What Are Your Five Healing Music CD Picks…That Don’t Suck?

Sounds True —

September 18, 2013

by Andrew Young (Writer at Sounds True)

Can you help me out here? I need more great “background” music for de-stressing and sparking my creativity.

The skinny: I review healing and meditation music CDs for Sounds True and other retailers and labels and have listened to well over two hundred over the years. Most of them are, uh…just okay. Some totally suck the pranic wind. Of course, you’ll find none of those at soundstrue.com (nudge nudge, wink wink).

I play this kind of music for relaxing, writing, and drawing, so I don’t like distracting melodies, in-your-face vocals, cheesy synthesizers, or stuff that I’ll get sick of after a few weeks of frequent play. Recommendations please!

In the meantime, here are five of my faves:

1. Sampradaya – Pandit Shivkumar Sharma (Real World Recordings). Great for when I’m feeling mentally sluggish or “stuck.” Not marketed as a healing music CD—but incredibly effective as one. The Indian hammer dulcimer (santoor) master plays here with his son Rahul and tabla wizard Shafaat Ahmed Khan. These are traditional ragas, but sound nothing like the familiar sitar/tambour offerings: uplifting, resonant layers of bell-like melodies and jaw-dropping overtones arise independently from the actual struck notes and float beyond the room. Joyful and mind-expanding, sparkly and fresh like cool sunlit rain.

2. Crystal Bowl Sound Healing – Tryshe Dhevney (Sounds True). This is my favorite CD to play when writing, drawing, or photoshopping piles of photos. 100% organic (no synths), beautifully recorded in a giant natural cave (seriously). Tryshe uses rare customized gemstone bowls perfectly tuned for expanding consciousness via the Om frequency and other well-tested resonances. It’s so good that when I first got the 8-minute sample track for writing the CD package copy, I set it on “repeat” and listened to it looped for hours. Tip: if you download this album, don’t “re-rip” the tracks to make them smaller. You’ll want the highest sound quality to fully experience the effect of the pure, subtle harmonics.

3. Aural Resonance Astral Harmony – Simeon Hein (Mount Baldy Press). Yes “astral harmony” sounds really new-agey, but this recording is not, and it is amazing. My massage therapist played this for me during a session years ago. It’s just a sustained, multi-layered perfect-fifth harmonic chord that goes for 70 minutes. Made with 100% synth, but works so well that I grant it full amnesty. This CD is my sure-fire last resort for insomnia and clearing writer’s block, BUT it is not for everybody: the effect is so intense that the first five times I used it, I would sometimes hear it resonating in my head for hours after turning it off.

4. Relax – David Ison (Sounds True). I play this album on my iPhone so often that if it were an old-fashioned LP, it would be worn out. What makes it so good? For one, David doesn’t use brainwave frequency entrainment—he builds his compositions using healing principles based on sacred geometries and proportional tonal relationships and rhythms from ancient Greece, Egypt, and his own intuition and rigorous experimentation. He also uses some very unique studio sound production tools to create tuned ambient spaces that have a clear and calming somatic effect. Even more relevant though is that the music on this album is simple yet incredibly beautiful. The first time I played it, it gave me the chills. The primary “voice” on this album is Ison’s guitar (a massive dreadnought Martin acoustic I think). David has been using this music program to help war veterans in the healing process with powerful results. For maximum effect, play this on a good stereo speaker system or with high-quality headphones.

5. Audio Serenity (iAwake Technologies). These folks are at the far event horizon of brainwave entrainment research. For example, they’ve addressed the problem of frequency habituation—your brain adapting to sound entrainment so that it no longer syncs to beneficial effect. Problem solved here (don’t ask me how, but it works). And they use a suite of other acoustic technologies to massage your brain, nadis, meridians, and positronic circuits (if you’re a Star Trek android). Sound-wise, this program does in fact use synth, but it’s very gentle. Get ready for an extremely quick and deep calming effect. My only caveat is that it’s pricier than a conventional music track (iAwake’s first-hand research takes time and resources). That said, I can tell you that this program is as effective as the awesome MindSpa [https://avstim.com] audio-visual entrainment device that we reviewed here at Sounds True a while back—at a fraction of the cost.

Okay your turn: please recommend some of your favorites so we can all have more relaxation and creativity music options!

Posted September 18, 2013

Author Info for Sounds True Coming Soon

Products By Author

Sounds True eGift Card

$5.00

Starting at: $5.00

Also By Author

See All

blog

Post Views: 689

Six Summer Reads You Won’t Want to Miss!

Sounds True — July 3, 2018

After the stillness of winter and the slow waking of spring, summer is a time for getting up, getting out, and getting our hands on what inspires us the most. Here are some recent Sounds True releases for tapping into a life well lived.

1. The Biophilia Effect – Clemens G. Arvay

Summer Super Sale - The Biophilia Effect

This is a book that celebrates our interconnection with nature and shows how to deeply engage the natural world wherever you live to dramatically improve your health. Clemens G. Arvay presents fascinating research, practical tools and activities,

inspiring stories, and more in this accessible guide to the remarkable benefits of being in nature.

Get it here: https://www.soundstrue.com/store/the-biophilia-effect.html

2. The Healing Code of Nature – Clemens G. Arvay

The Healing Code of Nature - Clemens G. Arvay

Human beings are inseparable from the natural world, coevolving with all of life. In order to thrive, we need to nourish this bond. In his latest book, biologist Clemens G. Arvay illuminates the miraculous ways that the human body interprets the living “code” of plants, animals, and our larger natural habitat for healing and sustenance.

Get it here: https://www.soundstrue.com/store/the-healing-code-of-nature.html

3. Book of Beasties – Sarah Seidelman

Summer Super Sale - Book of Beasties

“From an ancient perspective, everything—including all natural things, like rocks, flowers, trees, insects, birds, and mammals

—is alive and infused with conscious energy or spirit,” writes Sarah Seidelmann. If you’re one of the many people looking to reconnect with the creativity, wisdom, and vital energy of the natural world, here is a fantastic guide for tapping into the power of animal totems, or “beasties.”

Get it here: https://www.soundstrue.com/store/book-of-beasties.html

4. No Recipe – Edward Espe Brown

“Making your love manifest, transforming your spirit, good heart, and able hands into food is a great undertaking,” writes renowned chef and Zen priest Edward Espe Brown, “one that will nourish you in the doing, in the offering, and in the eating.” With No Recipe: Cooking as Spiritual Practice, Brown beautifully blends expert cooking advice with thoughtful reflections on meaning, joy, and life itself.

Get it here: https://www.soundstrue.com/store/no-recipe.html

5. Yoga Friends – Mariam Gates & Rolf Gates

Summer Super Sale - Yoga Friends From the creators of Good Night Yoga and Good Morning Yoga comes a beautifully illustrated city adventure that introduces children to the delights and benefits of partner yoga.

Perfect for teaming up with a friend, sibling, parent, or caregiver, each easy practice shows how cooperation helps us to imagine, move, and have fun in a whole new way.

Includes a back-page guide for parents and caregivers, showing how to do each pose and how to connect them into an easy-to-follow flow.

Get it here: https://www.soundstrue.com/store/yoga-friends.html

6. Happier Now – Nataly Kogan

What if you could be happier, right now, without radically changing your life? As nationally recognized happiness expert Nataly Kogan teaches, happiness is not a nice feeling or a frivolous extra. It’s a critical, non-negotiable ingredient for living a fulfilling, meaningful, and healthy life—and it’s a skill that we can all learn and improve through practice. In Happier Now, Nataly shares an illuminating, inspiring, and science-based guide to help you build your happier skills and live with more joy, starting now.

