It Has To Be Me Episode

Sound Therapy with Tibetan Singing Bowls

Kelly Sullivan

Episode #67: August 14th, 2025

THE GOLD FROM THIS EPISODE

“I'm using seven Tibetan bowls, the seven main notes in the musical scale—C, D, E, F, G, A and B, and the seven chakras in the body.”

Kelly Sullivan

Sound Healing Practitioner and Reiki Master

“The Tibetan system works with fifths—harmonizing sounds that help you relax and get into a slumber state for the most rejuvenation. The crystal bowls work with the diatonic musical scale—a tone between each chakra.”

Kelly Sullivan

Sound Healing Practitioner and Reiki Master

“The sounds and vibrations from the bowls interact with your energetic field. By listening to the changes in the sound, I know where to clear, balance, and restore energy.” 

Kelly Sullivan

Sound Healing Practitioner and Reiki Master

“Tibetan bowls are handcrafted, and each is unique like a fingerprint. The bowls are versatile, and you can change the sound by placing the bowls on different surfaces and parts of the body. The bowls are grounding, bring people into their bodies, and signal where healing needs to take place.”

Kelly Sullivan

Sound Healing Practitioner and Reiki Master

“A personal practice of playing a Tibetan bowl helps you embrace a slow and steady pace. You learn to stop and listen to the sound vibrations start to dissipate into silence. There is a point where the bowl is ready to be played again. You can’t rush the bowl or you get unpleasant sounds.” 

Kelly Sullivan

Sound Healing Practitioner and Reiki Master

“Listening to the sound waves and vibrations of the bowls as they start to slow down and become silent trains the brain waves to slow down. The mental clutter dissipates so you can get into a state of relaxation, access your creativity, and allow your intention to come through.”   

Kelly Sullivan

Sound Healing Practitioner and Reiki Master

"When you play the bowl in a melodic, repetitive way, it becomes a meditation. This is an accessible way to be mindful and present in the moment for people who can't sit in silence.” 

Kelly Sullivan

Sound Healing Practitioner and Reiki Master

“Playing a Tibetan bowl is a way of filtering out the noise, and bringing more focus to what we’re listening to. When you reach a place of stillness, things start to spark and ignite.”

Kelly Sullivan

Sound Healing Practitioner and Reiki Master

in THIS EPISODE

  • Struggling with the chaos of the world? Sound therapist and Reiki master Kelly Sullivan shares the power of Tibetan singing bowls to combat stress, promote relaxation, and support better physical and emotional health.

  • Kelly’s journey as a wellness practitioner began not out of clarity, but in anxiety. Studying graphic design, she felt unfulfilled and burnt out, craving a deeper connection and purpose.

  • Escaping the uncertainty, she spent a summer volunteering in Nepal, fell in love with the culture, and brought home a Tibetan bowl. The souvenir collected dust on her shelf. Then a Reiki practitioner introduced her to traditions of ancient sound healing. The ornamental became instrumental, and Kelly was hooked. She returned to Nepal to study, and became a Tibetan singing bowl therapist.

  • Kelly explains how Tibetan bowls differ from crystal bowls, and how she uses the bowls as diagnostic tools to determine which chakras in the body need to be aligned and balanced. She walks us through how listening to the bowls’ sounds and vibrations trains our brain waves to slow down. This gentle meditation opens creativity and intuition.

  • We discuss the differences between sound and music, and how our unique relationships with the bowls help us find our individual flow and tap into the rhythm of relaxation.

  • Slow down, Kelly says, create your own stillness, and listen. Allow sound to lead, so your energy can speak.

TESS'S TAKEAWAYS

  • Sound therapy with Tibetan bowls can restore energy balance.

  • The Tibetan bowls work with seven notes that correspond to the seven chakras. 

  • Each singing bowl makes a unique sound, resonating differently with each person. 

  • The bowls’ harmonies promote relaxation and rejuvenation.

  • The vibrations of the bowls train our brain waves to slow down.

  • Creating stillness through sound is a powerful form of meditation to access creativity.

  • In the slumber state, intuition and clarity of intention can rise to the surface.

  • Understanding your vibration and energy enables you to tune into the needs of others.

ABOUT KELLY

Kelly Sullivan is the director of Soli Wellness, a boutique studio dedicated to sound therapy, Reiki energy healing, meditation, and holistic wellbeing. 

A Tibetan singing bowl therapist, sound healing practitioner, Reiki Master, and Yoga Nidra meditation teacher, Kelly harnesses the power of sound and energy to combat stress, calm the mind, regulate the nervous system, and restore inner harmony. 

Kelly’s journey with holistic wellness began in 2010 on a trip to Nepal, where she experienced the healing power of Tibetan singing bowls. She returned to Kathmandu to study this ancient healing modality, and incorporated it into her Reiki sessions when she went back to Australia. 

A member of the International Sound Therapy Association, Kelly enjoys expanding her knowledge and sharing the transformative benefits of sound.