Mental Health Benefits of Gong Meditation as an Evidence-Based Practice
Gong meditation as we know it is not an ancient practice. It was popularized by Christopher Tree, who held gong baths at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, California in the 1960’s. There are pictures available on the internet and social media of him offering a gong bath with more than 20 gongs at Woodstock in 1969. Yogi Bhajan is thought to have introduced the practice in Canada and the USA in the 1950’s, having learned it from his teacher Sant Hazara Singh, though little information is available which links the modern practice to ancient healing rituals. What is clear is that gong meditation was and continues to be an integral component of Kundalini Yoga and Meditation as Taught by Yogi Bhajan©. Don Conreaux (Guru Jagat Singh) was one of Yogi Bhajan’s initial 5 kundalini yoga teachers and is the leading teacher of gong meditation techniques other than Yogi Bhajan himself.
Unfortunately, the vast majority of information provided in gong trainings about the origins and effects of listening to a gong is anecdotal (i.e., opinions rather than information based on actual research data) and greatly overstates the findings of what little clinical research data exists. It is not uncommon for gong practitioners to refer to fictional “research studies” backing up their claims about the effects of gong meditation. The result is that those who conduct or attend gong baths have created a fairy tale world in which attendance at a single gong bath is thought to have almost miraculous effects on attendees. Who knows? Perhaps that is true in some cases, but wouldn’t that be sufficient cause to study the practice in more detail (i.e., to better understand the effects)?
The body of clinical research data studying sound healing techniques as mental health interventions has gradually increased, but lacks randomized, controlled designs. Unfortunately, the two fields (i.e., mental health and sound healing in its various forms) remain to be integrated in the clinical sense. Psychologists and psychiatrists commonly view the topic of gong meditation as a mental health intervention as somewhat akin to quackery. Esoteric practitioners do not see the need to conduct properly designed research, often relying on misleading social media posts which make outlandish claims lacking real data to back them up. The result is that there is little interest in pursuing clinical research studying gong meditation from either camp (i.e., psychologists or esoteric practitioners).
The body of evidence supporting the use of sound healing techniques for mental health and well being is growing. A cohort of predominantly German scientist-practitioners (Jörg Fachner, Sabine Rittner, Johannes Oehlmann, among others) conducted research in the late-twentieth century and their work continues in the twenty first century. Research findings showed among other things measurable benefits for those suffering from anxiety or stress. More recently, researchers have explored the effects of playing a symphonic gong as an esoteric practice (i.e., sound bath, gong bath, gong wash, gong meditation, etc.) using qualitative methods. The two bodies of literature remain to be successfully tied together in scholarly writings. Dr. Khalsa hopes to lay the foundation for the use of gong meditation as an evidence-based practice for individuals with anxiety. He is also of the opinion that gong meditation in particular may offer therapeutic benefits for other mental disorders.
Research Studying Sound Healing for Mental Health
Dr. Khalsa’s focus is the study of gong meditation for clinical populations using a combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods. Esoteric practitioners often argue that clinical research designs do not represent the practice (i.e., recordings or other research methods designed to minimize confounding variables) and are therefore irrelevant. Research demonstrating a relationship between listening to a recorded gong meditation and decreased trait anxiety could lead to reductions in dosage and/or frequency of psychoactive meditation for individuals with a DSM diagnosis. In order for gong meditation in particular or sound healing more broadly to be a clinically accepted and approved intervention (i.e., evidence-based practice), it needs to reliable and repeatable (i.e., it must be shown to provide consistent and measurable effects across a variety of individuals in a clinical setting). This is where a recorded gong meditation is more effective in terms of research and likely treatment. Public events vary widely in terms of instrumentation, practitioner training and experience, and additional add-on offerings such as yoga, meditation, and breathwork, to name just a few. The limitless variety in public offerings makes it difficult to accurately measure outcome of a specific component (i.e., a gong or gongs).
Gong meditation as a potential evidence-based practice is intended to support healing and wellbeing for those dealing with anxiety who might be taking prescription medication such as a Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) and/or an anti-anxiety medication. Gong meditation represents a potential non-invasive treatment with few if any side effects. By comparison there are numerous side effects associated with the commonly prescribed anxiety medications. To be clear, Dr. Khalsa is proposing that listening to recorded gong mediation on a daily basis might prove to be an effective adjunct intervention that could gradually reduce the dosage of psychoactive medication(s) rather than replacing medication altogether. Further research to study the potential therapeutic benefits of gong meditation as an intervention for anxiety could also potentially clarify the effects on the human psyche. Establishing gong meditation in some form as an evidence-based practice would support its use in clinical settings.