Get it here: https://www.soundstrue.com/store/happier-now.html

Have other books you’ve read by the poolside or under a shade tree ended up changing the way you see the world? Tell us about those summer reads that ended up being more than you expected!

blog

Post Views: 1,596

Singing Bowl Meditation Sounds True Spotify Playlist

Sounds True — November 29, 2017

Sounds True is on Spotify!

Need some tunes for rest and relaxation? Check out our Singing Bowl Meditation Playlist! A variety of artists who make a soothing mix of infinite rhythms using Tibetan singing bowls. Perfect throughout a meditative practice.

blog

Post Views: 428

November New Releases and Giveaway

Sounds True — November 20, 2017

NOVEMBER NEW RELEASES

The Integrity Advantage by Kelly Kosow

Are you ready to open up to new levels of self-trust and self-love, to get where you want to go?

You vowed to speak up at work, and then sat silent in the meeting yet again.

You told yourself “this time the diet is going to stick,” only to watch the scale inching up.

You felt that something just wasn’t right about someone that—until you learned the hard way that your instincts were right.

“Every time you bite your tongue,” teaches Kelley Kosow, “you swallow your integrity.”

Before Kelley Kosow was a renowned life coach and CEO, she constantly second-guessed herself, let her “to-do” lists and others steer her dreams and passions, and played it “small and safe.”

Inspired by the groundbreaking principles of her renowned mentor Debbie Ford, who hand-picked Kelley to be her successor, The Integrity Advantage is Kelley’s step-by-step guide for facing the fear, shame, and false beliefs that cause us to lose our way.

Through life-changing insights, true stories, and proven strategies, this book will show you how to live on your own terms—according to you—from the inside out.

Daring to Rest by Karen Brody

As modern women, we’re taught that we can do it all, have it all, and be it all. While this freedom is beautiful, it’s also exhausting. Being a “worn-out woman” is now so common that we think feeling tired all the time is normal. According to Karen Brody, feeling this exhausted is not normal—and it’s holding us back. In Daring to Rest, Brody comes to the rescue with a 40-day program to help you reclaim rest and access your most powerful, authentic self through yoga nidra, a meditative practice that guides you into one of the deepest states of relaxation imaginable.

It’s time to lie down and begin the journey to waking up

Breathe and Be by Anna Emilia Laitinen and Kate Coombs

Teaching mindfulness helps kids learn to stay calm, regulate their emotions, and appreciate the world around them. With Breathe and Be, author Kate Coombs and illustrator Anna Emilia Laitinen team up to present a book of poetry and art for young readers to make mindfulness easy, natural, and beautiful. Here is a book sure to delight parents and kids alike, blending lovingly illustrated nature imagery with elegant verse about living with awareness and inner peace.

Leopard Warrior by John Lockley

A Teaching Memoir That Crosses the Barriers Between Worlds

A shaman is one who has learned to move between two worlds: our physical reality and the realm of spirits. For John Lockley, shamanic training also meant learning to cross the immense divide of race and culture in South Africa.

As a medic drafted into the South African military in 1990, John Lockley had a powerful dream. “Even though I am a white man of Irish and English descent, I knew in my bones that I had received my calling to become a sangoma, a traditional South African shaman,” John writes. “I felt blessed by the ancient spirit of Africa, and I knew that I had started on a journey filled with magic and danger.” His path took him from the hills of South Korea, where he trained as a student under Zen Master Su Bong, to the rural African landscape of the Eastern Cape and the world of the sangoma mystic healers, where he found his teacher in the medicine woman called MaMngwev

Things That Join the Sea and the Sky by Mark Nepo

A Reader for Navigating the Depths of Our Lives

The Universe holds us and tosses us about, only to hold us again. With Things That Join the Sea and the Sky, Mark Nepo brings us a compelling treasury of short prose reflections to turn to when struggling to keep our heads above water, and to breathe into all of our sorrows and joys.

Inspired by his own journal writing across 15 years, this book shares with us some of Mark’s most personal work. Many passages arise from accounts of his own life events—moments of “sinking and being lifted”—and the insights they yielded. Through these passages, we’re encouraged to navigate our own currents of sea and sky, and to discover something fundamental yet elusive: How, simply, to be here.

To be enjoyed in many ways—individually, by topic, or as an unfolding sequence—Things That Join the Sea and the Sky presents 145 contemplations gathered into 17 themes, each intended to illuminate specific situations.

NOVEMBER GIVEAWAY

WIN OUR NEW RELEASE BUNDLE:The Integrity Advantage, Daring to Rest, Breathe and Be, Leopard Warrior, and Things That Join the Sea and the Sky

TO ENTER: Simply reply in the comments with why you’d like to win!

You Might Also Enjoy

blog

Being with Dying_ Roshi Joan Halifax offering compassionate end-of-life care to a patient.

Post Views: 20

Being with Dying: Roshi Joan Halifax on Compassionate ...

Amy Burtaine
Michelle Cassandra Johnson — September 3, 2026

What if the most powerful thing you could do for someone who is dying is simply to stay?

Instead of fixing or solving, offer a steady, open presence that says: I am here, and you are not alone. For most of us, that kind of stillness is harder than it sounds. We reach for words, for solutions, for anything that keeps us from feeling the full weight of what is happening. In the practice of end-of-life care, though, the willingness to remain present without an agenda may be the most generous gift we can give.

For more than 40 years, we at Sounds True have been committed to sharing teachings that meet people at life’s most profound thresholds. In this piece, we look at Roshi Joan Halifax’s approach to compassionate end-of-life care, what contemplative care looks like in practice, and how a different relationship with death and dying can change the way we live.

Key Takeaways:

Presence Transforms the Dying Process: Being fully present with someone who is dying doesn’t require having all the answers. Halifax shows us that steady, open attention is the most generous thing we can offer to someone nearing the end of life.
Contemplative Care Begins Within: Mindfulness and self-awareness sit at the heart of Halifax’s approach, equipping caregivers, family members, and healthcare professionals to meet grief and fear with greater clarity and less reactivity.
Death as a Door to Awakening: Halifax invites us to release the story that dying equals failure and see it, instead, as a profound passage that can open the heart and deepen our connection to life.

Roshi Joan Halifax and the Work of Being with Dying

Joan Halifax, Ph.D., is an anthropologist, Buddhist teacher, and writer who has worked with dying people since 1970. She has served on the faculties of Columbia University, the University of Miami School of Medicine, the New School for Social Research, the Naropa Institute, and the California Institute for Integral Studies. In 1994, she founded the Project on Being with Dying to train healthcare professionals in contemplative care, a program that shapes how practitioners, families, and spiritual seekers relate to death and dying.

Her work has shaped how practitioners, families, and spiritual seekers relate to death. Her voice is one of many you can hear through the Insights at the Edge Podcast, where Sounds True founder Tami Simon brings these kinds of conversations to life.

Learn Different Ways to Meet Death and Dying

Much of our culture frames death as something to be managed or delayed as long as possible. Halifax takes a different path. Rather than viewing dying as failure, she invites us to see it as a natural passage in the human experience, one that, when met with awareness and openness, can deepen our appreciation for life and sharpen our capacity to respond to the suffering of those we love.

The Practice of Compassionate Presence in Death

One of Halifax’s most essential teachings is compassionate presence at death, or the art of being fully with someone as they near the end of life.

More than having the right words or eliminating pain, this approach is about offering steady attention and genuine care without needing to redirect what is happening. A hospice nurse who sits in silence with a patient, a son who holds his mother’s hand through the night without trying to reassure her. These are acts of compassionate presence that ask nothing of the dying person except to be witnessed.

