Sounds Heal Podcast: Sound Healing & Wellness

Craig Shankster is co-founder of Silence In Sound in Mid Wales, UK, where he and his wife, Jacquie, have spent more than four decades exploring the transformative potential of sound. Their work integrates Himalayan singing bowls, singing gongs, meditation, and contemplative listening practices to help people discover greater awareness, presence, and inner stillness.
Drawing from decades of experience researching, teaching, and working with traditional sound instruments, Craig has developed a philosophy he calls The Resonant Middle Way—an approach that invites us to discover silence within sound itself and cultivate a deeper relationship with the sounds that surround us every day.
Join us as we explore Craig's remarkable journey, the wisdom of Himalayan singing bowls and singing gongs, the practice of deep listening, and his unique perspective on the evolving field of sound healing.
Learn more about Craig and Silence In Sound:
https://www.silenceinsound.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com/silenceinsound
https://www.instagram.com/craigshankster/

Natalie Brown, host of Sounds Heal Podcast, founder of Sounds Heal Studio, Sound Healing Academy Lead Teacher for North America:
http://www.soundshealstudio.com
http://www.facebook.com/soundshealstudio
http://www.instagram.com/nataliebrownsoundsheal
http://www.youtube.com/soundshealstudio
Music by Natalie Brown, Hope & Heart http://www.youtu.be/hZPx6zJX6yA
Email: soundshealstudio@gmail.com

This episode of Sounds Heal Podcast is sponsored by Crystal Tones, creators of the original Alchemy Crystal Singing Bowls®. For many people in the sound world, Crystal Tones bowls are more than instruments. They’re companions in practice, meditation, ceremony, and deep listening. Each bowl is handcrafted in the United States from ultra-pure quartz crystal and infused with precious metals, gemstones, and rare minerals through their proprietary alchemical process. Crystal Tones has helped shape the evolution of modern sound culture, with their bowls being used in meditation spaces, healing practices, concert settings, and sound journeys around the world. You can explore their instruments and learn more at http://www.crystalsingingbowls.com.

Across the first half of 2026, sound is increasingly moving across culture, science, and media, expanding from niche wellness practices into mainstream cultural programming, clinical research, and neuroscience. In this episode of Sound Healing News, Natalie Brown explores how sound baths, vibroacoustic therapy, and immersive sound experiences are appearing in concert halls, botanical gardens, healthcare research, and media coverage, while scientists and journalists alike begin to develop a shared language around attention, nervous system regulation, and human experience.
This episode of Sounds Heal Podcast is sponsored by Crystal Tones, creators of the original Alchemy Crystal Singing Bowls®.
Crystal Tones bowls are handcrafted in the United States from ultra-pure quartz crystal and infused with precious metals, gemstones, and rare minerals through a proprietary alchemical process. Each instrument carries its own distinct tonal character, harmonic richness, and vibrational quality, making them widely used in sound meditation, contemplative practice, therapeutic sound environments, and performance settings around the world.
Known for their depth of tone and complex overtone fields, Crystal Tones has become a significant presence in the evolution of modern sound culture, with their instruments featured in wellness spaces, ceremonial contexts, and immersive sound experiences internationally.
More information can be found at http://www.crystalsingingbowls.com.

Natalie Brown, host of Sounds Heal Podcast, founder of Sounds Heal Studio, Sound Healing Academy Lead Teacher for North America:
http://www.soundshealstudio.com
http://www.facebook.com/soundshealstudio
http://www.instagram.com/nataliebrownsoundsheal
http://www.youtube.com/soundshealstudio
Email: soundshealstudio@gmail.com
Music by Natalie Brown, Hope & Heart http://www.youtu.be/hZPx6zJX6yA

