What is sound-based emotional regulation?

Introduction: Why emotional regulation matters in early childhood

Emotional regulation is a core developmental skill.  It enables us to:

• create social connections
• learn and grow from our experiences
• maintain physical health/sleep
• prevent burnout

Historically, or in tribal communities, a child’s daily life would have fewer settings and societal rules, and our brains have evolved accordingly (LeDoux, 1996).

In modern societies however, there are many different environments a child needs to pivot between, all with their own explicit rules and implicit expectations. Self-regulation then, is critical for children to:

• Control their impulses and behave in socially acceptable ways (no grabbing the biscuits until you are invited, waiting in line patiently, not screaming with frustration in the supermarket).
• Learn academically (to focus on tasks set for you by nursery or school).
• Connect socially, both one on one (good sharing, kind hands) and as part of a group (taking turns, managing disagreements).

We are increasingly aware that many children process their experiences differently due to a range of neurodivergent conditions, and there is an additional need to support them as individuals to feel calm and safe.

What is emotional regulation? A nervous system perspective

Emotional regulation develops gradually as a child grows.  Babies are born with an active amygdala (the primitive, instinctive part of the brain) and readily show their feelings in the moment. Their responsive nervous systems help them communicate their needs, ensuring they are kept fed, warm and safe.

The pre-frontal cortex (the part of the brain responsible for logic and impulse control), develops later.

It is not until the pre-frontal cortex is more fully developed and connected to the amygdala at around 3-5 years, that active regulation begins.

In younger children particularly, since we know their brains are less developed, we need to ‘co-regulate’ to help them feel safe and model regulation for them, until they can do it for themselves. Young children especially, benefit from external cues for this reason.

So, what is happening when children are dysregulated?

Put simply, the amygdala is constantly alert to threat. The Polyvagal nerve perceives the safety of the environment and ‘reports’ to the amygdala which adjusts our physical responses by shutting down the logical pre-frontal cortex and increasing cortisol (stress hormone) which mobilises us to action.

In prehistoric times this was critical to our survival.

We now know our responses are more nuanced than that, and a framework called the Polyvagal Ladder (Porges, 2011) uses the analogy of a traffic light to explain how our physiology changes, depending on the signals we perceive in the environment.

In “Green”, we feel safe.  Our heartrate is steady and the logical side of the brain is free to absorb information calmly – enabling us to socialise, listen and learn attentively. No dragons here!

“Amber”, or “mobilisation” is a state of fight or flight.  A threat is perceived, and the sympathetic nervous system activated. The heart rate quickens, and feelings of anxiety or frustration emerge. We feel mobilised to respond. Self-regulation breaks down as the amygdala urges instinctive action.

In “Red” the stress is too intense or has lasted too long. The ‘call to action’ is replaced by numbness or a ‘spaced out’ feeling. The brain feels ‘shut down’.

Children with good emotional regulation move more easily between the green and amber states, recovering quickly from conflict or disappointment.

For children with poor emotional regulation, it is more difficult to recover. Once in amber, they are unlikely to regain regulation until they have ‘acted out’ or ‘crashed’.

Understanding regulation from this standpoint helps us to support the children in our care to stay connected, or recover more quickly, to a calm logical state.

Why sound is so powerful for regulation

Sound is one of the main ‘safety/threat alert’ senses.  Even newborn babies show a fear reflex to sudden loud noises (Watson, 1919). We know through neuroscience that auditory pathways connect directly to the nervous system.

Soothing sounds give reassurance that sympathetic caregivers are close and relaxed so there is nothing to fear. In this way, the human voice is a critical safety cue. Is it soothing and calm, or is it loud and urgent, signalling danger? These tones speak directly to our nervous system which responds accordingly.

For hundreds of years, across many diverse cultures, lullabies have been an important external cue for safety. Across the world, lullabies share a slow tempo, repetitive melody and a high pitch/soft tone, signalling the body to relax. Research found that people can identify a lullaby, even from a culture they’ve never encountered (Mehr et al, 2019).

The tone, pace and rhythm of a sound (the prosody) create an interaction between the pre-frontal cortex and amygdala. A slow, melodic prosody can stimulate the Vagus nerve to send a safety cue to the brain, telling the amygdala to stand down. This is important because, once in “Amber” reasoning is no longer effective.

Solfeggio music is thought to work slightly differently. Binaural beats of slightly different frequencies are played in each ear. The brain ‘creates’ a third frequency (the difference between the two) which can encourage a relaxed (Alpha) wave state. Research suggests that Solfeggio music is effective at lowering cortisol and calming the nervous system (Akimoto et al, 2018)

What is sound-based emotional regulation?

Sound-based emotional regulation is the intentional use of structured auditory input, combining voice, rhythm, narrative and specific sound patterns to support nervous system regulation and emotional stability.

It uses sounds carefully constructed to soothe the nervous system, creating safety cues from a blend of a gentle voice, sensory aware storytelling, repetition and rhythm, ambient sound or frequency layering and a predictable structure.

This is not the background noise strategy of say, leaving on the tumble dryer, but a scientifically designed auditory experience.

How it supports young children (ages 4-10)

Sound-based emotional regulation can help reset the nervous system in the following ways:

• Easing the pivot from one environment to another (home/nursery/school)
• Helping the brain wind down, ready for a restful night’s sleep, and as part of a soothing bedtime routine
• To decompress after a sustained period of intense interaction (school/social events)
• To support emotional processing of situations they found difficult

For neurodivergent children it can also help support in an otherwise chaotic world by:

• Reducing sensory overload
• Calming children who struggle with verbal processing
• Creating a predictable sensory input they can ‘retreat into’

It should be noted that sound-based regulation isn’t an ‘off switch’ to the nervous system, and is not a replacement for professional support, however it can be very effective for many children as part of a wider regulation strategy.

 Why this matters now

Our world is changing rapidly. Children have more screen exposure, wider social networks, place to place transitions, and higher intellectual demands than ever before.  Alongside this, unstructured play and physical activity is decreasing.

It is little wonder then, that childhood anxiety, the incidence of neurodiverse diagnoses and issues with school attendance and behaviour regulation are on the rise.

Sound-based regulation is inclusive across language and culture, accessible, non-invasive, portable and scalable.

Emotional regulation is, and has always been, dependent upon support – not something children can muster up in response to the demands of their situation. From the beginning of humankind, sound has been used to support feelings of safety. Used with intention, sound can be easily integrated into modern childhood support, creating a more calming environment for everyone.

What does sound-based regulation look like?

In day-to-day use, sound regulation might be:

• A quiet corner in a classroom using guided audio
• A child listening to a calming story as they fall asleep
• A calming, consistent tone used with a dysregulated child.

There is an increasing demand for effective research-led sound experiences, such as HushAway®, for children.

The evidence base

Whilst research is ongoing, studies so far in areas such as music therapy, auditory processing and stress, lullabies and attachment, and ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response) support the potential for sound-based regulation as a tool for helping to calm a child’s nervous system.