Shamanic Angelic Reiki with Color and Sound at Corrales Grief Spa
At Corrales Grief Spa at The Oasis in Corrales, New Mexico, Kristy offers Shamanic Angelic Reiki with Color and Sound as one of the most distinctive modalities in her practice, combining the ancient technology of vibrational sound with the energy medicine of Reiki and the therapeutic use of color to address grief, stress, and the places in the body where emotional pain takes up residence.
The human body is, in the most literal sense, a resonant system.
Every cell vibrates, and each organ has a frequency. The nervous system responds to sound before the thinking mind has time to process what it has heard, which explains both why a certain piece of music can produce sudden tears and why virtually every human culture since the beginning of recorded history has used sound as a healing instrument.
Much more than a wellness trend, sound is one of the oldest known therapeutic practices, and it is now the subject of a growing body of rigorous peer-reviewed research.
A Practice as Ancient as Human Culture
Sound and vibration have been used as tools for healing and spiritual transformation across millennia and across cultures. Tibetan singing bowls have been used in contemplative and healing practice for centuries, ancient Greek physicians used music to treat mental and physical illness, and indigenous healing traditions worldwide have incorporated chant, drum, and tonal instruments into ceremonies for mourning, restoration, and spiritual passage. The didgeridoo traditions of Aboriginal Australia, the overtone chanting of Mongolian and Tibetan traditions, and the use of bells and gongs in East Asian medicine all reflect a shared human understanding that sound moves through the body in ways that other healing modalities do not.
The contemporary sound healing movement takes these traditions seriously. The Tibetan singing bowl in particular has become one of the most studied instruments in the field, with a systematic review published in a peer-reviewed journal in 2025 identifying 19 clinical studies published between 2008 and 2024, documenting effects on anxiety, pain, sleep, mood, and wellbeing across a range of populations.
What the Research Shows
The most comprehensive peer-reviewed study on singing bowl sound meditation to date was conducted by Dr. Tamara Goldsby and colleagues at the University of California, San Diego, and published in the Journal of Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine. The study examined 62 adults who participated in a Tibetan singing bowl meditation session.
Compared to their state before the session, participants reported significantly lower levels of tension, anger, fatigue, and depressed mood following the session. Feelings of spiritual wellbeing increased significantly across all participants. Notably, participants who were new to this type of meditation showed a greater reduction in tension than those with prior experience, which suggests that even someone’s first encounter with sound healing can produce measurable effects.
A 2025 study published in The Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing examined the effects of singing bowl sound on anxiety and physiological symptoms in patients awaiting angiography— a population under significant acute stress. The study found meaningful reductions in anxiety levels and improvements in physiological markers, providing clinical evidence for the use of singing bowl sound in high-stress medical contexts.
The research is still developing, and the field continues to call for larger randomized controlled trials. But it is already clear that sound interventions produce measurable physiological and psychological changes, and that these changes are consistent enough in different contexts to warrant serious attention within integrative health.
How Sound Works in the Body
The mechanism behind sound healing is physiological.
Sound travels through the body as vibration, not just through the ears, but through bones, tissue, and the fluid of the body itself. When particular frequencies are introduced, they interact with the body’s own vibrational patterns. The body’s systems operate at measurable frequencies, and sound, especially the rich, sustained tones of singing bowls and gongs, can influence the state of the autonomic nervous system in ways that shift the body from sympathetic (fight-or-flight) activation toward parasympathetic (rest-and-restore) function.
The stress response activates the HPA axis (the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal system), releasing cortisol and adrenaline, increasing heart rate, and tensing muscles. Grief, in particular, can hold the body in a state of sustained stress activation, with the nervous system unable to fully resolve the threat signal. Sound interventions appear to work by engaging the nervous system through the auditory pathway, promoting a physiological downshift that allows the body to move out of that activation state.
This is why sound healing is especially valuable in the context of grief. Grief is held in the body—in the chest, the throat, the shoulders, and the gut. Talk therapy addresses what the mind is processing, while sound addresses what the body is holding. The two are complementary, not competing.
Shamanic Angelic Reiki with Color and Sound
At Corrales Grief Spa, Kristy’s offerings go beyond sound healing alone. Shamanic Angelic Reiki with Color and Sound integrates three healing modalities into a single, coherent session.
Reiki is a form of energy medicine in which the practitioner works with the body’s energy field to support balance and the flow of vital force. Shamanic Angelic Reiki draws on shamanic healing traditions and the concept of angelic guidance, working at a spiritual as well as energetic level. The integration of color adds another dimension: color therapy, or chromotherapy, works with the understanding that different wavelengths of light carry different vibrational frequencies and can be used therapeutically to support the healing process. And the sound component, including vibrational instruments, bowls, tonal frequencies, works directly through the body as described above.
Together, these modalities create a multisensory healing environment that addresses grief, stress, and trauma at the level where they reside: in the nervous system, the energy body, and the emotional and spiritual dimensions of a person’s experience.
Kristy has spent decades developing her practice. At the Oasis, where she practices, the grounds themselves create a setting that amplifies the work. Sound heals differently in a quiet, peaceful space. Healing deepens when the environment is itself part of the treatment.
Who Sound Healing Is For
Sound healing is gentle, non-invasive, and appropriate for virtually anyone. You do not need prior experience with meditation, healing work, or any particular spiritual framework to benefit from a session. You simply need the willingness to receive.
It is particularly well-suited to people carrying grief, chronic stress, or the physical symptoms that accompany prolonged emotional pain. It is useful in moments of acute loss and in the longer, quieter aftermath that grief sometimes becomes. It is for people who feel they have done a great deal of talking about what they are carrying, and are ready to work with the part of it that lives beyond words.
Sessions at Corrales Grief Spa can be standalone experiences or woven into a broader retreat. They are available both in person at The Oasis and, in some cases, virtually. Reach out to Kristy to discuss what would serve you best.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is sound healing?
Sound healing is the therapeutic use of sound, vibration, and frequency to support physical, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing. It has roots in virtually every major healing tradition in human history and is now the subject of a growing body of peer-reviewed research. At Corrales Grief Spa, sound healing is integrated into the Shamanic Angelic Reiki with Color and Sound modality, combining vibrational instruments with energy medicine and color therapy.
What is Shamanic Angelic Reiki with Color and Sound?
It is an integrative healing modality that combines Shamanic Angelic Reiki, a form of energy medicine drawing on shamanic traditions and the concept of angelic guidance, with the therapeutic use of color frequencies and vibrational sound instruments. The three elements work together to address grief, stress, and emotional pain at the level of the nervous system, the energy body, and the spirit.
Is there scientific evidence that sound healing works?
Yes, though the field is still developing. A landmark observational study by Goldsby et al. at the University of California, San Diego found significant reductions in tension, anger, fatigue, and depressed mood following singing bowl sound meditation, with improvements in spiritual wellbeing across all participants.
A 2025 review in JMIR Mental Health identified consistent evidence across 34 studies for sound interventions reducing physiological stress markers. A 2024 systematic review identified 19 clinical studies on singing bowl therapy specifically. Researchers continue to call for larger randomized controlled trials.
Do I need to have any experience with meditation or energy healing?
None at all. Sound healing is accessible to anyone who is willing to receive it. First-time participants often report significant effects. In some studies, newcomers to sound meditation showed greater reductions in tension than experienced practitioners.
How do I book a session?
Reach out to Kristy directly to discuss Shamanic Angelic Reiki with Color and Sound and whether it is the right fit for where you are. Sessions are offered individually and as part of broader retreat experiences at The Oasis.