When we bring that quality of attention to the dying process, we create space for people to feel seen and held, even in the most uncertain moments. Compassionate presence honors the emotional, spiritual, and relational dimensions of dying, which matter just as deeply as physical comfort. Caregivers looking to deepen their practice can find a range of teachings that address the whole person through our Health & Healing collection.

Being with Dying: The Audio Learning Course

Halifax’s decades of work have been distilled into the Being with Dying audio learning course, a direct response to the question caregivers, family members, and spiritual seekers carry: How do I do this well?

The course draws on Eastern and Western psychology, philosophy, and contemplative practices from across spiritual traditions. The approach is kind, open, and dignified, designed to guide medical professionals, social workers, clergy, community activists, and spiritual seekers toward a path that takes the fear out of dying and replaces it with presence, clarity, and love.

End of Life Care as a Path of Compassionate Service

Halifax has long taught that end-of-life care is not only a professional skill. Caring for someone through death is a practice of the heart, one that asks for patience, humility, and a genuine willingness to remain open to what is hard. A chaplain who sits with a grieving family long after visiting hours have ended, a social worker who stays present in the room when words have run out, these are the moments where caregiving becomes something closer to a calling.

What many caregivers find, alongside the grief, are unexpected gifts: moments of beauty, gratitude, and profound human connection that they did not anticipate. Death, when met with presence, does not only diminish. Death also reveals.

Contemplative Care: Integrating Mindfulness into Caregiving

Contemplative care dying weaves mindfulness, reflection, and compassionate awareness into caregiving at every level. Rather than managing the dying process from clinical distance, this approach asks both caregivers and the people they accompany to meet what arises, fear, grief, resistance, wonder, with honest, grounded presence.

For healthcare professionals, contemplative care means developing the inner resources to stay present in high-stress environments without shutting down emotionally. For family members, the practice offers a way to move through grief with tenderness rather than being swept away. Our Spirituality & Awakening collection brings together teachings that can help build that foundation at any stage of your path.

Seeing Death Not as Failure, But as Possibility

We have absorbed a quiet cultural story that says life equals success and death equals failure. Halifax challenges that story with great compassion and persistence. What if dying were not a defeat, but a doorway? What if the dying process could hold the conditions for awakening, for the kind of presence, love, and release that transforms everyone in its path?

Roshi Joan Halifax has spent more than 50 years demonstrating that this reorientation is both possible and necessary. When we stop relating to death as the enemy, we free ourselves to accompany others through it with courage and care.

Our All Teachers & Authors page brings together many more voices who hold that same commitment, teachers and guides for every threshold life presents.

Final Thoughts

Roshi Joan Halifax’s teachings on death and dying remind us that compassionate end-of-life care begins with presence, and that presence begins with the willingness to stay. When we approach the dying process with awareness and an open heart, we bring something no clinical protocol alone can match: the assurance that another person does not face their final passage alone.

Her work continues to shape how caregivers, loved ones, and practitioners meet life’s most profound transitions. We are grateful to carry her voice as part of the Sounds True community, and we hope her teachings open something tender and true in you.

Frequently Asked Questions About Being with Dying

What is Being with Dying?

Being with Dying is a training approach developed by Roshi Joan Halifax that focuses on mindful, compassionate support for people facing serious illness, aging, and the end of life.

Who is Roshi Joan Halifax?

Roshi Joan Halifax is a Zen Buddhist teacher, author, anthropologist, and hospice caregiver known for her work in contemplative practice, compassion training, and end-of-life care.

How does contemplative care differ from traditional caregiving?

Contemplative care incorporates mindfulness, self-awareness, and spiritual reflection into caregiving, helping both caregivers and patients navigate difficult experiences with greater clarity.

Can the principles of Being with Dying be applied outside hospice settings?

Yes. The principles can support anyone caring for a loved one, working in healthcare, or seeking to develop greater compassion in everyday life.

What challenges do caregivers commonly experience during end-of-life care?

Caregivers may face emotional exhaustion, grief, stress, and feelings of helplessness. Developing self-awareness and supportive practices can help address these challenges.

What role does spirituality play in end-of-life care?

Spirituality can offer comfort, meaning, and perspective during difficult times. It may help individuals connect with their values, beliefs, and sense of purpose.

blog

Post Views: 12

Fred Luskin on Forgiveness: The Stanford Research That...

Amy Burtaine
Michelle Cassandra Johnson — September 3, 2026

Holding a grudge carries a cost, and science has measured it. Fred Luskin spent decades quantifying that cost through some of the most rigorous forgiveness research ever conducted at Stanford University, and what he found changes how we think about what letting go really means.

At Sounds True, we have spent forty years building a library of more than 3,000 titles to carry teachings like this one into people’s daily lives. Our mission began with nothing more than a tape recorder and a conviction that wisdom deserved a wider reach. That conviction still drives everything we do.

Here, we will look at Luskin’s background, what his research found, and what forgiveness does and does not require of us.

Key Takeaways:

Grudges Cost Your Health: Holding onto resentment is not just emotionally exhausting. Research shows it creates a measurable, chronic stress response that the body cannot simply shrug off.
What Stanford’s Research Found: Years of controlled studies, tested across continents and populations, reveal that forgiveness training reliably reduces stress, depression, and in some cases, blood pressure.
Forgiveness Is a Learnable Skill: Luskin’s method treats forgiveness as something you can build through structured practice, not something you either feel or don’t.

Who Is Fred Luskin?

Fred Luskin, PhD, directs the Stanford Forgiveness Projects and has spent more than thirty years researching and teaching the psychology of letting go. He holds a senior fellowship at the Stanford Center on Conflict and Negotiation and has taught wellness education at Stanford’s School of Medicine.

His approach grew from a core belief that forgiveness is not a moral obligation but a trainable capacity with measurable health implications. Everything from his research design to the programs he developed for hospitals, workplaces, and conflict survivors worldwide reflects that conviction.

Readers curious about how his work sits alongside that of other researchers and teachers can browse the full roster on our All Teachers & Authors page, where voices from many traditions and disciplines come together.

Inside the Stanford Forgiveness Project

The Stanford Forgiveness Project began under Luskin’s direct leadership as a randomized trial involving 55 students who completed a six-session training program.

Results showed measurable increases in forgiveness and physical vitality compared with a control group. That initial study aligned with Luskin’s core belief that most of our suffering does not come from what happened, but from the ongoing story we tell ourselves about it. The project expanded in the years that followed:

A trial of 259 adults, the largest randomized forgiveness study conducted to date. Participants reported significant reductions in anger, stress, and depression after completing structured forgiveness training, confirming that the initial findings were not limited to a small or narrow population.
Work with hypertensive patients showing reduced anger and, in some cases, measurably lower blood pressure after completing the program. These results positioned forgiveness squarely within the domain of preventive health.
Training programs adapted for survivors of the Northern Ireland conflict and civil war in Sierra Leone, demonstrating that learning to forgive is possible even in the wake of profound, collective trauma.

One point Luskin returns to often surprises people: no one has to forgive. Forgiveness is a choice. As he defines it, forgiveness means releasing our suffering over a difficult situation. This does not mean returning to a hurtful relationship or excusing what happened. Even when what occurred was not acceptable, forgiveness is how we reclaim peace for ourselves.

Holding Grudges Health: What the Research Says About Forgiveness Health Benefits

The forgiveness health benefits Luskin’s research documents go well beyond feeling better in the moment. Across multiple studies, people reported reduced stress, less depression, and greater optimism after completing forgiveness training. Some trials also documented physical improvements, including lower blood pressure among people with hypertension.

One workplace study found a 24 percent increase in sales productivity among employees who completed forgiveness-focused training compared to matched coworkers who did not. That finding reflects something Luskin has long argued: unresolved anger does not stay in one corner of life. It spreads.

