce anxiety for individuals meeting criteria for Generalized Anxiety Disorder.
The study was conducted virtually via Zoom during the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic. Fifteen participants with moderate to high levels of anxiety, as determined by the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (≥10), were enrolled. Five certified Biofield Tuning Practitioners performed the interventions. Participants were given three weekly, hour-long sound healing treatments virtually, over a month’s period. The study found that attrition rates were 13.3%, with two participants dropping out of the study after one session. The remaining participants reported acceptability of the data collection process and intervention delivery.
Intention to treat analyses revealed statistically significant reductions in anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory), negative affect (Positive and Negative Affect Scale), and perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale) (p < .001 in all cases). Linguistic and word count analysis revealed a significant linear decrease (p = .01) of participants’ use of negative affect words over the course of the intervention. The study concludes that Biofield Tuning (BT) delivered virtually is feasible and amenable to study, and that the impact of BT may be substantial in reducing anxiety and improving mental health. This is the first study of its kind to report clinically significant reductions in anxiety levels in response to a virtually-delivered, biofield-based sound therapy.
However, the study has some limitations. The sample size was small, with only fifteen participants enrolled. Also, the study did not include a control group for comparison. Therefore, further research with larger sample sizes and control groups is needed to confirm these findings. Overall, the study provides valuable insights into the potential benefits of virtually-delivered, biofield-based sound healing treatment for individuals suffering from anxiety, especially during the pandemic. It also contributes to our understanding of the complex interactions between sound healing, the biofield, and mental health.
link to original article -https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2023.102947
