by Mary-Elizabeth Schurrer 

This time of year can often feel like the last mile of an exhausting marathon. You are running out of stamina, but there’s still so much on the line to accomplish as you look ahead to a bustling holiday season and a fast-approaching New Year just around the corner.    

If you could use a tune-up of energetic balance, harmony and restoration in your life right now, welcome to the club. After a stressful, tumultuous couple of years, couldn’t we all benefit from this? Fortunately, The OM Shoppe in Sarasota has just the modality to help us access a state of physical, mental and emotional health. Enter: sound healing.  

In the final Community Spotlight of 2022, Beth Snyder, CEO of The OM Shoppe and Certified Therapeutic Sound Practitioner, will introduce us to the power of sound healing, what to look for when choosing a therapist, and why this treatment is so incredible for maintaining balance and wellness—no matter how hectic the pace of life might feel.      

National Awakenings: Could you summarize what sound healing entails for those who are unfamiliar, as well as your own credentials and experience with this modality?  

Beth Snyder: Sound healing has experienced a recent surge in mainstream visibility. As a result, there are many new, diverse offerings of this modality available. However, at its core, sound therapy, sonic therapy, sound healing or therapeutic sound application are all forms of vibrational medicine. What exactly is vibrational medicine? 

This is a holistic approach to health and wellness, which takes into account the energetic nature of all life. Our atoms are vibrating energy, and the energetic vibrations of many forms and frequencies (colors, lights, sounds, touch, aromas) constantly affect us. Therefore, vibrational medicine encompasses all forms of energy therapies that can tune us—and our environments— back into a state of harmonic resonance. 

One of this modality’s most powerful benefits is the application of therapeutic sound. This can take many forms, such as sound baths, one-on-one integral sound therapy, tuning fork therapy, vocal toning or drumming. This also includes elaborate musical medicine concerts, like those performed at The OM Shoppe by musical medicine group Resonance. 

At the OM Shoppe in Sarasota, we have been specializing in vibrational medicine and sound therapy products since 2010. We distribute Crystal Singing Bowls and Tibetan Singing Bowls, as well as a vast array of therapeutic sound or vibrational medicine products and educational resources. You can find these through our online store and in our 3200-square-foot showroom and energy spa.  

An addition to being the CEO of the OM Shoppe, I also am a Clinical Hypnotherapist, ISTA Certified Therapeutic Sound Practitioner and a teacher for the Sound Healing Academy. I oversee the in-person certification and diploma classes in Sound Therapy held at The OM Shoppe. We have successfully graduated over 500 Therapeutic Sound Practitioners, to date. I also recently joined the board of directors for the International Sound Therapy Association, a 501(c)3 that collectively works to raise the standards of sound healing education, certification, research and community ethics.   

NA: What are some of the health benefits sound healing has to offer, and are there any specific ailments or blockages it’s been known to help resolve?  

Snyder: If you have ever listened to a piece of music and took notice of how it changed your mood, then you understand how quickly sound can impact mental and emotional states. Beyond jamming out to your favorite tunes, however, professional sound therapy takes this deeper through the Science of Sound—and how it impacts not only mood states, but also bodily tissues, muscles and subconscious belief systems.   

Frequencies that range from 500 to 400 hertz (a hertz is one cycle per second) are, in essence, a massage for your cells within the muscles, joints and bones. This vibrational massage filters through the entire physical and energetic body-mind. The principle of harmonic resonance elevates the body’s cells to a super healing state to rebuild more tissue and activate the body’s natural abilities to heal itself. In these deeply relaxing states, you can also shift limiting beliefs and recreate patterns to improve your mood, behavior and personal choices.  

Studies have shown that, by using sound tools (such as a Crystal Singing Bowl), a person can more easily enter a meditative state, improve their sleep, manage PTSD and activate the relaxation response. According to ISTASounds.org, below are just a few health benefits of using sound therapy on your own, with a therapist or as a group: 

Studies confirm that sound therapy and music can manage the symptoms of conditions such as arthritis, cancer, tinnitus, autoimmune disease. That’s because using vibrational frequencies and deep relaxation sound therapy is known to “aid the body in its natural process of self-healing,” those studies point out. Sound therapy can also help lower blood pressure, enhance sleep, regulate emotions, improve mental clarity and alleviate anxious feelings.  

One of my greatest joys is to help entire families discover how easy it is to build soothing sounds into their daily routines. I love to educate others on how to do a sound bath at home for their children or loved ones—and even their pets. It’s an incredible way to bond, relax and heal right in the comfort of their own homes. Recently, The OM Shoppe, created an at-home sound bath bundle with step-by-step instructions that anyone can implement.  

NA: As a professional in the alternative wellness space, what are your thoughts on the increase in sound healing’s mainstream visibility within recent years?   