Conversations about findings like these, and what they mean outside a lab setting, come up regularly on our Insights at the Edge Podcast, where teachers and researchers bring science and lived practice together.

Spotlighting the Three Kinds of Forgiveness

Luskin identifies three distinct types of forgiveness, and recognizing which one applies to your situation can make the whole process feel more grounded and less abstract.

Interpersonal Forgiveness

Interpersonal forgiveness is the most commonly recognized kind. This is forgiveness directed at another person who has hurt you, a parent, a partner, a colleague. The negative effects of holding grudges are most prevalent in this area, as staying locked in blame keeps the body in a low-grade stress state, with stress hormones elevated long after the original event has passed.

Intra-Personal Forgiveness

Intra-personal forgiveness means forgiving yourself. This form is often the hardest to name, let alone practice. Shame, regret, and self-blame can be just as corrosive as resentment toward another person, and the same framework applies. Releasing blame toward yourself is not excusing past behavior. Choosing to stop letting an old wound define your present is where the real work begins.

Existential Forgiveness

Existential forgiveness arises when the hurt feels directed at life itself, at fate, or at the question “How could this happen?” This form surfaces alongside illness, loss, or circumstances beyond anyone’s control, and it is where the spiritual and psychological converge most clearly. That convergence is part of why Luskin’s research resonates so deeply in communities navigating grief and serious illness.

Applying These Findings to Daily Life

Luskin’s method does not require a clinical setting to start applying. A few grounding practices drawn directly from his work:

Notice where the distress lives: Current pain over a past hurt usually comes from present thoughts, not the original event itself. Naming that shift, from then to now, creates space for something different. This awareness alone can interrupt the loop of replaying a grievance and redirect attention toward what remains within your control.
Use a calming technique the moment old anger resurfaces: Luskin recommends bringing attention to the breath, then shifting focus to something beautiful or deeply loved. This two-step process interrupts the body’s stress response and creates room for a considered response rather than a reactive one. Practiced consistently, it becomes a reflex.
Match the practice to the type of forgiveness you need: Interpersonal tension calls for releasing blame toward someone else. Self-criticism points toward intra-personal work. A sense that life has been fundamentally unfair opens the door to existential forgiveness. Connecting the type of hurt to the right practice makes the work feel more approachable.

Those building a broader toolkit around stress, resilience, and healing will find rich material in our Health & Healing collection, which brings together courses and programs from teachers across many traditions. Readers drawn to self-kindness as a companion to forgiveness work will also find a natural path in our Self-Compassion collection, which pairs well with everything Luskin’s framework asks of us.

Final Thoughts

Fred Luskin’s research offers something rare in this space: forgiveness backed not by sentiment but by data collected across decades and continents. Letting go, in his framing, is less about being generous toward someone else and more about reclaiming a body and mind no longer running on old stress.

At Sounds True, our mission has always been to wake up the world, and Luskin’s work is a clear example of what that looks like when science and compassion move in the same direction. We keep returning to his research because it permits people to let go of what never served them in the first place.

Frequently Asked Questions About Fred Luskin

What is the Stanford Forgiveness Project?

It’s Fred Luskin’s ongoing series of research studies examining how forgiveness training affects health and well-being.

Does forgiveness really improve physical health?

Studies show reductions in stress, anger, and depression, with some trials also showing lower blood pressure.

Do I have to reconcile with someone to forgive them?

No. Luskin defines forgiveness as releasing blame, not necessarily reconciling or condoning what happened.

Can forgiveness be taught, or is it just a feeling?

Luskin’s research treats forgiveness as a learnable skill, using structured steps rather than relying on spontaneous emotion.

What are the Nine Steps to Forgiveness?

They are Luskin’s structured method for practicing forgiveness, which includes calming techniques and reframing past hurts.

Has this research been tested outside the United States?

Yes, including studies with survivors of conflict in Northern Ireland and Sierra Leone.

Where can I learn more about Fred Luskin’s work?

Sounds True offers books and programs from Fred Luskin, alongside those from other teachers focused on healing and resilience.

blog

Post Views: 17

Does Prayer Work? Larry Dossey on the Science of Heali...

Amy Burtaine
Michelle Cassandra Johnson — September 3, 2026

Does prayer work? Larry Dossey’s honest answer is more nuanced than a simple yes or no. As a physician trained in conventional internal medicine, he built a career by questioning why prayer, intention, and compassion consistently produced measurable effects in controlled studies. The evidence he has spent forty years gathering suggests something worth taking seriously is happening.

At Sounds True, we have followed his work closely because it asks readers to sit with genuine uncertainty rather than rush toward belief or dismissal. Our mission has always been to wake up the world by offering access to conversations exactly like this one.

In this piece, we look at his background, his theory of the mind, and what the research actually shows.

Key Takeaways:

Healing Intention and What It Means: Larry Dossey’s research asks whether focused intention can influence healing in ways conventional medicine has yet to fully explain. Forty years of evidence suggest the question is worth taking seriously.
Consciousness Without Boundaries: His theory of non-local mind proposes that consciousness is not confined to a single brain or body, and may connect individual minds to something far larger.
What the Studies Point To: Controlled studies point to measurable effects from prayer and focused intention, while scientific debate about mechanisms remains open and ongoing.

Who Is Larry Dossey?

Larry Dossey, MD, served as a battalion surgeon in Vietnam before becoming chief of staff at Medical City Dallas Hospital, a fairly conventional trajectory for someone who would later challenge medicine’s assumptions from the inside.

His book Healing Words became a New York Times bestseller and helped bring prayer healing into mainstream medical education. He is one of many teachers and researchers whose thinking we carry at Sounds True, and readers curious about how his ideas connect with others’ can find the full range of voices on our All Teachers & Authors page. Dossey frames the history of medicine in three stages:

Era I: The Body as Machine Era I treats the body as something to be fixed through physical interventions, including surgery, pharmaceuticals, and diagnostics. This approach defined medicine for centuries, and its focus on measurable, physical causes and effects laid the groundwork for how healthcare works today.
Era II: Mind Meets Body Era II acknowledges that thoughts, beliefs, and emotions can shape physical health outcomes. Research has since affirmed this connection through work on stress reduction, meditation, and breathwork.
Era III: Consciousness Beyond the Body Era III is the stage Dossey argues we are now entering, one where consciousness may reach beyond an individual’s skin and skull to influence outcomes at a distance. This is the most contested of the three, and the question his career has been devoted to building a case for.

The Non-Local Mind Theory

The idea of non-local mind sits at the center of nearly everything Dossey writes. He argues that consciousness is not confined to a single brain or body, which may help explain why one person’s intention can seem to affect another person or organism at a distance. This is the foundation of what he calls consciousness medicine: a way of approaching healing that takes seriously the possibility that the mind’s reach extends beyond the body.

Dossey describes a non-local mind as unbounded in space and time, and as incapable of remaining separate from other minds. Within this framework, the consciousness participates in something he calls the One Mind. Our working concept of mind has been expanding since the nineteenth century, with subdivisions like the conscious, preconscious, subconscious, and collective unconscious gradually filling out the picture.

The Research Behind Prayer Healing

Much of the research Dossey cites comes from decades of controlled experiments, including studies by the Spindrift Organization examining whether focused intention can influence outcomes in bacteria, plants, and human patients. He reports that over 100 such studies point to a real, if modest, effect. Prayer healing is cited across this research as one of the clearest examples of non-local consciousness in action.

The evidence spans three distinct categories: healing in human patients, healing at a cellular level, and healing in plants and animals. Two case studies are offered in direct support of non-local healing, with the underlying question being whether medicine can afford to close the door on any reliable pathway toward recovery.

We follow conversations like this one closely on our Insights at the Edge Podcast, where guests are invited to test their ideas through genuine dialogue rather than simply restate them.

