Sound healing: working with trauma through vibration
When words can't reach it, sometimes sound can
Sound healing is a way of working with trauma that combines somatic therapy, conversation and the healing properties of sound and vibration.
At its heart, the work is very similar to my somatic approach. We pay attention to what is happening in the body, emotions and nervous system, and use this awareness to understand experiences that may be difficult to access through words alone.
The difference is that the tuning forks bring an additional vibrational element to the work.
How do the sound healing sessions work?
I use tuning forks in a targeted way, with the understanding that the body can hold information about our experiences.
As I work with the sound, I use my training, experience and intuition to notice what seems to be emerging. This might give us a starting point for exploration — something to become curious about or talk through.
The process remains collaborative. You are actively involved in noticing what you experience in your body, emotions and thoughts, while I bring my observations and intuition into the space.
The sound gives us another way of accessing what is already there.
The role of vibration
The tuning forks aren't simply there to create a relaxing atmosphere.
The vibration itself is an important part of the work. I use the sound in a targeted way, bringing it towards areas that seem relevant and noticing how your system responds.
Something might shift physically. A sensation might become more noticeable. An emotion might emerge. Or something that has felt difficult to access might suddenly feel closer.
We can then slow down and explore what that experience means for you.
So there is a conversation happening alongside the vibrational work — the sound gives us something to notice, and our awareness and conversation help us make sense of it.
How is this different to Somatic Talk Therapy?
The two approaches are closely connected.
In both, we explore what is happening in the body and use this to develop greater awareness and understanding. The difference is that sound healing adds the vibrational element of the tuning forks, and I bring a little more of my intuitive observations into the process.
In somatic talk therapy, I tend to rely more on you noticing and communicating your own experience, with me guiding and supporting that process.
With sound healing, the tuning forks provide another source of information and another way of guiding our attention.
It isn't a replacement for the conversation — it gives the conversation somewhere else to begin.
Finding another way into healing
Sound healing can be particularly potent when working specifically with trauma.
It offers a way of working with experiences that may be difficult to access through words, while bringing together the body, awareness, conversation and vibration.
It can also be used alongside somatic talk therapy rather than instead of it.
For some people, we might have regular talk therapy sessions and incorporate a sound healing session once a month. This creates an opportunity to work with the body in a different way, while the sessions in between give us space to talk about what has emerged and allow the work to integrate.
The two approaches can complement each other beautifully.
You don't have to choose between them. Sometimes having different ways of approaching the same experience allows us to reach parts of ourselves that one approach alone might not.
The talking helps us explore and make sense of our experience. The somatic work brings awareness to how that experience lives in the body. And the sound adds another layer — using vibration to work with what the body is holding.
About Tarah
I'm a trauma-informed, somatic therapist supporting people to heal and integrate trauma, reconnect with their body and live with greater ease and authenticity