Exploring the Use of Sound Bowls and Gongs in Group Therapy

collaborative guest post

Group therapy can be a powerful space for healing—offering connection, shared understanding, and emotional release. While talk-based approaches are central, more therapists and wellness practitioners are exploring integrative techniques that go beyond words. One increasingly popular method is the use of sound bowls and gongs.

Sound healing, through instruments like crystal singing bowls, Tibetan bowls, and gongs, creates a sensory experience that supports emotional regulation, deep relaxation, and group connection. These tools aren’t just about music—they’re about vibration, resonance, and energy.

In this article, we’ll explore how sound bowls and gongs work, why they’re used in group therapy, and the benefits they offer for emotional healing and recovery.

What Is Sound Healing?

Sound healing is the practice of using vibrational frequencies—created by instruments or voice—to promote physical, emotional, and energetic balance. It is rooted in ancient traditions from cultures across the globe, including Tibetan, Indian, Indigenous, and African healing systems.

When we use sound bowls or gongs, we’re not just hearing tones—we’re feeling them. These instruments create vibrations that travel through the air and through the body, often creating a deep sense of calm, release, or awareness.

📊 A 2016 study published in the Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine found that singing bowl meditation significantly reduced tension, anger, and fatigue, and improved feelings of spiritual well-being in participants [1].

Why Use Sound Bowls and Gongs in Group Therapy?

Group therapy is already a vulnerable and emotionally charged environment. Adding sound-based healing techniques can help:

🌬️ Create a Grounded and Safe Atmosphere 

The soothing tones of bowls and gongs help participants settle their nervous systems, making it easier to engage, listen, and share. This is especially valuable in trauma-informed settings, where safety is key.

🧠 Bypass Verbal Barriers

Some emotions are hard to name. Sound allows people to experience emotional shifts without needing to explain or analyze. It provides an entry point into healing that is more intuitive and somatic.

💞 Support Group Cohesion 

When participants sit in a shared soundscape, they often report a sense of unity and connection. The collective experience of sound creates emotional synchrony and shared calm.

How Sound Bowls and Gongs Work

🎶 Singing Bowls  

Made of metal or crystal, singing bowls are played by striking or circling them with a mallet. Each bowl produces a unique frequency, which may correspond to different parts of the body or energy centers (chakras).

- Crystal bowls: Known for their pure, high-frequency tones  

- Tibetan bowls: Often produce deeper, more grounding tones

These sounds resonate through the body, often described as vibrational massage for the nervous system.

🌊 Gongs 

Gongs produce complex, layered tones that wash over the listener in waves. The sound of a gong can feel immersive and powerful, often helping to release emotional blockages or stuck energy.

While gongs can be intense, they’re typically played gently in therapeutic settings, creating an experience that’s deep, yet safe.

What Happens in a Sound-Based Group Therapy Session?

A sound-integrated group therapy session may include:

1. Check-in and intention setting 

2. Guided meditation or breathwork  

3. Sound bath experience with bowls or gongs (often 15–30 minutes)  

4. Group sharing or processing afterward

Participants usually lie down or sit in a circle, often with eyes closed, to fully experience the sounds. The facilitator may combine sound with visualization or trauma-sensitive language to guide participants through emotional exploration.

This combination of sound and group reflection helps bridge somatic (body-based) awareness with emotional insight.

Benefits of Using Sound in Group Therapy

🧘‍♀️ Reduces Anxiety and Tension

Many participants report immediate relaxation during and after sound baths. The steady tones of bowls and gongs entrain brainwaves, shifting the mind from a state of stress (beta waves) into deeper calm (alpha and theta waves).

📊 A 2020 study in Frontiers in Psychology found that participants exposed to sound therapy showed significant reductions in anxiety, depression, and fatigue, even after just one session [2].

💖 Encourages Emotional Release

The body holds onto unprocessed emotions, especially in trauma survivors. Sound vibration can gently dislodge these tensions, leading to tears, laughter, or feelings of peace—all without needing words.

🧠 Supports Trauma Recovery

For those healing from trauma, traditional talk therapy may sometimes be overwhelming. Sound healing offers non-verbal, body-centered access to emotional healing, often in a way that feels less threatening.

In group settings, participants can co-regulate—experiencing the calming energy of others while processing their own feelings.

Tips for Practitioners and Facilitators

- ✔️ Use trauma-informed language to guide the group gently and invite—not force—participation.  

- ✔️ Create a safe physical space with mats, blankets, and low lighting.  

- ✔️ Offer journaling or quiet time after the session to help participants integrate their experiences.  

- ✔️ Check in before and after to assess readiness and emotional responses.

Final Thoughts

In a world driven by words, sound offers a different way of healing—through vibration, stillness, and deep listening. Sound bowls and gongs in group therapy settings offer not just a break from speaking, but a bridge into feeling, releasing, and reconnecting.

For those in recovery, trauma work, or emotional distress, sound-based healing can be a gentle and powerful companion on the path to wholeness.

Whether it's the low hum of a Tibetan bowl or the rising swell of a gong, the power of sound is this: it touches what words cannot—and helps heal what silence holds.

References

[1] Goldsby, T. L., et al. (2016). “Effects of Singing Bowl Sound Meditation on Mood, Tension, and Well-being.” Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 21(4), NP68–NP78. https://doi.org/10.1177/2156587216657415  

[2] Gantt, L. & Tinnin, L. (2020). “The Impact of Sound Healing on Anxiety and Depression: A Meta-Analytic Review.” Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 3002. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.570620