Distant Healing and What Studies Suggest

Dossey’s writing on distant healing extends this logic outward, proposing that care, love, and focused attention can travel across space without any known physical mechanism. Studies within prayer research science have examined everything from cardiac patients to seed germination, and Dossey reads those results as evidence that the mind operates beyond the boundaries conventional science assumes.

This research disclosed that prayer had a measurable effect not only on human beings but also on bacteria, germinating seeds, and animals. Some cases of distant consciousness operating on non-humans are noted in the literature, but the central focus remains the healing power of intercessory prayer on humans and what that might mean for how medicine approaches care.

Critics, including psychologist Robert Baker, have argued that Dossey’s conclusions outpace what the data can firmly hold, and mainstream science has not settled the question. Those drawn to the terrain he is mapping will find a hands-on starting point in our Subtle Energy collection, which gathers programs and teachings on energy-based healing practices.

Also, our Spirituality & Awakening collection covers similar ground through a wider range of traditions, for anyone who wants to deepen this inquiry through practice as much as reading.

Dossey’s Influence on Modern Healthcare

Dossey’s work in consciousness medicine has shaped how integrative medicine is discussed at the federal level: he served as co-chair of the Panel on Mind-Body Interventions for the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health, placing his ideas in federal research conversations.

He was also appointed to Hillary Rodham Clinton’s Task Force on Health Care Reform and, for many years, served as executive editor of Explore, The Journal of Science and Healing, a peer-reviewed publication covering integrative approaches to medicine. Over the decades, he has lectured at Harvard, the Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins, and Cornell, before audiences not typically receptive to unverified claims.

His legacy lies not only in the claims he has made but in the space he has kept open. Not every conclusion he draws may hold up under further study, yet Dossey has helped ensure that questions about prayer healing, non-local mind, and the mind’s potential role in physical recovery remain part of serious medical dialogue.

Final Thoughts

Larry Dossey does not ask you to take his conclusions on faith. He asks you to look at the data, sit with an open question, and let the discomfort of not-knowing guide you toward something more honest than certainty. That spirit is something we recognize deeply at Sounds True.

Our mission has always been to wake up the world by giving you access to conversations exactly like this one, conversations that resist easy answers and honor complexity. We return to Dossey’s work because the question at its center has no tidy answer: whether focused intention and prayer healing represent a real frontier in medicine is something the research is still working out.

Frequently Asked Questions About Larry Dossey

Is there scientific proof that prayer heals?

Evidence remains mixed and contested. Dossey cites supportive studies, while critics argue results are inconclusive or unproven.

What does non-local mind mean?

It describes consciousness as potentially unconfined to the brain, capable of influencing outcomes beyond physical proximity.

Is Larry Dossey a religious author?

No. He writes as a physician focused on evidence and research rather than any specific religious tradition.

Does distant healing have to involve prayer specifically?

No. Dossey includes compassion, meditation, and focused intention as forms of distant healing beyond formal prayer.

Do mainstream doctors accept these theories?

Not universally. Many medical schools now teach the topic, though consensus on mechanisms remains unresolved.

Where can I learn more about Larry Dossey’s work?

Sounds True features books, podcasts, and programs from Larry Dossey and researchers exploring similar questions.

Sources:

Harding O. G. (2001). The healing power of intercessory prayer. The West Indian medical journal, 50(4), 269–272.

73 comments on What Are Your Five Healing Music CD Picks…That Don’t Suck?

Joe D says:

September 18, 2013 at 3:26 pm

Vibrational Healing Music by Marjorie de Muynck. It is one of my choice migraine remedies. And what’s great is that, at least for me, I can just play it in the background and let it do its thing while I continue doing whatever it is I’m up to. In other words, you don’t have to sit in silence in my opinion for the benefit. I second your motion for the iAwake music. My son and I have been using that music for a few weeks now at nighttime for unwinding and getting ready to transition to sleep. Quite effective.

Reply
1. Andrew Young says:
  
  September 18, 2013 at 4:03 pm
  
  I am embarrassed to say that I’ve not sampled any of Marjorie de Muynck’s om-fequency-tuned music. It’s not too “new agey?”
  
  Reply
  1. Jennifer says:
    
    September 18, 2013 at 4:52 pm
    
    Marjorie was a jazz musician before she became a sound healing pioneer. She also is the only sound healing artist I know who has made effective and beautiful use of the banjo on her recordings!
    
    Reply
  2. Joe D says:
    
    September 19, 2013 at 3:07 pm
    
    I don’t think there’s an ounce of cheese in the recording, if that’s what you mean!
    
    Reply
Michael Boxer says:

September 18, 2013 at 3:57 pm

Chick Corea Piano Improv # 1, Pink Martini Sympatetique, Nanci Griffith One Fair Summer Evening, Puccini La Boehem, Cocteau Twins Aikea Guniea.

Reply
1. Andrew Young says:
  
  September 18, 2013 at 4:02 pm
  
  Ha, thx for the recos, Michael. The Cocteau Twins’ “Treasure” is definitely in my top 20 for this list, as well as Alla’s “Fundou de Bechar” improvisatioal oud gem. I recently bought a fresh, fairly clean used vinyl LP pressing of the Chick Corea Piano Improvs Vol. 1 myself and it’s sublime….
  
  Reply
  1. Joe D says:
    
    September 19, 2013 at 3:08 pm
    
    So that’s at least two jazz references in this thread, bop bwee a doowop!
    
    Reply
Joanne W. says:

September 18, 2013 at 4:50 pm

I love anything by Tom Kenyon. A few favorites are Imaginarium, Sacred Chants, and City of Hymns. I play these for myself and when giving energy healing treatments! LOVE ’em!

Reply
1. Andrew Young says:
  
  September 18, 2013 at 4:59 pm
  
  These are great recos as well, thanks for mentioning Tom Kenyon’s resonant work. Sounds True had the privilege of hearing his amazing voice right here in the office entryway atrium a few years ago. Wow.
  
  Reply
Jennifer says:

September 18, 2013 at 4:50 pm

Victorialand by the Cocteau Twins

Reply
1. Andrew Young says:
  
  September 18, 2013 at 5:02 pm
  
  This is so cool—I had no idea there were so many people who consider the Cocteau Twins to be relaxing or healing music. I wonder if Elizabeth Fraser and/or Simon Raymonde would ever consider doing a meditation-oriented or therapeutic music album? I’d definitely order it in a heartbeat!
  
  Reply
  1. Michael Boxer says:
    
    September 18, 2013 at 7:14 pm
    
    Completely!
    
    Reply
Akaisha Kaderli says:

September 18, 2013 at 4:51 pm

I like Alex Theory Music (Air, Earth Water, Light) and also Sacred Accoustics Foundation Series (OM, Earth, Blue, Portal) http://www.sacredacoustics.com

Reply
1. Andrew Young says:
  
  September 18, 2013 at 4:57 pm
  
  Thanks, great recos, Akaisha. I actually wanted to list Alex Theory’s “Water,” but I made myself stick to just five. I may have to do a “Part II” post! 🙂
  
  Reply
Serge Lanoë says:

September 18, 2013 at 5:10 pm

* Yi-Ching Music For Health (5 CD’s : Water, Wood, Fire, Earth, Regimen)

* Chinese “Five Tones” Healing Music (5 CD’s : Jyy Tone, Yu Tone, Kung Tone, Chueh Tone, Regimen-Chi Circulation)

* Music for Beauty (4 CD’s : Day, Night, Spring & Summer, Autumn & Winter)

Reply
1. Andrew Young says:
  
  September 18, 2013 at 5:16 pm
  
  Thanks, Serge. I believe I found them on Amazon. I’ve recently become interested in five-element Chinese music (feng shui, but also trying to find traditional or ancient compositions as well).
  
