BAKERSFIELD, California — Marasha Miller, a practitioner of sound healing, is using what she calls a "sound bath" as a form of deep relaxation and meditation. Miller explained, "What it does is it's a way to alter your emotional well-being. So when we think about sound bath in general, a lot of people are like, it's just sound, but music, there's a reason why people need to listen to music, because what it does is it activates your parasympathetic nervous system and your vagus nerve, and it helps to calm down your sympathetic nervous system, which is where your fight or flight responses are stored."

Miller uses crystal bowls, wooden dangles, rain sticks, koshi chimes, and other instruments to sends vibrations to the body. However, it's a certain frequency needed that to achieve this goal.

"The body responds to 432 hertz frequency of music. I don't know why 432 hertz, but studies show anything that's 432 hertz can alter the autonomic nervous system," she said. "And what it does, it allows the actual nerves within your body to actually vibrate. And what they do is they go through a process called molecular restructuring, and what happens at that point is the vagus nerve, is a nerve that's in your stomach, and it's connected. It runs along your back, connected to your brain. It's able to be activated and relaxes you, sending you to deep relaxation," said Miller.

After being laid off in 2023 and diagnosed with fibromyalgia, Miller turned to sound healing. "So I ended up going to traditional therapy, on teletherapy, that did not work for me, and I was like, I needed more, and so I ended up trying sound healing," she said.

On June 6, Miller will open her new "Place of Preservation" Holistic Family Counseling, where she will host weekly sound baths, teach yoga, and offer programs for substance abuse, anger management, and more.

For those struggling with anxiety and stress, Miller recommends, "Listen to rain meditation, learn how to breathe the right way to breathe," she advised. "And then if you have questions, ask and find somebody you really can trust to ask, or find a good provider within your community."