Crystals, sound baths & energy healing: comfort, ritual & what the evidence says

People keep crystals in a pocket, wear them as jewellery, place them on an altar or hold them during meditation. Many see them as reminders of an intention, like “be gentle with myself.”

Some people believe crystals hold spiritual energy. In a 2018 survey, four in ten U.S. adults said spiritual energy can be found in physical objects.

In a sound bath, people rest while a facilitator plays singing bowls, gongs, chimes or other instruments. Many describe it as deeply relaxing.

In Reiki, a practitioner places their hands lightly on or just above a person, based on an Eastern belief in an energy that supports the body’s natural healing.

In an unpublished 2001 study by a psychologist at Goldsmiths, University of London, 80 people meditated for five minutes holding either a real quartz crystal or a glass imitation. Both groups reported similar sensations.

People had been told beforehand what they might feel, and many then felt it. The researcher concluded the effects came from the power of suggestion, not the crystals.

Few other conventional studies of crystals exist, so there is no good evidence that crystals have healing powers.

Holding something smooth and cool, slowing down and remembering what matters to you can all be calming. Any special object, like a shell or a pebble from a beach you love, can do the same job.

Rituals can help too. In experiments, people who did a short ritual before a stressful task felt less anxious, and meaning seemed to matter.

For some people, crystals are part of a Pagan, New Age or other spiritual practice. Their meaning can be personal and sacred, whatever science says about healing.

In a 2017 study, 62 adults reported less tension, anger, tiredness and low mood after a singing bowl session. There was no comparison group, so it can’t show the bowls caused the change.

A 2025 review of 14 singing bowl studies found some signs of less anxiety, but most studies were small and short, and the authors called for better trials.

NCCIH says Reiki hasn’t been clearly shown to be effective for any health-related purpose, and there is no scientific evidence that the energy field it’s based on exists. It also hasn’t been shown to cause harm.

A Cochrane review found only three small trials of Reiki for anxiety or depression, not enough to say whether it helps.

What research supports

• Feeling calmer after a sound session (early studies)
• Rituals easing nerves and grief
• The placebo response easing symptoms like pain and stress-related sleep problems

Claims without support

• That crystals heal illness or emotional conditions
• That energy healing cures disease
• That a stone can protect you from harm or “negative energy”
• That these practices can replace health care

NCCIH advises never using an unproven practice to put off seeing your health care provider, and telling all your providers about every approach you use.

Harvard Health explains that the placebo effect is more than positive thinking. It works on symptoms the brain shapes, like pain, and may involve brain chemicals like endorphins and dopamine.

Placebo effects can help you feel better, but they don’t cure disease.

Harvard Health notes that the ritual of treatment, like a visit and caring attention, can change how people feel their symptoms.

Rituals after a loss have been linked with less grief, partly by giving people a sense of control.

Lying still, listening to gentle sounds or touching a smooth stone gives your mind something calm to focus on. Simply having permission to stop can be a relief.

Try this

• Lie down somewhere comfortable
• Play soft bowls, chimes or nature sounds at a low volume
• Let your breath slow down
• When your mind wanders, gently come back to the sound
• Sit up slowly when you’re done

A shelf or corner with a few stones, a plant, a candle or photos can become a place to pause. What matters is that it feels peaceful to you.

Combining a crystal or sound ritual with slow breathing or a grounding exercise gives you the comfort of the ritual and the support of skills with more research behind them.

Be careful if a seller or healer…

• Claims to cure illness, depression or anxiety
• Discourages you from seeing a doctor or therapist
• Pushes expensive packages or “rare” stones
• Says you have negative energy only they can clear
• Uses fear to make you buy more

Some energy sessions involve light touch. You can ask for no touch, ask questions, or stop at any time. A good practitioner will respect that without argument.

Some people cry, feel restless or remember hard things during deep rest. That can be okay, but you are always free to open your eyes, sit up or leave.

NCCIH suggests choosing a complementary practitioner as carefully as your primary health care provider, and checking they’ll work with your other providers.

You might ask

• What training do you have?
• What does it cost in total?
• What can and can’t this do?
• Will you support me keeping my other care?