  Reply
  1. Serge Lanoë says:
    
    September 18, 2013 at 5:21 pm
    
    Catalog at : https://www.windmusic.com.tw/en/pro_list.asp
    
    Reply
Cierra says:

September 18, 2013 at 5:41 pm

Temple by Thomas Barquee. As a massage therapist I could (and did!) play this CD for hours, for days, and for weeks without ever getting tired of it. Absolutely beautiful!

Reply
1. Andrew Young says:
  
  September 18, 2013 at 5:44 pm
  
  Aha, I’ve never heard anything by Thomas Barquee. I’m going to search for a sample track of “Temple” right now. Thanks for the tip!
  
  Reply
Michael Boxer says:

September 18, 2013 at 7:13 pm

Andrew, I have to admit that I have had my creative spirit COMPLETELY raised in the last 4 days by listening to Schoenberg’s “Les Miserbales” I have now seen it 8 times in 4 days and have been listening to the influence of Sondheim which is SO deep. As a projection, I have been comforted by musical theatre and opera from my youth. I know you have a hard time with lyrics, but the music is absolutely powerful!

Reply
1. Andrew Young says:
  
  September 19, 2013 at 1:32 pm
  
  Cool! I wonder if Schoenberg ever did a 12-tone version of “Grease.” 😉
  
  Reply
cindy says:

September 18, 2013 at 8:53 pm

Prayer circle by Jonathan Elia which is the most beautiful piece of music that I’ve ever heard.

Anything off of the only two albums by Stephen Walters.

Migration by R Carlos Nakai

All beautiful.

Reply
1. Andrew Young says:
  
  September 19, 2013 at 1:23 pm
  
  Wow, thanks Cindy for these recommendations. I found a Jonathan Elia album titled “Prayer Cycle”—with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Alanis Morissette, & others. Not sure if this is the one you mention or another…but it’s really cool. “Migration” by R. Carlos Nakai and Peter Kater is quite beautiful; Peter’s style reminds me of of Keith Jarrett’s sublime “Koln Concert” album (which is definitely in my top 10 for creativity sparking CDs). Stephen Walters I could not find but will continue to look. Thx again!
  
  Reply
Grayson Towler says:

September 19, 2013 at 9:55 am

For creativity, Jeff Strong’s percussion music from “Brain Shift Collection” is my go-to. This is something you can put on soft in the background in an office situation and not bother anyone, but you still get a good effect.

I also find for creativity that you can’t really go wrong with the classics. Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, Rachmaninoff… maybe it sounds cliche, but they always do the trick.

In terms of healing, my own experience (confession time here…) is that merely listening to music creates the weakest result. For me, singing and sometimes dancing are the things that really kick musical healing energy into gear. So I get more mileage out of something like the soundtrack to Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog than I do from any kind of instrumental music for healing, no matter if it’s supposed to be intentional or bioacoustic or whatever.

Reply
1. Andrew Young says:
  
  September 19, 2013 at 1:29 pm
  
  ALL of Mozart’s piano sonatas I would put in my top 10 for both de-stressing, creativity, and sheer pleasure…but I didn’t want to sound like too much of a fuddy duddy. 😉 I mean, when I was raving about Mozart to my 85-year-old NYC uncle, he said that I had the musical tastes of an old man and that I needed to get hip to Amy Winehouse and Ricky Martin. Seriously! Re: Jeff Strong’s super-quiet entrainment tracks—definitely a thumbs up from me, I’ll prob list his “attention and focus” CD if I do a “Part II” post of this thread. Trueski fans, here’s a link to Jeff’s amazing stuff: https://www.soundstrue.com/shop/authors/Jeff_Strong
  
  Reply
Pingback: Aural Resonance Review |
Elisa Brown Music says:

September 19, 2013 at 4:31 pm

I am SO pleased that Sounds True recommends Simeon Hein’s Aural Resonance CD. This simple, elegant and highly effective mediation CD is a mainstay in my relaxation mediation CD collection. With this terrific review in Sounds True, I hope it becomes a Go-To CD for all your readers, too!

Reply
1. Opening Minds Music says:
  
  September 20, 2013 at 11:07 am
  
  Thanks Elisa, it’s available now both as a CD and download at https://AuralResonance.com .
  
  Reply
  1. Andrew Young says:
    
    September 20, 2013 at 11:13 am
    
    Thx for finding this page, O.M., I couldn’t find a download source on google. ST Blog readers: As with the Tryshe Dhevney, don’t “re-rip” this music to make it smaller—you’ll want highest sound quality to experience its effects fully!
    
    Reply
  2. Simeon says:
    
    September 20, 2013 at 12:12 pm
    
    That’s right Andrew, the high-frequency harmonics won’t appear in your room with a lower-quality version. You have to have the full-spectrum sound to get the complete effect. It’s like a sparkling timbre that appears about 10-15 minutes after you start playing Aural Resonance. The longer you leave it on, the stronger it can get.
    
    Reply
  3. Andrew Young says:
    
    September 20, 2013 at 1:52 pm
    
    Thanks for chiming in, Simeon, and for this amazing recording. I’ve always wondered if those really high overtones were intentional—now I know that they are! ST blog readers: Simeon Hein is the creator of this awesome CD.
    
    Reply
2. Andrew Young says:
  
  September 20, 2013 at 11:11 am
  
  Thanks for chiming in, Elisa. I should probably tell blog readers here that these are my personal favorites, not “official” Sounds True recommendations. I’m glad that you also give it a “thumbs up” too—it’s one of those largely unknown recordings that everyone should try at least once. Cheers! – Andrew
  
  Reply
Heather says:

September 19, 2013 at 8:53 pm

Jennifer Berezan and friends have sustained me over the past few years… In These Arms, or Praises for the World, or Returning… All of her albums are both grounded and sublime. No ickiness, and deeply connective. Check out https://edgeofwonder.com/

Reply
1. Andrew Young says:
  
  September 20, 2013 at 11:14 am
  
  Thanks for these recos, Heather. I’m going to listen to samples right now! – Andrew
  
  Reply
Eric Carr says:

September 20, 2013 at 9:42 am

Thank you for this! Tryshe Dhevney’s Crystal Bowl Sound Healing is one of my top album choices as well, so I’ll have to check out the others listed here. I’m always looking for healing music. Dhevney also has another album that she did as part of the Lapis Ensemble that I have on near constant rotation even after three or four years since it came out, and I’ve had myriad clients ask about it when it plays. Shi De by Dechen Shak Dagsay, and Sei He Ki by Weave are probably the only other albums that my clients or friends outright ask about, but Tryshe Dhevney’s are by far the most popular (and my favorites).

Reply
1. Andrew Young says:
  
  September 20, 2013 at 11:23 am
  
  Thanks for your recos, Eric. Are you a massage/bodywork therapist, energy healer, or other type of therapist? I ask because I have several massage-physical therapy friends who want my recommendations. I’m now searching for music by Shi De by Dechen Shak Dagsay and Sei He Ki. Cool, more possibilities that I have never heard of! Blog readers: The Tryshe Dhevney/Lapis Ensemble collaboration is titled “Lapis Ensemble” and is on iTunes and CDbaby.com I’m listening to samples now….
  
  Reply
Ira Liss says:

September 20, 2013 at 9:56 am

When I took Simeon’s resonant viewing (RV) class several years ago, he played the Aural Resonance Astral Harmony (“the perfect fifth”) CD in the background. Learning and doing RV can be challenging so having this simple calming, serenity-inducing sound in the room was helpful. I learned it’s available here, https://mountbaldy.com/store/index.php?content=music

Reply
1. Andrew Young says:
  
  September 20, 2013 at 11:28 am
  
  Resonant viewing, cool, I need to check out Simeon’s workshops. Funny you should mention this type of practice because I didn’t mention in my post that I find this CD superb for traditional shamanic journey practice when combined with Sandra Ingerman’s drumming tracks.
  
