The Therapeutic Power of Sound and Psychedelics

Santa Barbara’s District216 Marquee Showcases Music as Medicine

Fireside chat speakers Torkom Ji and Brandon Deroche spoke about how they got into music and its healing impacts. | Credit: Stephen Lewis

Music can open hearts, unlock memories, and unblock emotions. According to Torkom Ji, a “sound healer” and founder of Quantum Harmonix, “the healing is in the feeling” of different frequencies. Ji views sound as a calming vehicle to “ride.”

During the Music & Psychedelics event hosted by District216, Ji asked attendees to close their eyes and bring themselves into a single moment as he played different white and brown noises wrapped up in a unique mix. It was an all-encompassing, deep sound. Like waves crashing and planes flying overhead, combined with musical scales. In essence, it was a meditative ride. When focusing on the mesmerizing sounds, there was no room for any pesky thoughts or external distractions. Just the feelings the frequencies brought about.

Sound healing dates back centuries, to Aboriginal Australians using didgeridoos and singing bowl ceremonies in Tibetan and Himalayan cultures.

Panelists included (L-R) Matt Phillips of Silverback Music, Raghu Markus, executive director of Ram Dass’s Love Serve Remember Foundation, Isaac Sabu, founder of sound meditation platform Biotune, and moderator Kat Walsh of the Trip on This podcast. | Credit: Stephen Lewis

While, scientifically, it is still not fully understood how sound heals, researchers have found that music can improve mood and reduce stress, and rhythm can actually provide physical pain relief. Researchers theorize that the healing lies in tactile frequencies and stimulating vibrations, as well as how they interact with brain waves.

According to a study in the Journal of Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine, hour-long sound meditations (using instruments such as singing bowls, bells, and didgeridoos) can help people reduce tension, anger, fatigue, anxiety, and depression.

When psychedelics enter the picture, the mind’s normal inhibitions are lessened, opening up greater capacity for healing and therapeutic benefits, at least according to panelists at District216 on May 18.

In terms of creating a comfortable space for peoples’ trips, Isaac Sabu, founder of sound meditation platform Biotune, said he’s “failed” at times.

However, he added he has learned the importance of setting intentions for those kinds of healing experiences — as in, knowing and expressing what you want to achieve from a session. He emphasized that music can ground people and help them feel safe, riding on the “set and setting,” referring to mood and expectations and the physical and social environment.

When asked how music can open hearts and enhance spirituality, panelist Raghu Markus, a music producer and executive director of Ram Dass’s Love Serve Remember Foundation, said that psychedelic music experiences can help people connect with themselves and the world around them. He’s tried to create music that is transformational. And, he added, it really boils down to the music leading one to their intention, to connect with their true nature, and “there’s so many ways to pick that up. Express that. Dig deeper in,” which the rhythmic ride can help with.

The District 216 space was lit up and covered in trippy projections for their Music & Psychedelics event on Saturday. | Credit: Stephen Lewis

But it is not all about therapy, which almost anyone who has been to a music festival can attest to. Recreation is important too, as discussed by Matt Phillips of Silverback Music. Phillips said he works to create “zones” and retreats at events, to bring out people’s carefree and happy selves. He uses different kinds of content, video, and lights during events such as festivals to recreate the positive “journeys” he has had in the past.

Following the panel, different musical performances embraced the space. The sound was everywhere, paired with “trippy” AI visuals and wavy projections on the walls. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood, even the vendors handing out psilocybin samples and offering their psychedelic wares, despite the May gray hanging overhead. People danced, ate food, and were, generally, merry. Maybe music is healing.

For more on the event, see Larry Nimmer’s video here.

DJ Torkom Ji asked attendees to close their eyes and listen to his mixes of brown and white noise to “be together for a moment.” | Credit: Stephen Lewis
DJ Torkom Ji improvised his first set, playing sounds to center people in the moment. | Credit: Stephen Lewis
Panelists included (L-R) Matt Phillips of Silverback Music, Raghu Markus, executive director of Ram Dass’s Love Serve Remember Foundation, Isaac Sabu, founder of sound meditation platform Biotune, and moderator Kat Walsh of the Trip on This podcast. | Credit: Stephen Lewis
At the end of the night, DJ Torkom Ji took the stage again to play electric tracks. | Credit: Stephen Lewis
AI visuals and other trippy projections surrounded the space. | Credit: Stephen Lewis
The night ended with two musical performances by DJ Torkom Ji and DJ Kat Walsh. | Credit: Stephen Lewis
People danced to electronic music at the end of Saturday’s event. | Credit: Stephen Lewis
Attendees danced to electronic mixes at the end of the night. | Credit: Stephen Lewis