The many possible uses of singing bowls have long been no secret. In care, sound massage has been used for many years to accompany elderly people on their way. This form of nonverbal communication reaches people in their innermost being, even when they already live withdrawn into themselves. But sound massage is not only a good way to connect with seniors in a care home: within the family, too, the singing bowl can be used to find calm and relaxation together. We show you how you can use the sounds in everyday life to create positive effects.
What effect do the sounds of singing bowls have on elderly and sick people?
In everyday practice, it has been shown that sound massage can have a wide range of positive effects. The sounds are used above all to
- Enable relaxation
- Maintain and promote sensory perception
- Support one's own body awareness
- Activate the body's self-healing powers
- Reduce pain and thereby reduce the amount of medication
- Encourage communication and create nonverbal ways of communicating
- Reduce fears and provide support and security
- Enable a social connection between patients, relatives and nursing staff
- Bring some variety into everyday life.
The advantages are therefore obvious. Of course, it is not only seniors and sick people who benefit from the positive effects of the sound methods, but also family members, friends and nursing staff. It is important to see the sounds of singing bowls not only as a possible therapeutic tool, but as a form of communication in its own right. Those who can no longer express themselves, or no longer want to, still have the opportunity to express their feelings with the singing bowl.
Singing bowls in retirement homes: an important part of care for a long time
The sounds of singing bowls appeal to a variety of senses. Particularly relevant, of course, is hearing, which is stimulated by the gentle sounds of the singing bowl and has an intense experience. But the sound waves that pass through the body and create a feeling of calm and security are also relevant in sound massage. The Peter Hess® Sound Massage is therefore already used in many ways in care homes to support residents in everyday life and make everyday care easier. The focus here is clearly on prevention: maintaining and promoting the senses. The sound exercises are often combined with movement sequences to enable holistic training, for example as part of balance and coordination exercises.
But even when patients already live withdrawn into themselves, for example due to progressing dementia, sound massage has shown fantastic results in everyday practice. Patients who had not spoken to relatives or nursing staff for many years were encouraged by the sounds to make contact with the outside world again. Here, the sounds of the singing bowls are used as a form of communication in their own right. The results in everyday practice were so convincing that many care professionals have already written specialist articles on the use of sound massage in everyday care, and a dedicated study on this topic is to be carried out in the coming years.
Singing bowls in your everyday life
The calming effect of the singing bowl can be integrated perfectly into everyday life, whether you want to support your relatives in a care home or create a pleasant sense of well-being at home. An important factor here is, of course, the time you spend together. If you choose to share sound elements with your relatives, the moment belongs entirely to you. Together you can draw strength from this special moment, the soothing sounds and the harmonious togetherness.
The aspect of security and support is also particularly important. It is not uncommon for people to feel unprotected and in need of help in old age. The more serious the existing illnesses, the stronger this feeling usually is. The calm of the sound playing gives back some security and creates a moment of safety in which you can become completely absorbed and relax. An important principle in sound massage is that you may be as you are, even if only for a moment. The simplicity of the individual sounds allows inner access to your own worries without overwhelming you. The focus here is on hearing and feeling the sounds, not on the thoughts of everyday life. The sounds help you let go, even when facing a difficult time, whether it is aging itself, a serious illness or possibly even approaching death.
Beautiful moments with sound
In this context, the time spent together with the sounds and harmonious vibrations of the singing bowl is primarily meant to create a beautiful moment. The different forms of perception addressed by the sound playing, the special experience of one's own body and the well-being that results from it: all of this makes up the beautiful moments that the sound methods make possible. Where there would otherwise be barriers between people, the singing bowl builds a bridge of communication. This can happen in private everyday life as well as in professional care. Sound methods know no boundaries, because they give access to a level that cannot otherwise be reached.
How you can accompany the people around you with sound
Our own parents or grandparents grow older, and it is not uncommon for worries, fears and health problems to increase with age. The uncertainty of old age is often associated with a feeling of discomfort and restlessness. Fears arise more often, and otherwise positive thoughts change. Relatives seem to face the situation helplessly, but here too the sounds can support and unite. The calming effect of the singing bowl is a valuable help in growing older, because it eases significant fears and creates a shared moment of calm and security.
Body awareness is strengthened by directly addressing the different senses, which in turn can have an invigorating and motivating effect on your relatives. Above all, however, you enter into a shared moment with your loved ones that is dedicated only to you. This alone gives your relatives a feeling of security that can make everyday life easier. It is never easy to watch your own parents or grandparents slowly grow older. Knowing that sooner or later you will be affected yourself can also make everyday life more difficult. With sounds, there is a way to forget your worries for a moment and make use of the positive effects created by the delicate waves of sound.
Sounds in palliative care: calm on a difficult path
In palliative care, a great burden rests on the whole family. Relatives suffer from the approaching loss, while the dying person faces the uncertainty of death. All these uncertainties affect how people relate to one another, and finding some calm here and making the last time together a beautiful one is more valuable than ever. Sounds can achieve exactly this: time together, spent in a moment of absolute calm and serenity, carried only by the delicate sound waves that fill the room. Being able to forget the worries of everyday life for a moment is valuable for those affected, but also for their relatives, and above all it creates a connection that everyone involved can experience together.
Using the positive effects of the singing bowl in old age
The older we get, the more valuable the time we spend becomes. What seems a matter of course in youth can be a real gift in old age. Well-being, calm, time together: all these facets take center stage in sound massage. Whether you want to support your family members during a difficult time in the hospital, are looking for a nonverbal way to reach relatives with dementia or want to create a memory through time spent together, the sound methods can be used in many areas of growing older. People and sound are united at the center to make the best of every situation.
