Vibroacoustic Therapy: Is It Worth the Hype?
by Zooey Seraphine
I
f you’ve heard about vibroacoustic chairs and beds, you could be wondering what exactly vibroacoustic therapy is. It might even sound odd, at first, to think that a chair with music passing through it would be more therapeutic than just bluetoothing your favorite relaxation music. Why then are so many people, including wellness and healthcare professionals, starting to utilize and recommend the treatments? Below, we’ll discuss how vibroacoustic therapy can help to address a myriad of physiological and psychosomatic symptoms and what it actually does for the mind-body connection. What is Vibroacoustic Therapy? Let’s start by explaining what vibroacoustic therapy actually is and how it works. Vibroacoustic therapy (VAT) usually involves the use of low-frequency sound vibrations transferred through a transducer onto a bed, chair or mat, where a client can listen to and physically feel the sounds from the device. Unlike other methods of sound therapy, the sound you receive through a vibroacoustic chair affects the body in several different ways. First of all, because it uses the power of therapeutic music designed for brainwave entrainment, it immediately triggers the relaxation response through air transmissions the body receives. But the sound does not only travel through the air. In fact, there are a few other ways your body receives the vibrations, and the tones of the music you hear are not the only therapeutic frequencies the body receives. These sound frequencies also pass through the transducer directly into the body through physical vibration which provides a massage for your cells and deep tissues. The cells vibrate at their own frequencies, so as you are exposed different frequencies, based on the energy, stresses, and sounds you encounter, the 26
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bodies can become out of sync with its own prime resonance (or state of harmony). The VAT frequencies are designed to return the body to a state of harmony or specifically address certain organs or states of discomfort. Because of the physical vibrations, the body also receives tactile stimulation and skeletal joint relaxation. Finally, the body receives the therapeutic benefits of the VAT frequencies through bone conduction. Nerve impulses in the skull bone allow the brain to receive acoustic energy, even if there is structural hearing loss or damage. A well-constructed VAT chair or bed allows the music and frequencies to be felt and experienced at low, comfortable volumes, while still deeply impacting the body with a cellular massage. What Can Vibroacoustic Therapy Do for You? So how can this inner massage and reharmonization benefit your individual body? Studies conducted by the National Institute of Health (NIH), among others resources, have shown that vibroacoustic therapy has significant potential in the following areas: • • • • • • • •
Reduce pain Slow respiration and heart rates Decrease blood pressure Lower stress Calm anxious feelings Reduce fatigue and exhaustion Relax of muscle tension and inflammation Lower brain wave frequencies to a theta or delta state
Besides producing a deep relaxation response, studies have also shown how VAT frequencies can address specific medical issues including, but not limited to, these below: • • • • • • • • •
Autism disorder Neurological disorders (including Retts syndrome and Parkinson’s disease) Muscle conditions (including rheumatoid arthritis and cerebral palsy) Post-operative pain (decreasing rehabilitation time), Other types of pain (including fibromyalgia) Circulatory deficiencies Digestive issues Insomnia Depression
