What are Healing Songs?

Healing songs are a type of music used either to facilitate healing or to actually directly heal. Some healing songs are as simple as sounds, but others take the form of chants or more easily recognized music. Less commonly, some people use the term healing songs to describe songs that promote a positive energy but are not designed specifically for healing. This type of music is common in many alternative healing traditions, although different traditions use the term in different ways.

One common type of healing music involves sounds designed to promote positive energies generally, which may be used during alternative medicine treatments or to set a mood during massage or other activities. Some people listen to these types of healing songs while meditating on positive change or undergoing healing treatments at home. Usually, this type of music is understood to promote healing but not to actually make changes in the body.

A somewhat rarer understanding of healing songs involves specific sounds used to enact changes directly on the body. Generally, the mechanism by which this works is understood to involve vibrations in the body and the way in which those vibrations relate to the vibrations of sound. People who believe in this type of healing may think of the world entirely in vibrations and modifications to bodily health in terms of changes in vibrations.

Chants and mantras are not usually thought of as songs, but they may sometimes be classified as healing songs, particularly if they are recorded. This type of song is usually thought to work in a way similar to meditation in that it guides the thoughts. By helping the mind to influence the body, this type of song can sometimes help physically heal the body. In this case, though, people generally understand that the song does not directly influence the body, but must be interpreted through the mind in order to work.

There are many different theories of healing songs, and not all can be considered equally reputable. Claims that sound vibrations work in a specific manner and have direct effects on the body should be investigated with caution. The science involved in determining how healing songs might literally and physically alter the body directly without assistance from the mind is often muddled or blatantly false. It is, however, well known that music can affect the mind, and the mind can affect the body. In this sense, there is no doubt that music can in some cases promote healing.