Reflections on Sound, Sensory Experience, and Neurodiversity
Share
This post reflects my background in therapeutic sound and applied practice, developed through working with children, families, practitioners, and educators across a range of settings.
Through this work, I became increasingly interested in how sound is experienced differently by different people, particularly in relation to sensory processing, environment, and emotional regulation. What emerged over time was not a desire to instruct or intervene, but a deeper curiosity about how sound shapes experience moment by moment — and how individuals respond to it in their own ways.
These reflections have informed a shift in my work towards exploring sound as an experiential space, shaped by lived experience rather than therapeutic delivery or prescribed outcomes.
Sound, Sensory Experience, and Neurodiversity
Sound-based wellbeing experiences have long been explored as a way of supporting sensory comfort, emotional regulation, and overall wellbeing. Through my work at The Sound Healing Spa, I have had the opportunity to explore how carefully considered sound environments can create a sense of safety, calm, and ease for individuals with a wide range of sensory experiences, including neurodivergent profiles.
This work has taken place across a variety of settings, including schools, parent-and-child sessions, community wellbeing events, and professional environments, each offering valuable insight into how sound is perceived, tolerated, and engaged with differently by different people.
Applied Practice at The Sound Healing Spa
At The Sound Healing Spa, my work has focused on the applied use of sound to support greater awareness of how sound affects individuals personally. Rather than directing people toward specific outcomes, sessions have been designed to offer space for listening, noticing, and reflecting on sound experiences in a way that feels safe and accessible.
For those who experience sound sensitivities, this has involved gently exploring a range of sound types and sound qualities, paying attention to comfort levels, emotional responses, and changes in sensory tolerance over time. Sound environments have been carefully designed to minimise overwhelm and to allow individuals to engage at their own pace.
Events and group sessions have also used sound intentionally to create calm, welcoming environments, particularly for those who find busy or noisy spaces challenging.
Working With Families, Educators, and Organisations
A key learning from this work has been the importance of involving the wider community. Parents, carers, educators, and workplace teams often play a significant role in shaping the sound environments people experience daily.
Through workshops and practical sessions, I have supported adults in becoming more sound aware — noticing how everyday soundscapes can influence mood, focus, interaction, and wellbeing. This awareness can support more inclusive environments, whether at home, in educational settings, or in shared workplaces.
Rather than providing fixed solutions, this work has focused on building understanding and confidence, enabling people to make informed, compassionate adjustments to the sound environments around them.
Research and Reflection
In December 2022, I undertook a literature review in collaboration with the School of Natural and Built Environment at Queen’s University Belfast. This work explored existing research relating to sound, wellbeing, and environmental experience across educational, workplace, and residential contexts.
This research reinforced the importance of considering sound not in isolation, but as part of a wider environmental and sensory landscape. It also highlighted the value of approaches that prioritise awareness, adaptability, and individual experience over uniform solutions.
Moving Forward
This body of work continues to inform my approach to sound-based experiences. What has become increasingly clear is the importance of creating spaces — physical or digital — where individuals can explore sound safely, without instruction, expectation, or pressure to achieve a particular outcome.
Sound is deeply personal. When people are given the opportunity to engage with it on their own terms, it can become a meaningful part of how they navigate their environments, their emotions, and their daily lives.