If you’re interested in attending a sound bath in Chicago (or hosting one), here are some criteria to help you discern quality:

• Facilitator training & experience: Do they have a clear line of training? How many sessions have they facilitated? Which instruments do they use?

• Trauma-informed or nervous system-aware approach: Are they aware of contraindications (e.g., epilepsy, pacemakers, recent surgery, pregnancy)? Have they offered a safe container for emotional release? academyofsoundhealing.com+1

• Clear instructions for attendees: Is there a briefing? Are you told how to prepare (mat, blanket, earplugs if needed, water)? Is there integration time afterwards?

• Sound level & instrumentation: Deep gongs and metal bowls can deliver very strong vibrations—when used without care, they may overstimulate.

• Testimonials + personalized touch: Beyond great marketing copy, look for honest reviews, how the facilitator deals with emotional or physical reactions during the bath.

• Ethical transparency: Is the facilitator clear about what a sound bath is and what it isn’t (not a standalone cure for trauma, not medical treatment)?

Leading a sound journey is more than playing beautiful instruments—it’s about guiding people through a profound energetic experience. When done skillfully, a sound bath can create deep rest, emotional release, and subtle transformation. When not, it can overwhelm, unground, or even re-traumatize participants.

A safe and powerful sound journey balances art, awareness, and ethics.
Here’s how to create an experience that feels both deeply healing and responsibly held.

Every cell in your body vibrates at its own natural frequency. When external sound waves reach the body, they can create sympathetic resonance—encouraging cells, organs, and tissues to oscillate in harmony. This is similar to how one tuning fork can make another start vibrating when held nearby.

Some researchers suggest that disharmony or “dis-ease” in the body may be a kind of vibrational imbalance—and that certain frequencies can help restore coherence.

Crystal bowls are both instruments and teachers. They respond not only to how they are played but to the state of the person playing them. A skilled practitioner is not performing for others, but with the sound—guiding vibration in a way that is intentional, relational, and deeply attuned to the energy of the room.

This section offers a framework for using crystal singing bowls in sound bath settings, from individual self-practice to group journeys. It includes practical methods for combining tones, creating vibrational “chords,” and shaping the emotional and energetic arc of a session.

Sound healing can open doors we didn’t know were closed.
For some, it feels like floating in a sea of calm. For others, it can stir up deep emotion—tears, laughter, tingling, warmth, even unexpected memories or physical sensations.

These reactions aren’t wrong. They’re natural. When sound moves through the body, it vibrates not only the physical tissues but also the energetic and emotional layers we hold within them. It can bring awareness to what’s been stored or waiting to be released.

The key is to know how to respond—whether you’re the person experiencing it, another participant nearby, or the practitioner leading the session.

Sanskrit Name: Manipura
Element: Fire
Color: Yellow
Frequency: 126.22 Hz (Solar year resonance)
Herbs & Scents: Lemongrass, ginger, black pepper, bergamot, chamomile
Key Qualities: Confidence, vitality, willpower, self-worth, clarity
Type of Intelligence: Mental and instinctual
Physical Connection: Core, digestive system, liver, pancreas, adrenals, diaphragm
Key Themes: Autonomy, self-trust, purpose, transformation, responsibility
Imbalances: Fatigue, digestive issues, low confidence, control issues, anxiety
Benefits of Balance: Clear direction, strong boundaries, authentic action, vibrant energy
Obstacles: Self-doubt, overthinking, anger, fear of failure

Sanskrit Name: Svadhisthana
Element: Water
Color: Orange
Frequency: 210.42 Hz (Lunar month resonance)
Herbs & Scents: Jasmine, ylang-ylang, neroli, sandalwood, sweet orange
Key Qualities: Flow, feeling, pleasure, creativity, relationship, adaptability
Type of Intelligence: Emotional and creative
Physical Connection: Hips and pelvis, lower abdomen, reproductive organs, kidneys, bladder, fluids
Key Themes: Desire, boundaries, intimacy, expression, play
Imbalances: Creative block, numbness or overwhelm, shame or guilt, rigid control, pelvic/low-abdomen tension
Benefits of Balance: Emotional ease, embodied pleasure, authentic expression, healthy boundaries, magnetic creativity
Obstacles: Shame, repression, hyper-control, unprocessed grief

Sanskrit Name: Muladhara

Element: Earth

Color: Red

Frequency: 194.18 Hz (Synodic Day)

Herbs & Scents: Sage, cedar, and frankincense—used in smudging and grounding practices to stabilize energy and clear blockages

Key Qualities: Grounding, stability, security, survival

Type of Intelligence: Instinctual and physical

Physical Connection: Spine, legs, colon, adrenal glands

Key Themes: Survival, security, and feeling grounded

Imbalances: Anxiety, fear, financial instability, or physical ailments such as lower back pain

Benefits of Balance: Stability, presence, and a sense of connection to life

Obstacles: Fear, unresolved family wounds, and early life imprints

You don’t even have to “believe” in these energy fields to work with them. All it takes is a solid amount of blind faith that you’ll get something positive from your exploration and you most certainly will. In the end, the chakras are another (I’d argue incredible) framework for exploring the connection between the physical, emotional, and spiritual self.

It all begins with an idea.