In my clinical practice, I integrate advanced trauma therapy methods like EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), a powerful modality that supports the reprocessing of painful memories and stored emotional responses. These sessions can stir deep layers of the nervous system, leading to emotional breakthroughs, but sometimes, they can also leave clients in a heightened or dysregulated state. That’s where sound enters the picture, not just as ambiance, but as a clinically-informed tool for healing.
Sound is not simply a passive experience. It is vibrational energy, measured in waves called hertz (Hz), that interacts directly with the human body. Our bones, tissues, and fluids are excellent conductors of sound. In fact, our entire body is a resonating system, our nervous system especially responsive to specific frequencies. Recent advances in neuroscience and biophysics have begun to catch up to what ancient traditions have long known: sound can heal.
I often turn to sound therapy as a closing ritual in trauma work. In-person, I use the Opus SoundBed, a vibrational healing technology that emits frequencies specifically designed to soothe and regulate the nervous system. It’s not just a luxury or spa-like add-on. When clients lie down on the SoundBed after EMDR, their body receives carefully calibrated sound waves that resonate through their entire system, supporting a shift from sympathetic arousal (fight-or-flight) into parasympathetic calm (rest-and-digest).
This is backed by emerging research. Studies in vibroacoustic therapy suggest that low-frequency sound stimulation can reduce stress markers, improve heart rate variability (a key measure of nervous system resilience), and even decrease chronic pain. Frequencies in the range of 40 Hz–120 Hz have been associated with neural coherence bringing brainwave patterns into greater harmony.
Jonathan Goldman, in Healing Sounds, writes about the idea that frequency plus intention equals healing. In my practice, the intention is to help clients safely return to their bodies after doing deep emotional work. When paired with a resonant frequency, especially after the activation that EMDR can bring, the result is not only calming, but integrative. The body doesn’t just relax; it reorganizes itself around a new experience of safety.
Clients often report feeling grounded, emotionally centered, and physically lighter after these sound sessions. The experience helps seal in the gains made during EMDR while preventing overwhelm or emotional flooding. For those I see virtually, I offer guided sound recordings that echo the vibrational principles of the SoundBed, using binaural beats, harmonic layering, and intention-setting meditations to achieve a similar effect.
Sound is ancient, but the science is catching up. Whether through the physical resonance of a sound bed or the frequencies embedded in a digital track, vibrational healing is more than a trend—it’s a nervous system technology. And in trauma work, where safety and integration are everything, it can make all the difference.