Episode references:
Los Angeles Master Chorale – Sound Waves: A Transcendent Sound Bath for the Soul
https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/05/12/3293188/0/en/Escape-the-Chaos-Los-Angeles-Master-Chorale-Presents-Sound-Waves-a-Transcendent-Sound-Bath-for-the-Soul.html
Sound in Bloom – Rotary Botanical Gardens
https://events.wiscotix.com/e/sound-bath-june-2026
Sunset Spirit Sound Bath – Sonoma Botanical Garden
https://www.sonomacounty.com/events/sunset-spirit-sound-bath/
Summer Solstice Sound Healing – San Diego Botanic Garden
https://sdbg.org/programs/06-20-summer-solstice-sound-healing/
Floating Sound Bath – Salamander DC Spa
https://www.salamanderdc.com/spa/floating-sound-bath
Floating Sound Bath – Minneapolis
https://floatingsoundbathmpls.com/
Se7en Waves Floating Sound Experience
https://se7enwaves.com/floating
Sound baths are one of 2026’s biggest wellness trends – Atlanta Journal-Constitution
https://www.ajc.com/wellness/2026/03/sound-baths-are-one-of-2026s-biggest-wellness-trends/
The Guardian – What is a sound bath and does it work
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/may/12/sound-bath-what-is-it-does-it-work-music-meditation-relaxation-nervous-system-science
Traditional Medicine Conference 2026 – Vibroacoustic Therapy program
https://traditionalmedicineconference.com/program/scientific-program/2026/vibroacoustic-therapy-integrating-sound-science-and-traditional-healing
Music-based interventions in clinical settings (PMC)
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5871151/
Computational music cognition and neural entrainment
https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.12280
Neuroscience of rhythm and attention
https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.02527
Vogue Arabia – Frequency sound shaping wellness in 2026
https://www.voguearabia.com/article/frequency-sound-shaping-wellness-in-2026
MusicRadar – Sound as scaffolding for the nervous system
https://www.musicradar.com/music-tech/when-approached-thoughtfully-electronic-music-can-act-as-a-kind-of-scaffolding-for-the-nervous-system

Bear Love is an internationally respected gong practitioner, educator, instrument innovator, and the founder of B Love Sacred Sound. Based in the mountains of West Wales, he is best known for developing the B Love Flumies®, innovative friction mallets that have expanded the sonic possibilities of the gong by revealing rich harmonic textures, sustained tones, and previously unexplored sonic landscapes.
Rooted in years of exploration and deep listening, Bear's work invites people beyond simply hearing sound and into an immersive relationship with vibration itself. His approach emphasizes presence, sensitivity, and the subtle interplay between sound and silence, encouraging practitioners to cultivate not only technical skill but a profound quality of awareness and discernment.
In this episode, we explore Bear's journey into sound and the experiences that shaped his understanding of vibration and spirit, his enduring relationship with the gong, and the inspiration behind the development of the B Love Flumies®. We also discuss the distinction between listening to sound and entering into sound, the inner landscape that can emerge during immersive sound journeys, the role of silence in practice and teaching, and what he believes is essential for practitioners to embody as the field of sound work continues to evolve.
Whether you're a sound practitioner, musician, gong player, or simply curious about the transformative potential of immersive sound, this conversation offers thoughtful insights into the art of deep listening and the ever-unfolding possibilities of vibration.
https://www.blovesacredsound.co.uk/

Natalie Brown, host of Sounds Heal Podcast, founder of Sounds Heal Studio, Sound Healing Academy Lead Teacher for North America:
http://www.soundshealstudio.com
http://www.facebook.com/soundshealstudio
http://www.instagram.com/nataliebrownsoundsheal
http://www.youtube.com/soundshealstudio
Email: soundshealstudio@gmail.com
Music by Natalie Brown, Hope & Heart http://www.youtu.be/hZPx6zJX6yA

This episode of Sounds Heal Podcast is sponsored by Crystal Tones, creators of the original Alchemy Crystal Singing Bowls®.
For many people in the sound world, Crystal Tones bowls are more than instruments. They’re companions in practice, meditation, ceremony, and deep listening. Each bowl is handcrafted in the United States from ultra-pure quartz crystal and infused with precious metals, gemstones, and rare minerals through their proprietary alchemical process.
Crystal Tones has helped shape the evolution of modern sound culture, with their bowls being used in meditation spaces, healing practices, concert settings, and sound journeys around the world.
You can explore their instruments and learn more at crystalsingingbowls.com.