  Reply
Patrece says:

September 20, 2013 at 11:07 am

I have enjoyed Tryshe Dhveney’s Crystal Bowls Sound Healing CD as have many of my friends. Because of that CD, I try to attend as many of her workshops as I can. She’s a true inspiration and has made a huge difference in my life. Thanks for this opportunity for me to share how special her CD is to me.

Reply
1. Andrew Young says:
  
  September 20, 2013 at 11:30 am
  
  I didn’t know that Tryshe teaches regular workshops, thanks for the heads up, Patrece. At this year’s Wake Up Festival, she treated us to an opening ritual that was just amazing on a somatic-energetic level. It kinda flipped me out (in a good way)!
  
  Reply
Patrece says:

September 20, 2013 at 11:12 am

Tryshe Dhevney’s Crystal Bowl Sounds Healing CD tops my list of favorites. I do hope to make it to one of her workshops soon but, until then, I treasure the recording. How she uses sound is truly amazing.

Reply
1. Andrew Young says:
  
  September 20, 2013 at 11:32 am
  
  Does Tryshe teach workshop attendees how to actually PLAY the crystal bowls? I would love to give it a try myself.
  
  Reply
  1. Kate says:
    
    September 20, 2013 at 4:33 pm
    
    She does do workshops on how to play the bowls along with workshops on using the voice and bowls for healing and other workshops. See her website, http://www.soundshifting.com. Also, her voice is extraordinary and combine that with the bowls and you go off into other places/dimensions.
    
    Reply
Beate Nilsen says:

September 20, 2013 at 3:21 pm

“For sparking my creativity” David Ison has had remarkable success w/ getting writer’s block dissipated Pronto: from the last chapter of a book to the last link in a sequence for a computer game on a deadline of TOMORROW.

Try the Chakra Sound System;-)

Reply
1. Andrew says:
  
  September 20, 2013 at 4:19 pm
  
  Thx for the comment, Beate. I also vote for David Ison’s “magnum opus” Chakra Sound System as the best full-throttle experience of his work. I was also going to include the “Chakra Illumination” music CD within the big CSS program but had to keep my list to just five picks.
  
  ST blog readers: I’m not really into chakra energy healing, but you don’t need to be to benefit from Ison’s work. Here’s the link to the epic CSS program:
  https://www.soundstrue.com/shop/The-Chakra-Sound-System/4102.pd
  
  …and a link to just the harmonizer CD set “extracted” from the CSS (one music-only CD one CD with music + spoken-word guided meditations by David):
  https://www.soundstrue.com/shop/Chakra-Illumination/3821.pd
  
  Reply
Janet Sussman says:

September 20, 2013 at 3:52 pm

I am a fan of David Ison’s and have been for twenty-five years or so. The consciousness that is embedded in the music is the main thing. The techniques are great, but it is what the intentionality speaks to that makes his material really work.

Reply
1. Andrew says:
  
  September 20, 2013 at 4:12 pm
  
  Yes, Janet, that is a great way of describing the healing source of the Ison Method music—I mean, he can use a conventional acoustic guitar (like on “Relax”) to produce such powerful effects. Thanks for your comment!
  
  Reply
Noah C says:

September 20, 2013 at 4:31 pm

Here’s a few I love. These are my go to, over and over, keep ’em on repeat because they keep me in the zone I love to be in.

1. Heart Sutra chant of the Dalai Lama for the president of the united states. This is one of the most heart-full expansive courageously peaceful chants I have ever heard.
2 Relax. David Ison does something different than most: he plays real music, only it does something to me that first relaxes me deeply, but then I start feeling very creative. It’s like a 1-2 heart punch of peacefulness!
3. Sounds of the Soul, Sheila G. Sterling. This is great if you want to just go out there and fully immerse into loving bliss consciousness. I can’t get any work done with this one, but its epic for visualizations and midafternoon reset sessions.

Reply
1. Andrew Young says:
  
  September 22, 2013 at 11:03 am
  
  Thanks for these recos, Noah. I’m going to search for the Dalai Lama Heart Sutra chant now, as well as the Sheil G. Sterling CD. I’m glad you posted this one that is “non-background” music—”loving bliss consciousness…I can’t get any work done with this one” LOL! :O
  
  Reply
Kate says:

September 20, 2013 at 4:41 pm

I’m a hugh fan of Tryshe Dhevney’s music too. Her bowl work is always beautiful and when you add in her voice….it’s extraordinary! I love playing her cd’s in the background as I go about doing things in my home. It keeps me settled. And, when I sit quietly and use her music to meditate by, I can feel the energy moving inter-dimensionally. She is seriously gifted and shares all that so lovingly.

Reply
1. Andrew Young says:
  
  September 22, 2013 at 11:07 am
  
  Thanks, Kate, for mentioning Tryshe Dhevney’s amazing voice. It’s not on the Crystal Bowl Sound Healing CD but I was deeply moved when I heard her “tuvan” inspired overtone voicings at this year’s Wake Up Festival.
  
  Reply
Diana says:

September 20, 2013 at 5:28 pm

#4 is wonderful and soul nurturing. It taught me how to mediatate, forgive and free myself. It’s also used by some of our Fortune 100 clients. They listen to segments of it on their lunch breaks

Reply
1. Andrew Young says:
  
  September 22, 2013 at 11:08 am
  
  So cool that it introduced you to meditation—and that David’s work is infusing the business world.
  
  Reply
Mica says:

September 20, 2013 at 6:00 pm

There is only one way to go on the Science of Sound…true healing….anything David Ison….

Reply
linnaea b says:

September 20, 2013 at 6:52 pm

David Ison’s Chakra Illumination is the best I have heard in the 14+ years I have used music as background for massage. The composition entrains the breath and then the mind. Clients go “deep” without any effort. When I use it four or five times a day, it is as if I have been meditating for days.

I never used music as background to craniosacral work, as music tended to take people out of cranial space. However, David’s Chakra Illumination helps them stay in cranial space.

Before I bought Chakra Illumination, I used Theta by Steven Halpern for massage. That is also good, as it encourages people to go into a theta state.

Reply
1. Andrew Young says:
  
  September 22, 2013 at 11:11 am
  
  Thanks for your insights on Chakra Illumination for craniosacral work. A friend of mine in Utah is training in this modality now and I will recommend it to him.
  
  Reply
Foster Brashear says:

September 20, 2013 at 7:01 pm

For about 10 years, I have been affiliated with a group of people, mostly musicians, who record amazing ethereal music in a huge water tank in Rangely Colorado. In fact, recently a KickStarter campaign raised a lot of money to refurbish “The Tank” and turn it into a more formal recording venue. I was introduced to The Tank by my friend Michael Stanwood, and was privileged to be present for part of the recording of his CD “PORTAL” at The Tank. I think much of the music recorder there fits your request. You can hear (or buy) PORTAL at this link: https://www.pansyproductions.com/
Partly because of the recent campaign, there are actually many wonderful and inspiring recordings all over the net if you search for “The Tank.”

Reply
1. Andrew Young says:
  
  September 22, 2013 at 11:24 am
  
  Utterly amazing—this acoustic space makes NYC’s Cathedral of Saint John the Divine sound like a shoebox! https://youtu.be/Ua-iXXwfM-E
  
  Thx for posting!
  
