Gong Bath Therapy

Gong therapy is an ancient practice that involves total relaxation while bathing in sound. It’s a method of inactive meditation – you don’t need to do anything except lie down and relax.

Gongs originated in religious and spiritual practice and are often associated with yoga or spiritual retreats. However, you don’t have to subscribe to any particular religion to benefit from gong therapy, and it is now commonly used as a form of therapy in secular contexts.

At Oasis Bradford, gong therapy is offered as one of our comprehensive suite of treatments for structured rehab.

What is gong therapy?

Humans have been using gongs for a very long time – since at least the Bronze Age in Southeast Asia. This makes the gong one of the oldest musical instruments.

Throughout its long history, the gong has had many uses. It was used in rituals, temples and monasteries, celebrations, weddings and funerals in Southeast Asia. When it made its way to the West in the 18th century, it was integrated into the symphony orchestra, where it’s still used today.

The concept of using the gong as a healing instrument is very old in Southeast Asia but relatively new in the West, likely beginning in the middle of the 20th century. Here, we use gongs to create gong baths – walls of sound that people find healing to lie down and take in. This is called gong bathing or sound bathing – lying down and relaxing into the sound as you would water.

Gong therapy as meditation

The benefits of mindfulness and meditation for addiction are well-researched and supported.

To overcome addiction, a variety of coping mechanisms need to be developed and employed.

Mindfulness and meditation give people an alternative way to calm the body and brain so they don’t need to rely on substances. They also train people’s ability to be present in the moment – not ruminating on the past or worrying about the future. For people who have come to rely on substances to block painful memories or dull worries about future problems, this is an invaluable tool that promotes resilience.

Meditation needs to be practised. It’s common for people new to meditation or mindfulness to say that they find it difficult to stay present and that their mind wanders.

This is where gong bath therapy can be useful. Gong bathing doesn’t require you to move your body into poses, like yoga, or follow instructions. You lie down and let the sound move you into a state of relaxation. For people with busy brains who find it difficult to let go of thoughts, this can be an excellent way of accessing mindful and meditative states without practising the ability to do so.

Gong therapy for addiction

As a form of sound therapy, gong therapy is an excellent way to access a variety of emotional, mental and brainwave states that are healing for addiction.

Audio therapy has been studied in the context of addiction recovery. A paper examining the effects of calming audio and music, using fMRI imaging, on people recovering from addiction found positive effects in modulating activity in mesolimbic structures of the brain. These areas are highly associated with how addiction manifests in the brain. Participants had statistically significant improvements in withdrawal symptoms, including cravings, stress, fear, anger, and body and headaches.

The concept of a higher power is common in many forms of addiction recovery treatment and is central to the concept of 12-step. This can sometimes be challenging for people with secular beliefs. More traditional sound therapies rooted in ancient spiritual practices can help promote a sense of a higher power and be a secular way of accessing this concept.

Part of the work of recovery is finding new ways to process and tolerate difficult emotions like anxiety, sadness and stress. These are feelings that many people turn to substances to self-medicate. Gong sound therapy gives people a place and time to slip into a state of deep relaxation without the use of substances. It shows that it’s possible to calm the body and brain without the use of drugs or alcohol.

Gong therapy benefits

Gong bath therapy is known for its ability to promote relaxation, emotional release and pain relief. There isn’t much research on the exact mechanisms that gong therapy uses to attain these things – however, there is research on the healing benefits of sound. Sound therapies like gong, singing bowls or binaural beats can help your brain relax into different brainwave states.

Gong therapy differs from some other forms of sound therapy due to the type of sound it uses. Gong sounds are loud without being overwhelming and long and reverberating. These sounds can stimulate alpha-dominant or theta-dominant brainwave states. Alpha waves are associated with states of wakeful rest. In contrast, theta-waves are associated with the period where you’re drifting off to sleep. Recovery can be stressful. The mental break offered by slipping into these states can be a welcome respite from the work of healing your addiction.

The benefits of being suspended in an altered brainwave state for a long period are numerous. Studies point to reductions in tension, anger and fatigue, an increased ability to tap into creative states, stress reduction and emotional release.

What happens during gong therapy?

You will be made as comfortable as possible at the start of gong therapy. Soft, warm clothes, even pyjamas, are encouraged. Because you’re lying on the floor, blankets, pillows or yoga mats will be provided so you will be as warm and supported as possible.

One or more gongs may be used and will be struck differently throughout the session. The gong is struck with soft mallets. The aim is not to create harsh clanging but long, reverberating sounds. Some people describe being able to feel these sounds in their bones and the sensation of having a massage for their brain.

You may experience a variety of sensations during gong bath therapy. A sense of deep relaxation and calm is common, and many people fall asleep during the session. Others report an altered sense of time or distortions in their spatial awareness. Some people experience ideas coming to them unbidden, while some people report unexpected emotional release.

The gong bath session is your time – you don’t need to put pressure on yourself to achieve anything or put expectations on what will happen. The only thing you need to do is lie down and experience whatever the sound invokes for you.

Gong therapy at Oasis Bradford

Gong therapy is just one of the many forms of therapy offered at Oasis Bradford. Through a plethora of tailored addiction treatments, we can help you on the path out of addiction to a happier, healthier, sober life.

Get in touch today to find out how we can help you.