Sound Healing and Health Claims – Facts or Toxic Marketing?

Guys, we need to talk about health claims and Sound Healing. As you know, I produce digital Sound Baths for streaming. And let’s just say: so far, they haven’t been very successful. I always looked for the flaws in sound quality, availability or pricing. But a Q&A sticker in my Insta Story recently led me to a completely different conclusion:

My “marketing” contains no health claims.

And I don’t want to ridicule that at all. If people are expected to lie down for 60 minutes to wind down, they want to know what the benefit is. However, at this point in time, science has not yet fully researched the topic of sound. And we don’t live in a legal vacuum.

We live in Germany, where laws like the HWG and UWG apply.

Those who follow the law speak in the subjunctive. And honestly, that brings only moderate success. Proved this for you ✔️

Why health claims work

If you research “healing promises” a bit more deeply, you quickly end up with terms like religion, fascism and populism. So far, so uncomfortable. But why are they still being used then?

Because they work. They manipulate and suck you in. They make a promise that buyers desperately want to believe in. This promise doesn’t hide behind “mights” and “coulds”. It is sold to us as a fact. And it always solves an existing problem.

Broken vs. Whole

In the spiritual scene, it feels like everything revolves around “healing”. But the opposite of “whole” is “broken”. And I’m pretty sure that all those spiritual types striving for healing would by no means call themselves broken. As a physiotherapist, I would define being “whole” as the absence of pathologies. And therefore as a synonym for physiological. But that’s usually not what it’s about when we fall for health claims. Healing in a spiritual context normally means becoming “the best version of yourself”. Leading a happy life in “abundance”, without any suffering or pesky feelings.

I spent five minutes on Google, and now I want to share the most popular Sound Healing promises with you:

“Sound Healing improves sleep.”

Maybe, maybe not. A Sound Bath helps many people fall asleep. But the claim that Sound Healing per se improves sleep is simply false.

“Sound Healing has a relaxing effect.”

This will be true for the majority of people who attend a Sound Bath, but it’s entirely down to the actual sounds being used. If someone plays an ocean drum for half an hour, it’s more likely to agitate than relax. Generally, the effect of a Sound Bath depends entirely on the performance of the person offering it. On how mindfully they handle the sounds and how they compose them.

“Sound Healing reduces stress and anxiety.”

This is a claim and therefore violates the HWG mentioned above. A Sound Bath has a stress-reducing effect on many people, but certainly not on everyone. I would be even more cautious when it comes to anxiety. People experience anxiety for a wide variety of reasons. Lying in a crowded room with many people and experiencing a Sound Bath can actually backfire.

“Sound Healing helps with depression.”

This is a very bold and, in my opinion, extremely dangerous claim. Depression is a serious illness that requires professional treatment. Imagine someone with suicidal thoughts at a wild gong bath. I’ve experienced such Sound Baths myself. It can seriously backfire. Are you on a therapy waiting list? If you want to try sound, check the provider very closely. However, in a depressive phase, you might not have the drive or the capacity to research the professionalism of Sound Healing providers. That’s why I find this health claim, at the end of the day, to be downright dangerous.

“Sound Healing reduces heart rate and blood pressure.”

Once again, the effect all depends on the choice of sounds and the way they are played. For example, I once attended a gong bath in a Berlin bunker that by no means reduced my heart rate or blood pressure. Quite the opposite, in fact. So, this is another claim that violates the HWG.

“Sound Healing releases muscle tension and relieves physical pain.”

Our Cosmic Sound Massage does release muscle tension. I can make that claim because the massage treats the muscles mechanically. There is a noticeable before-and-after effect. If someone with muscle tension attends a Sound Bath and finds it relaxing, it can certainly have a detonizing effect on their muscles. But claiming that muscle tension is specifically “released” is, in my opinion, an exaggerated health promise. “Physical pain” can have an infinite number of causes. To claim across the board that a Sound Bath relieves physical pain is, therefore, absolute bullshit.

“Sound Healing releases blockages.”

Since “blockages” is such a vague term that everyone defines differently, it’s naturally unclear what is actually meant by it. Therefore, such a claim is probably less problematic, but also pretty wishy-washy.

“Sound Healing regulates the nervous system.”

“Nervous system regulation” is a major buzzword right now. So, this claim is pretty much guaranteed to generate a lot of engagement and reach. But here, too, such a broad statement is, of course, bullshit. Because, once again: I can play an ocean drum or other sounds in a way that leaves the nervous system anything but regulated. I can also play crystal singing bowls in a closed room in a way that regulates nothing at all. I can choose particularly high frequencies that are safe to ensure the nervous system is more agitated after the Sound Bath than before. Welcome to the Low Vibe Club…

“Nervous System Healing”, “Spiritual Healing” and “Deep Healing”

Healing always gets clicks. We all want to be whole. I mean – who likes being broken? Being broken isn’t cool. But terms like these are so vague that, at the end of the day, they are probably harmless.

It’s been four weeks since I posted that Instagram sticker. Realizing that people crave health promises was a turning point. For four weeks, I’ve been sitting with this information to let it sink in. I wondered if the consequence should be to dance along the edge of legal claims. Ultimately, I decided against it.

We all know that one aromatherapy brand that juggles the most absurd health promises and built a huge success on it. I don’t want to work like that brand. I am a physical therapist and I spent ten years working as a freelance spa therapist in 5-star hotels. I know to bring a human body into deep relaxation and regulate a nervous system. And that’s regardless of whether I use manual techniques or work with sound.

I didn’t just break out of a hated office job two months ago and take a weekend course in singing bowls to start bringing “healing” to humanity now.

Therefore, when booking a Sound Bath, I’d give you the same advice as for body treatments. Look closely at who is offering it. Notice how much ego is on the website. And pay attention to what kind of health claims the person is throwing around. The best offers usually hide where people aren’t screaming so loudly.

Yes, Cosmic Sounds can help with falling asleep, relaxing and powering down. But Cosmic Sounds can also simply run in the background during a moon ritual. Even pets and babies usually respond really well to Cosmic Sounds. And with YouTube Premium, you can stream the Sound Baths without any commercial interruptions.

If you want to explore how this sounds in practice, head over to my Cosmic Sounds page and listen to the ongoing YouTube series.

Jenny