Sound healing reduces generalized anxiety during the pandemic: A feasibility study
Objectives: This study examined the feasibility and effectiveness of a virtually-delivered, biofield-based sound healing treatment to reduce anxiety for individuals meeting criteria for Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Design: This one-group, mixed-method feasibility study was conducted virtually via Z...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Complementary Therapies in Medicine |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965229923000341 |
| _version_ | 1797842416252747776 |
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| author | Shamini Jain Eileen McKusick Lorna Ciccone Meredith Sprengel Cheryl Ritenbaugh |
| author_facet | Shamini Jain Eileen McKusick Lorna Ciccone Meredith Sprengel Cheryl Ritenbaugh |
| author_sort | Shamini Jain |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objectives: This study examined the feasibility and effectiveness of a virtually-delivered, biofield-based sound healing treatment to reduce anxiety for individuals meeting criteria for Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Design: This one-group, mixed-method feasibility study was conducted virtually via Zoom during the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic. Fifteen participants with moderate to high levels of anxiety as determined by the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (≥10), were enrolled. Intervention: Five certified Biofield Tuning Practitioners performed the interventions. Participants were given three weekly, hour-long sound healing treatments virtually, over a month’s period. Outcome Measures: Attrition rates and reports on feasibility of intervention delivery and outcomes assessment were obtained by participants. Data on anxiety, positive and negative affect, spiritual experience, perceived stress, and quality of life were obtained via validated surveys and analyzed via repeated-measures analysis of variance with intention-to-treat. Linguistic inquiry and word count was utilized to assess changes in affective processing as reflected in participants’ spoken words over the course of the intervention. Qualitative interviews were conducted to further determine tolerability and experiences with receiving BT that may not have been captured by survey and language data. Results: Attrition rates were 13.3%, with two participants dropping out of the study after one session. The remaining participants reported acceptability of the data collection process and intervention delivery. Intention to treat analyses revealed statistically significant reductions in anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory), negative affect (Positive and Negative Affect Scale), and perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale) (p < .001 in all cases). Linguistic and word count analysis revealed a significant linear decrease (p = .01) of participants’ use of negative affect words over the course of the intervention. Qualitative data results are reported in another paper. Conclusions: Results indicate that BT delivered virtually is feasible and amenable to study, and that the impact of BT may be substantial in reducing anxiety and improving mental health. This is the first study of its kind to report clinically significant reductions in anxiety levels in response to a virtually-delivered, biofield-based sound therapy. Data will be used to power a randomized controlled trial to more deeply examine the effects of BT on whole-person healing for those suffering from anxiety. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T16:47:33Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-09baf8720db548c1840b1906b4f9224d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0965-2299 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T16:47:33Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Complementary Therapies in Medicine |
| spelling | doaj.art-09baf8720db548c1840b1906b4f9224d2023-04-22T06:20:36ZengElsevierComplementary Therapies in Medicine0965-22992023-06-0174102947Sound healing reduces generalized anxiety during the pandemic: A feasibility studyShamini Jain0Eileen McKusick1Lorna Ciccone2Meredith Sprengel3Cheryl Ritenbaugh4Consciousness and Healing Initiative, 6919 La Jolla Blvd, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA; Corresponding author.Biofield Tuning Institute, 382 Hercules Dr, Suite 2C, Colchester, VT 05446, USAConsciousness and Healing Initiative, 6919 La Jolla Blvd, La Jolla, CA 92037, USANetherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), 22 Rue d′Arlon, B-1050 Brussels, BelgiumConsciousness and Healing Initiative, 6919 La Jolla Blvd, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA; Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Arizona, 655 N. Alvernon Way #228, Tucson, AZ 85711, USAObjectives: This study examined the feasibility and effectiveness of a virtually-delivered, biofield-based sound healing treatment to reduce anxiety for individuals meeting criteria for Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Design: This one-group, mixed-method feasibility study was conducted virtually via Zoom during the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic. Fifteen participants with moderate to high levels of anxiety as determined by the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (≥10), were enrolled. Intervention: Five certified Biofield Tuning Practitioners performed the interventions. Participants were given three weekly, hour-long sound healing treatments virtually, over a month’s period. Outcome Measures: Attrition rates and reports on feasibility of intervention delivery and outcomes assessment were obtained by participants. Data on anxiety, positive and negative affect, spiritual experience, perceived stress, and quality of life were obtained via validated surveys and analyzed via repeated-measures analysis of variance with intention-to-treat. Linguistic inquiry and word count was utilized to assess changes in affective processing as reflected in participants’ spoken words over the course of the intervention. Qualitative interviews were conducted to further determine tolerability and experiences with receiving BT that may not have been captured by survey and language data. Results: Attrition rates were 13.3%, with two participants dropping out of the study after one session. The remaining participants reported acceptability of the data collection process and intervention delivery. Intention to treat analyses revealed statistically significant reductions in anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory), negative affect (Positive and Negative Affect Scale), and perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale) (p < .001 in all cases). Linguistic and word count analysis revealed a significant linear decrease (p = .01) of participants’ use of negative affect words over the course of the intervention. Qualitative data results are reported in another paper. Conclusions: Results indicate that BT delivered virtually is feasible and amenable to study, and that the impact of BT may be substantial in reducing anxiety and improving mental health. This is the first study of its kind to report clinically significant reductions in anxiety levels in response to a virtually-delivered, biofield-based sound therapy. Data will be used to power a randomized controlled trial to more deeply examine the effects of BT on whole-person healing for those suffering from anxiety.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965229923000341FeasibilityBiofieldSound healingAnxietyDistance healingHealing |
| spellingShingle | Shamini Jain Eileen McKusick Lorna Ciccone Meredith Sprengel Cheryl Ritenbaugh Sound healing reduces generalized anxiety during the pandemic: A feasibility study Complementary Therapies in Medicine Feasibility Biofield Sound healing Anxiety Distance healing Healing |
| title | Sound healing reduces generalized anxiety during the pandemic: A feasibility study |
| title_full | Sound healing reduces generalized anxiety during the pandemic: A feasibility study |
| title_fullStr | Sound healing reduces generalized anxiety during the pandemic: A feasibility study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sound healing reduces generalized anxiety during the pandemic: A feasibility study |
| title_short | Sound healing reduces generalized anxiety during the pandemic: A feasibility study |
| title_sort | sound healing reduces generalized anxiety during the pandemic a feasibility study |
| topic | Feasibility Biofield Sound healing Anxiety Distance healing Healing |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965229923000341 |
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