Farstad encountered sound healing at a time when she was looking for coping tools for grief and emotional stress in her life. She learned about meditation and breathing exercises before discovering sound healing. Although three different modalities, those tools fit together, she said.

Farstad, who has a degree in marketing and has worked in that field, trained to become certified in sound healing.

“I was just really fascinated by the science behind the brain, and how the brain adjusts to different notes, to different frequencies and how the vibrations feel in your body. There’s really a lot of science behind it, and so that, to me, was really fascinating,” she said.

“When I took the first course, I had no intention of making a business out of it. But then, by the end of my last training program, I knew I wanted to bring this to Minot. I want to bring it to people to help,” she said.

Mia Farstad demonstrates a tuning fork, which creates a sound frequency and tone that has a resonating effect on the human body, at her Minot studio Dec. 12.

She opened her business, Elevate by Mia, in Minot in May 2023. She also goes to her clients, participating in retreats or conducting sound bath parties upon request.

The concept behind sound as therapy is that all matter is moving and vibrating, including people’s bodies, Farstad said.

Sound healing is described as a holistic approach that provides benefits through resonance, synchronization, frequencies, vibrations and binaural beats. As sound waves travel through one’s body, they encourage the body to enter the parasympathetic state, which is the opposite of the fight or flight state, according to Farstad.

“The sounds tell your brain to tell your body to relax,” she explained.

“It’s hard for people to wrap their head around, because you can’t see it,” she added. “Our bodies are vibrating and moving in different ways. And then when we become stressed, depending on the products we use on our skin, the people we’re around, our environments, all those things can influence our bodies’ vibration. It can cause blockages in communication. And so, the idea is using different frequencies and vibrations to help open up those lines of communication.”

An example of the positive effect is one of her clients who experienced daily migraines but now needs sound therapy only periodically to keep her headaches at bay, she said. Another client who sought sound therapy for emotional healing discovered her thyroid condition also improved.

Personally, Farstad said, sound therapy has helped her with sleep and anxiety.

Other concerns for which people might seek out sound healing include hormonal balance, sciatica, high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis, addictions, post-traumatic stress, digestion, tinnitus and dizziness, but the list of conditions that sound healing might help is long.

“One of the most surprising things for me was really realizing how much our emotional state and our mental state influences how our body feels,” Farstad said. “Most people, this is their first time having a sound healing session. When they walk in, they’re not quite sure what to expect, and by the time they leave, they say they feel like they just had a massage, even though I haven’t actually touched them. It’s all the tools. So, I think that’s a really big eye opening moment for people, realizing how much their emotions and their mind affect how their body feels physically.”

There are a number of sound tools that practitioners might use, including those that are similar to musical instruments, such as chimes, flutes and drums. Farstad’s singing bowls and tuning forks are among her preferred tools for creating tones and frequencies to promote healing.

Farstad said sound healing doesn’t replace more conventional healthcare and should be considered complementary to one’s regular medical or mental health care. However, it can be a resource for anyone who wants to practice self care, she said.