Should I try it?
Long associated with eastern religion (or old Rank movies), the rippling, echo-y tones of the gong are having a moment. Billed as a short-cut to a meditative state, practitioners claim the instrument’s acoustic vibrations can change brainwave frequencies, which are on a spectrum from high-frequency beta waves, which appear when we’re wired, to delta waves, which are evident when we’re asleep or meditating. In the middle, alpha waves show when we’re relaxed or reflective, and theta when we’re drowsy or in a state of flow. The idea is that sound therapists match the gong sounds to the frequencies of delta or theta waves to encourage stress reduction, promote emotional healing and improve sleep.
What’s involved?