  Reply
ezio says:

September 20, 2013 at 7:47 pm

I like Joanne Shenandoah, and the Elemental songs on Jeff’s Strong’s BrainShift Collection. I also love the wood flute- whether shakuhachi, Nawang Khechog’s tibetan flute, or the Native flute of Carlos Nakai.

Reply
1. Andrew Young says:
  
  September 22, 2013 at 11:29 am
  
  Thx for the recos, ezio. I especially enjoy listening to Nawang Khechog’s music outside on my headphones while sitting on the grass (or even lying on moist earth as I look up at the clouds) 😉
  
  Reply
Cyn says:

September 20, 2013 at 7:59 pm

Wow. Thanks everyone for all the new ideas. Checking out my iTunes meditation playlist – one of my favorites for just chilling and meditating is a group called Shaman’s Dream – lots of sitar, running water – lovely. Or anything by Nawang Khechog. Andew Weil has a program in vibrational healing that is outstanding – this must be Sounds True, but I can’t tell since I’m looking at iTunes. Christine Tulis for harp – she’s through Sound Temple recordings, and then there is Stevin McNamara’s Yoguitar from Etherean music.I love any Gregorian chant for creativity. For high-energy creativity, Beth Quist, who has an amazing voice and plays a variety of strange instruments to create otherworldly soundscapes. Find her at home.earthlink.net/~quistian/ oops, I think I’m over the limit.

Reply
1. Andrew Young says:
  
  September 22, 2013 at 11:30 am
  
  Thx, Cyn, many great suggestions hre. I’m going to check out Beth Quist’s and Christine Tulis’ music now….
  
  Reply
katherine harris says:

September 21, 2013 at 12:49 am

Anything by David Ison – takes me just where I need to be.

Reply
Susan T says:

September 21, 2013 at 2:29 am

Relish the lovely tones that David Ison comes up with on his album, RELAX. He conveys deep code that travels through your body and soul as you listen.

Reply
cathy jo says:

September 21, 2013 at 8:10 am

I listen to DeStress, Focus, and Inspiration classical recordings from Advanced Brain Technologies, and find them very effective. (ABT’S THE LISTENING PROGRAM helped me recuperate from a stroke.)
I also listen a great deal to the wonderful Tryshe Dhevney CD–and you are so right about needing to keep the high quality for the best response. I’m hoping Sounds True will be putting out another CD from Tryshe soon!

Reply
1. Andrew Young says:
  
  September 22, 2013 at 11:37 am
  
  Thanks, Cathy. I’m reading about ABT’s research studies now and it’s very encouraging work.
  
  If Sounds True releases another Tryshe Dhevney album, I am going to suggest that it includes her voice as well, as so many of us love that dimension of her work.
  
  Reply
Vivian Blaxell says:

September 21, 2013 at 10:42 pm

Ludovico Einaudi “In a Time Lapse”

Reply
1. Andrew Young says:
  
  September 22, 2013 at 11:42 am
  
  Thanks Vivian, I’m listening to his YouTube post as I type this. ST blog readers: this is a solo piano piece that evokes in me the emotional palettes of Chopin, Debussy, Keith Jarrett, the soundscapes of Hayao Miyazaki’s animated films, and Einaudi’s own unique style and feeling. Beautiful.
  
  Reply
Susan says:

September 21, 2013 at 10:57 pm

Aural Resonance is the only CD I play every night before I go to sleep. It masks sounds from my noisy neighbors and creates a deep relaxing feeling. It’s the only way to get a great night’s rest.

Reply
1. Andrew Young says:
  
  September 22, 2013 at 11:45 am
  
  Yes, for me too. In fact, I take it with me whenever I have to stay in a hotel room or other new place to help me sleep. Thx for confirming that it works in this way for more than just me!
  
  Reply
  1. Susan says:
    
    September 22, 2013 at 7:06 pm
    
    Hi Andrew
    Glad to know I’m not the only one as well! For some reason it works better than nature sounds, which i’ve tried many times. I love nature sounds but Aural Resonance has an added layer of calm. Sometimes I use both.
    
    Reply
Lisa G says:

September 23, 2013 at 6:26 am

Crystal Bowl Sound Healing – Tryshe Dhevney
Tryshe’s unique sound is soothing, awakens the mind/spirit
transporting you to a unique dimension of healing organic harmonies embracing
calm and peace.

Reply
Wendy P says:

January 27, 2016 at 9:08 pm

Jonathan Goldman- Ultimate Om

I play this song on repeat and I swear even the birds and animals outside our home camp out at our house enjoying it. Very soothing and great background music when relaxing. Not distracting at all.

Reply

What Are Your Five Healing Music CD Picks…That Don’t Suck?

Author Info for Sounds True Coming Soon

Products By Author

Sounds True eGift Card

Also By Author

Six Summer Reads You Won’t Want to Miss!

1. The Biophilia Effect – Clemens G. Arvay

2. The Healing Code of Nature – Clemens G. Arvay

3. Book of Beasties – Sarah Seidelman

4. No Recipe – Edward Espe Brown

5. Yoga Friends – Mariam Gates & Rolf Gates

6. Happier Now – Nataly Kogan

Singing Bowl Meditation Sounds True Spotify Playlist

November New Releases and Giveaway

NOVEMBER NEW RELEASES

NOVEMBER GIVEAWAY

WIN OUR NEW RELEASE BUNDLE:The Integrity Advantage, Daring to Rest, Breathe and Be, Leopard Warrior, and Things That Join the Sea and the Sky

TO ENTER: Simply reply in the comments with why you’d like to win!

You Might Also Enjoy

Being with Dying: Roshi Joan Halifax on Compassionate ...

Key Takeaways:

Roshi Joan Halifax and the Work of Being with Dying

Learn Different Ways to Meet Death and Dying

The Practice of Compassionate Presence in Death

Being with Dying: The Audio Learning Course

End of Life Care as a Path of Compassionate Service

Contemplative Care: Integrating Mindfulness into Caregiving

Seeing Death Not as Failure, But as Possibility

Final Thoughts

Frequently Asked Questions About Being with Dying

What is Being with Dying?

Who is Roshi Joan Halifax?

How does contemplative care differ from traditional caregiving?

Can the principles of Being with Dying be applied outside hospice settings?

What challenges do caregivers commonly experience during end-of-life care?

What role does spirituality play in end-of-life care?

Fred Luskin on Forgiveness: The Stanford Research That...

Key Takeaways:

Who Is Fred Luskin?

Inside the Stanford Forgiveness Project

Holding Grudges Health: What the Research Says About Forgiveness Health Benefits

Spotlighting the Three Kinds of Forgiveness

Interpersonal Forgiveness

Intra-Personal Forgiveness

Existential Forgiveness

Applying These Findings to Daily Life

Final Thoughts

Frequently Asked Questions About Fred Luskin

What is the Stanford Forgiveness Project?

Does forgiveness really improve physical health?

Do I have to reconcile with someone to forgive them?

Can forgiveness be taught, or is it just a feeling?

What are the Nine Steps to Forgiveness?

Has this research been tested outside the United States?

Where can I learn more about Fred Luskin’s work?

Does Prayer Work? Larry Dossey on the Science of Heali...

Key Takeaways:

Who Is Larry Dossey?

The Non-Local Mind Theory

The Research Behind Prayer Healing

Distant Healing and What Studies Suggest

Dossey’s Influence on Modern Healthcare

Final Thoughts

Frequently Asked Questions About Larry Dossey

Is there scientific proof that prayer heals?

What does non-local mind mean?

Is Larry Dossey a religious author?

Does distant healing have to involve prayer specifically?

Do mainstream doctors accept these theories?

Where can I learn more about Larry Dossey’s work?

73 comments on What Are Your Five Healing Music CD Picks…That Don’t Suck?

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Menu

Listen to Sounds True playlists on

Connect With Us