After her first strike of a singing bowl in 2019, Monica Mullen has been driven by a “magnetic pull” in her soul to Follow the Sound. She has devoted her life to learning, practicing, and teaching, studying under many prominent sound luminaries. Her practice integrates aspects of Vibrational Radiesthesia and Spirit Science, allowing her to use sound as a tool for spiritual growth and finding inner harmony.
A full-time practitioner since 2021, she also serves as Assistant Director and Senior Adjunct Instructor at the Soundwise School of Harmonic Therapy in Lancaster, PA, alongside founder Lana Ryder.
Monica has completed numerous trainings with skilled teachers such as Alexandre Tannous, David Shemesh, Mitch Nur, Guy Beider, Mike Tamburo, Michael Bettine, and Thomas Orr Anderson, additionally assisting with trainings and events for some of those mentioned. She teaches Sound and Practitioner Energetics locally and regionally, while also offering private and group therapeutic sound sessions and hosting retreats and weekend workshops. Ever evolving, Monica is formulating Sound Mentorship programs.
Beyond studying sound, she has expanded her studies into the realms of Vibrational Radiesthesia, BioGeometry, and Spirit Science with the late Dr. Robert Gilbert. She considers herself a Disciple of Vibration.
Her mission includes teaching the contextual and skillful use of instruments, which starts with tuning oneself as the Instrument of Consciousness through heart centered practices, deep listening skills, attention honing, and the development of virtue. Using Sound as the Call to gather others to connect, reflect, and align with the Divine, she encourages others to harness and direct their creative power as Vibrational Architects to Further the Kingdom of Love.
Monica’s own creative nature explores making mallets and instruments when she cannot find the sound she is looking for. She smells flowers in her spare time and loves eating fruit, cloud watching, and delving deep into mysteries.
https://www.monicajmullen.com/
https://www.instagram.com/monica.j.mullen/
https://www.facebook.com/monica.joan

Natalie Brown, host of Sounds Heal Podcast, founder of Sounds Heal Studio, Sound Healing Academy Lead Teacher for North America:
http://www.soundshealstudio.com
http://www.facebook.com/soundshealstudio
http://www.instagram.com/nataliebrownsoundsheal
http://www.youtube.com/soundshealstudio
Email: soundshealstudio@gmail.com
Music by Natalie Brown, Hope & Heart http://www.youtu.be/hZPx6zJX6yA

Sharry Edwards, M.Ed., is a pioneer in BioAcoustic Biology, a field she developed through decades of research into how the human voice relates to patterns in the body and its applications in sound healing and wellness.
She created Voice Spectral Analysis and Vocal Profiling—systems that explore how vocal frequency patterns may reflect internal states such as stress, imbalance, and overall physiological patterns. Her work examines how these frequencies can be analyzed to identify patterns in the human system and, in some cases, paired with sound healing and wellness-based approaches.
Founder of the Sound Health Research Institute, Edwards has led research, training, and software development in BioAcoustic Biology for over 30 years. Her work is recognized within integrative health, sound healing, and frequency-based wellness communities.
At the core of her research is the idea that the voice may function as a holographic representation of the body, offering insight into patterns of balance and imbalance through sound and vibration.
Her work bridges sound healing, science, and holistic wellness—bringing together intuitive observation and quantitative approaches to explore the human voice as a source of frequency-based information.
https://www.bioacousticsolutions.net/
https://www.soundhealthportal.com/
https://soundhealthoptions.com/
Email: sharryedwards@gmail.com

Natalie Brown, host of Sounds Heal Podcast, founder of Sounds Heal Studio, Sound Healing Academy Lead Teacher for North America:
http://www.soundshealstudio.com
http://www.facebook.com/soundshealstudio
http://www.instagram.com/nataliebrownsoundsheal
http://www.youtube.com/soundshealstudio
Email: soundshealstudio@gmail.com
Music by Natalie Brown, Hope & Heart http://www.youtu.be/hZPx6zJX6yA