Is a Sound Bath meditation safe during pregnancy ?
For the correct answer to the question “is sound bath safe during pregnancy” it is important to know how and where to do your research accurately from medically verified sources and how to correctly interpret the information. The general health warnings being given by some sound bath facilitators regarding sound bath and any stage of pregnancy are unethical for at least two reasons, firstly that medical advice regarding the safety of anything for those with a medical condition can only legally be given to the public by a suitably qualified medical Doctor.
Such recommendations are based on fear of the unknown and are without substantial evidence to backup the claims. This is unethical – as it doesn’t allow the public to make their own fully informed decision based on all known facts being made available to them.
The basis of medical ethics is the Hippocratic Oath to “do no harm”, the basis of which is providing fully informed consent so the individual can make up their own mind.
https://www.sciencenewstoday.org/what-is-medical-ethics
The apparent confusion amongst some therapeutic sound practitioners regarding the safety of sound bath meditation during any stage of pregnancy (including the first trimester) comes from a place of fear, without any substantial case evidence. If you know & understand the frequency of intention you will know how and why unfounded fear has no place in the mind of a therapeutic sound practitioner.
If you know & understand the practice of medical ethics, you will know that medical claims should only be made ethically with sufficient evidence and informed judgement based on sufficient experience to backup the claims and most certainly not from a place of personal fear without any substantial medically verifiable evidence.
It is most definitely true that the highest number of miscarriages occur during the first trimester of pregnancy. This doesn’t mean a sound bath can cause a miscarriage. It is a well known fact that miscarriages are most likely caused by genetic defect and/or health problems of the mother. There is no evidence that miscarriage has ever been caused by meditation including sound bath meditation.
To understand the probable causes of miscarriage it’s very important to refer to verified medical sources, such as this interesting article from WebMD:
https://www.webmd.com/baby/4-common-causes-miscarriage
While I can state verified facts so you can more effectively make up your own opinion, I am unable to provide general advice on the suitability of sound bath meditation during pregnancy – as this breaches medical Law, because I am not a Doctor.
ALWAYS give each expectant mother the respect they deserve to use their own common sense regarding what is best for them and their child, a mother really does know what’s best for their baby. The facts are that there just aren’t any proven dangers of sound bath meditation for pregnant women. Instead, good common sense is required at all times. For example sound bath is best avoided at any time when childbirth may be imminent, or the expectant mother may not be able to rest comfortably due to restless baby, or they may be going to the toilet more often than usual. This isn’t a danger, but the constant fidgeting of a hugely pregnant mother, would certainly disrupt the group. This is the reason sound bath should be avoided during this time, or at any time when a mother intuitively decides for herself.
It’s strictly against medical Law for anyone to provide medical advice to the public regarding the suitability of sound bath meditation for a specific medical condition including pregnancy unless they are a suitably qualified medical Doctor. If anyone is ever unsure if sound bath is suitable for their medical condition including pregnancy, they should always ask their Doctor’s advice so they can be certain – strictly no exceptions.
What is a Sound Bath Meditation ?
To help you o understand the beneficial effects of a sound bath meditation, it’s important to correctly understand what a sound bath meditation really is. Sound bath is a style of meditation, where musical sounds are expertly played live in the room by the facilitator to induce deep rest and relaxation of mind and body.
The aim of this deep rest and relaxation induced by sound bath meditation is to trigger the body’s natural relaxation response. The aim of achieving this natural state of deep rest and relaxation naturally with a meditative sound bath is to encourage the body’s own self-healing mechanisms which naturally occur during good quality sleep.
A study in India found that just 20 minutes of the right kind of deep and restful meditation can be equal to 4 or 5 hours of deep sleep. This is due to the natural self-healing which occurs in the body during this type of deeply relaxed meditation. The study, which was conducted by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), and was conducted on a group of 50 corporate executives who were experiencing high levels of stress and anxiety.
Beware of Unsupported Claims
It is very important to understand that Sound Bath meditation is perfectly safe for healthy people of all ages, including many folks with certain medical conditions as an aid to their recovery and reducing their symptoms but only a Doctor can legally provide medical advice to the public regarding the suitability of sound bath meditation for specific medical conditions.
Unsupported claims include such things as:
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- Unsafe due to Oxytocin release – it is a well known medical fact that Oxytocin will only induce labour if the mother is in the final stages of labour – when a 2nd natural chemical is present in the body. Nobody should be attending a sound bath if they are in the final stages of labour.
- Danger to unborn baby’s hearing – advice from the CDC regarding loud noise during pregnancy states the following:
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“For adults, noise that is 85 decibels (dBA) or more is considered hazardous to your hearing. At this noise level, you would have to raise your voice for someone next to you to hear you.
Sounds from outside the body are lower inside the womb, but not completely silenced. Some experts think that women who are pregnant should not be routinely around noise louder than 115 dBA. This is based on what we know about how sound moves through a body. A noise level of 115 dBA is roughly as loud as a chainsaw. Avoid areas that are louder than 115 dBA during pregnancy, even if you are wearing hearing protection.”
