Lived Experiences of Audible Sound-Based Practices: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study with Implications for Medical Education

Summary

This qualitative phenomenological study explores how individuals experience audible sound-based practices and examines their perceived bodily, emotional, and cognitive effects to inform medical education and interdisciplinary research.

Abstract

Audible sound has long been embedded in human healing, learning, and cultural practices, yet its role within contemporary medical discourse remains narrowly defined and often contested. While mechanobiology has demonstrated that biological systems are responsive to mechanical forces such as vibration and oscillation, little is known about how audible sound-based practices are experienced subjectively and how participants interpret these experiences in relation to emerging scientific explanations. To address this gap, the present study explored lived experiences of audible sound-based practices and their perceived bodily, emotional, and cognitive effects. Using a qualitative phenomenological design, in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 participants who had sustained engagement with audible sound-based practices. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Three interrelated themes emerged. First, participants experienced sound as a bodily and tactile phenomenon characterised by internal vibration, resonance, warmth, and muscular release. Second, sound was described as facilitating emotional regulation and cognitive quieting, including reduced anxiety, mental stillness, and heightened self-awareness. Third, participants demonstrated reflective scepticism, carefully distinguishing personal benefit from scientific proof and expressing discomfort with exaggerated or universal healing claims while seeking mechanobiological or psychophysiological explanations. The findings suggest that audible sound-based practices are best understood as experiential regulatory processes rather than therapeutic cures. Importantly, participants displayed epistemic maturity, challenging assumptions that engagement with alternative practices reflects uncritical belief. For medical and health professions education, these findings support the use of sound-based practices as critical case studies for teaching bodily regulation, critical appraisal, and ethical reasoning under scientific uncertainty. Future research should integrate qualitative insight with carefully designed experimental studies to further examine audible sound within a rigorous interdisciplinary framework.

Introduction

Audible sound has long occupied a significant role in human culture, healing traditions, and educational practices, yet its position within contemporary biomedical discourse remains narrow and often contested. In medical contexts, sound is typically associated with diagnostic imaging, auditory neuroscience, and high-frequency ultrasound applications, where its function is clearly defined and technologically mediated. In contrast, audible sound-based practices such as sound baths, tuning fork sessions, vibrational chanting, and resonance-focused interventions are frequently positioned outside formal medical frameworks and categorized as complementary or alternative app....

Protocol

This study was conducted in accordance with institutional guidelines regarding research involving human participants. Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the University College Fairview Research Ethics Committee (UCF-REC) (Reference No. UCF/REC/2026/06-089; approval date: October 30, 2025). Written informed consent was obtained from each participant prior to the commencement of the study. All participants were informed of the voluntary nature of the study, their right to decline to answer any question, and their right to withdraw from the study at any stage. To ensure participant privacy and confidentiality, pseudonyms and participant codes were used in ....

Results

Figure 1 presents the thematic relationships among the three research questions, major themes, and associated experiential codes derived from the reflexive thematic analysis. No formal subthemes were identified during the analysis. Instead, the themes were supported by clusters of related codes that captured recurring patterns across participants’ lived experiences. The figure illustrates how participants’ accounts progressed from bodily awareness and emotional regulation to reflective consi.......

Discussion

The findings related to the research questions indicate that audible sound-based practices are experienced primarily as embodied and regulatory experiences rather than as curative interventions targeting specific disease conditions. Across all three research questions, participants described audible sound in relation to bodily, emotional, cognitive, and meaning-making experiences, without attributing curative effects or disease-specific therapeutic outcomes to these practices. These findings are consistent with the liter.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Audio Recording Device	Sony Corporation	ICD-PX470	Used to record in-person participant interviews.
Computer	Dell Technologies	N/A	Used for interview transcription, data storage, coding, and analysis.
Online Interview Platform	Zoom Video Communications, Inc.	N/A	Used to conduct and record remote interviews.
Transcription Software	Google LLC	NotebookLM	Used to generate initial interview transcripts from audio recordings.
Qualitative Data Analysis Software	ATLAS.ti Scientific Software Development GmbH	ATLAS.ti 25	Used for coding, data management, memoing, and reflexive thematic analysis.
Field Notes Template	Author-generated	N/A	Used to document contextual observations, methodological notes, and reflexive reflections following interviews.
Reflexive Memo Template	Author-generated	N/A	Used to document analytical decisions, emerging interpretations, and researcher reflexivity during analysis.
Informed Consent Form	Author-generated	N/A	Used to obtain written informed consent prior to participation.
Participant Information Sheet	Author-generated	N/A	Used to provide study information and participant rights before enrollment.
Participant Screening Form	Author-generated	N/A	Used to assess eligibility against predefined inclusion criteria.
Recruitment Advertisement	Author-generated	N/A	Used to recruit participants through Facebook, WhatsApp, and Telegram communities.
Semi-Structured Interview Guide (Supplementary File 1)	Author-generated	N/A	Used to ensure consistency across participant interviews while allowing exploratory follow-up questions.
Participant Transcript Review Form	Author-generated	N/A	Used during transcript verification and participant clarification procedures.
COREQ Checklist (Supplementary File 2)	Tong A, Sainsbury P, Craig J	N/A	Used to document reporting quality and methodological transparency.