Snyder: The OM Shoppe has been a leader in the field of sound healing since 2010. In recent years, there has been an explosion of new online stores, educational programs and public offerings that also focus on sound therapy. But unfortunately, several of these are of poor quality, which can lay the groundwork for potential trouble.  

Before you refer to yourself as a professional in this modality, or attempt to offer any kind of sound therapy, seek out at least 200 hours of core quality education. The Sound Healing Academy is an excellent resource to obtain those credentials. It is not enough to purchase some instruments and start offering services. In fact, this can be quite dangerous if you do not have the right education and understanding of how powerful this modality can be. It’s crucial that you know how to correctly work with sound in relation to the human body and mind. For a list of quality education institutions and certified therapists, visit ISTASounds.org.  

 If you are considering a sound bath or a one-on-one treatment using sound therapy, first ask the therapist where they trained and how many hours of training they have completed. If you have ever experienced a sound bath from a practitioner who is not trained, it can be disturbing and upsetting. Therefore, it’s vital to seeking out qualified, trained therapists. 

Much like Hypnotherapy, sound healing is a non-licensed profession. However, it is not protected as a profession because it is not listed in the Department of Labor’s Occupational Handbook. The International Sound Therapy Association is working to protect our field and sacred profession from those who are looking just to earn a quick dollar with no regard for the future and integrity of this powerful healing modality.   

NA: What sound healing treatments do you offer at the OM Shoppe & Spa, and do you have any upcoming events that focus on this particular modality?  

Snyder: Sound therapy is at the heart of The OM Shoppe. In fact, we are the premier energy spa here on the East Coast. People come from all over the world to learn about this modality and receive treatments. We offer massage, energy therapy, hypnotherapy and, of course, therapeutic sound sessions in various forms.  

We also offer group activities such as an acoustic and meditative OM Sound Bath on the second Wednesday of each month. Two unique factors make these sound baths so spectacular—the skill of our Musical Director, Zen Seraphine, as well as our use of several hundred resonating crystal instruments in the space.  

The Sound Journey, held on the fourth Sunday of each month, is another group event we offer. Comprised of a four-musician ensemble called Resonance, these shows have been sold out for over four years. This distinctive experience is electrified with violin, guitar, professional hypnosis and over 100 different instruments. In both of these group events, participants will relax in an anti-gravity lounge chair with hypnotic lights in an ambiance like no other.  

Sound therapy is present in almost all one-on-one treatments. Even our massages start with a seven-chakra practitioner singing bowl clearing. The OM Shoppe’s most sought after one-on-one sound sessions include the Integral Sound Healing, Shamanic Clearing with Sound™, Sound Wave Attunement™ and Sonic Meridian Clearing with Tuning Forks™. All treatments are trademarks of The OM Shoppe, and have been carefully created with the deep knowledge of how therapeutic sound impacts all levels of the human consciousness.  

You can also experience our professionally trademarked Hypnosound™ recordings. These are combinations of hypnosis and sound healing in a digital .mp3 format. We offer many recordings to help in numerous areas, from releasing anxiety to improving motivation. In the spa, Hypnosound™ is combined with our vibroacoustic chair, light therapy and headphones for an amazing treatment that anyone can walk in and enjoy. Hypnosound™ recordings and Sound Journeys are also available online for purchase to download.   

NA: If someone is interested in sound healing, what qualities should they look for in a practitioner to ensure safe results and optimal wellness benefits?  

Snyder: To ensure that you have the best possible experience, it is vital to seek out a highly trained professional. I recommend that you look for someone who has graduated with at least a diploma, and has over 200 hours of training—even better if they have a certification from a body such as the International Sound Therapy Association. This indicates they are holding themselves to a high ethical standard, as well as participating in continuous education.  

A quality sound therapist will have a breadth of knowledge across the field. They also should have the training to ensure you’re able facilitate your own healing as they hold space for you. It’s important to remember: while you might see the title, “Sound Healer,” no one ever heals another. All improvement—physical, emotional or psychological—is self-healing.  

We invite you to learn more in the free learning center on our website. We have compiled hundreds of articles on the subject of sound therapy and all the wonderful treatment modalities that fall under this umbrella of vibrational medicine.  

Beth Snyder, CCHt, is the CEO of The OM Shoppe and a Certified Therapeutic Sound Practitioner through the International Sound Therapy Association. The OM Shoppe is located at 4801 S Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. For more information or to schedule a sound healing session, please call 941-706-3257 or visit TheOMShoppe.com.    

Mary-Elizabeth Schurrer is the Managing Editor of Natural Awakenings Sarasota–Manatee. She also works as a freelance writer, blogger and social media marketer. Her personal blog HealthBeAHippie.Wordpress.com features tips for embracing an active, nutritious, balanced and empowered lifestyle.