MINI-SERIES: SELF CARE FOR ADHD BRAINS
Sound therapy is incredibly nourishing for the neurodivergent nervous system, and in my article Sensory Cocooning for ADHD I invited you to begin your low-stimulation sensory journey by creating a cocoon for yourself. If you're not familiar with sensory cocooning, here's a quick reminder.
Here's how to cocoon and nourish your nervous system! Grab these items you have in your house:
- cushion & blanket
- eye mask/scarf
- headphones
- phone *on do not disturb*
I recommend noise cancelling headphones for the best possible somatic experience, otherwise any good quality headphones should work fine. You can do it without headphones if you're in a pinch, but headphones do help create that 'isolating/cocooning' experience.
Insight Timer: try these four sound bathing options to nourish your nervous system
If you want to try right now, go and download the Insight Timer app from your app store (no affiliation, I'm just a big fan!) I've shared 4 tracks below from Insight Timer that I have found incredibly helpful for cocooning and nourishing my neurodivergent nervous system.
Sound bathing: 3 tips before you begin
- As you go into this sound experience, remember that no one soundtrack will work for everyone. That's why I've shared 4 tracks that I find helpful, all totally different. Try each of them with curiosity, and journal your experience afterwards so you can keep track of what your nervous system likes.
- Find a comfortable place to do the sound experience where you won't be disturbed. You might want to elevate your knees and legs by placing a cushion underneath them. Let your nervous system guide you, and stop if anything becomes uncomfortable, or do shorter sessions as you acclimatize.
- The sound experiences I've linked from Insight Timer app are all 30+ minutes long. If you don't have that time today, no worries! Try one out even just for 10-15 mins and see the benefits. 🙂
*Remember to use headphones for the best experience. Once you've downloaded Insight Timer, click images below, and the tracks will open in your app.
Click image above to open link in Insight app
1. Live Soundbath: 18 bowls journey
I enjoy this practice on days where I'm in my head all day (which, let's be honest, is almost every day) because it helps me become aware of my body and ground into that somatic experience. It's been especially helpful for calming my anxiety, creating resonance and a sensation of cellular coherence through the deep vibrations.
30 min practice (but sometimes I just do 10-15 mins). Keep the volume medium so it doesn't become too intense for your nervous system. Go intuitively, and if this intensity doesn't resonate for your body, feel free to stop.
Click image above to open link in Insight app
2. Deep Rest
In this gentle guided practice with Davin Youngs (one of my favourite meditation teachers) you're taken on a 30 minute journey towards appreciating your body and its tireless work, and allowing it to rest.
This is a 30 min practice (but guided portion goes for 15 minutes, with 15 minutes of sound immersion to finish). This one is a nice one before sleep. Go intuitively, and if this doesn't resonate for your body, feel free to stop.
Click image above to open link in Insight app
3. Brown noise: Deep Space Voyage
Brown noise has become popular of late with neurodivergents, as many are finding it quiets or drowns out the internal chatter and helps them to focus and feel calmer. This article by the New York Times is an interesting read if you want to do a deep dive on noise frequencies and tonalities. Some research has shown brown noise benefits the ADHD brain by making it easier to concentrate, but you can try and see for yourself!
It's a 90 min track (but listen for as long as you'd like).
Click image above to open link in Insight app
4. Neurodivergent Sleep - Brown noise
If you're looking for something that will both calm and stimulate your mind, you could try this brown noise track created by a neurodivergent man called Ben Sorenson.
For the full benefit of the noise that travels between your left and right headphones, you'll need to play this from stereo headphones (not a computer with mono sound).
The term "Brown noise" (Brownian noise in science) does not come from the colour, but after Robert Brown, who documented the erratic motion of multiple types of inanimate particles in water.
This is a 60 minute track (but listen for as long as you'd like).