We can safely say that sound bath meditation is never played as loud as a chainsaw (over 115dBA) well I hope not! To put this into context, if a sound bath was played as loud as a chainsaw, all meditators would be needing hearing protection. If a sound bath player is playing so loud that all meditators need hearing protection, everyone should be getting out of there.
Source: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/reproductive-health/prevention/noise.html
When reading workplace safety advice regarding occupational noise during pregnancy it is essential to have a thorough medical understanding of the warnings, as these warnings are designed to be read by adequately trained workplace safety personnel.
It is all too easy for a Lay person to misinterpret such workplace safety advice regarding safe noise limits in the workplace during pregnancy, for example if they have no knowledge of how loud 85dBA actually is, or how loud 115dBA is. To give you and idea, many people wouldn’t know that at 85dBA you need to shout very loudly while talking to be heard by the person next to you. 85dBA is also typically the sound level I have regularly measured on stage while I am playing keyboards with the blues/rock band. You can also easily tell when the noise level of the band exceeds 85dBA, the audience naturally moves further away from the stage, I’m not kidding, it really is that obvious.
The Benefits of Meditation During Pregnancy
There is a growing body of evidence which shows that certain sound frequencies along with the expert playing techniques when correctly designed to produce the right kind of deep rest and relaxation (as taught here at International Academy of Sound Therapy) makes sound bath meditation a highly effective method of deep rest, relaxation and stress reduction for everyone.
If you know & understand the neuroscience of sound & frequency medicine, and the stress reducing effects of an expertly played live sound bath meditation, along with the many documented benefits of meditation as an effective method of stress reduction for women during any stage of pregnancy, you would not be recommending pregnant women to avoid an expertly played live sound bath meditation.
There is a growing body of research which shows the many benefits of stress reduction during pregnancy to mother and baby, including to aid a trouble-free childbirth and healthy baby. The following are just a small sample of the verified evidence available demonstrating the benefits of meditation for rest, relaxation and stress reduction during pregnancy which can be found very quickly online with minimal searching:
Meditation and Mindfulness in Pregnancy and Postpartum: A Review of the Evidence
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34162788/
https://www.webmd.com/baby/what-to-know-meditation-during-pregnancy
https://www.rsm.ac.uk/latest-news/2023/experts-underline-importance-of-reducing-stress-in-pregnancy/
Please don’t ever take your sound bath advice from an unverified online source, or from a person who is not declaring the source of their advice or how it was medically verified. Does the person giving this advice work in a holistic clinic as a complementary therapist ? Does their medical knowledge come from their own experience with real clients their own clinical practice, or from their own research in the right places or from their own accurate and verified medical knowledge ? Or are they just obtaining their advice onine from online unverified sources ? Or even worse – are they just making it all up based on their own personal fears ?
When someone makes a statement such as the safety of sound bath meditation for certain medical conditions, always ask for the verified source of their claims. If the health advice given can’t be validated from a verified medical source – and is based purely on fear of the unknown – the best advice is: Don’t believe a word and always obtain your own expert health advice from medically or scientifically verified sources.
A Medical Opinion on the Safety of Sound Bath Meditation During Pregnancy
When I asked a medical Doctor friend of mine (who like myself, is also a professional musician) about the warnings I’d seen published online advertising sound bath meditation – completely un-verified medical claims that sound bath was unsafe during first trimester of pregnancy he laughed! And said to me – “if sound bath was unsafe during first trimester of pregnancy, ultrasound would be banned!” and then he laughed again. So there you go, that’s the medical opinion I obtained, but of course – please do your own research in the right places and make up your own mind.
Use Your Common Sense Please
Ask yourself this question – does a concert orchestra ever provide health warnings to the public in their event advertising ? Do musicians ever give public health warnings before commencing a traditional irish music session?
Of course they don’t – a sound bath is no different to any live musical performance played at a safe volume. Safe volume is when yourself and others in the room (including the sound bath facilitator) don’t need to be wearing hearing protection.
If you are still uncertain about the safety of sound bath meditation or any other type of meditation during pregnancy, you should consult a Gynaecologist or suitably qualified Doctor. Only a Gynaecologist or suitably qualified Doctor will know the full medical history of the individual and can make the accurate assessment necessary to provide correct advice regarding the suitability of sound bath or any other type of meditation for the individual and their health situation.
Its never a good idea to rely on medical advice from any source which isn’t medically verified.
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International Academy of Sound Therapy provides you with accurate advice from verified sources.
This article has been written in consultation with a medical Doctor.
About the Author:
Sharon Q is a former Software Engineer and Data Analyst, Technical Writer and College Lecturer and qualified in adult education at University her homeland Australia. With over 30+ years experience in sound & frequency medicine in a range of clinical, education and research settings, Sharon is also a Sound & Energy Therapist, Yoga & Meditation Teacher, Certified Laughter Yaga Trainer and Professional musician. Sharon is currently a student of Naturopathic Medicine, and has written this article in consultation with a medical Doctor.
Sharon is the Founder & Principal of International Academy of Sound Therapy, Mind Body Health Clinic and Laughter Yoga Academy Ireland.
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