US meditation app Calm launched Shift on 27 October (local time), a new feature that uses sound moving between the ears to help change how you feel in the moment. Calm described it as one of its biggest expansions into a new area since introducing Sleep Stories, its bedtime stories.
Sound tracks for four states: focus, release, uplift and sleep
Shift is built around bilateral audio. Sound deliberately alternates between the left and right ears, creating a steady rhythm. Calm says all you need is headphones and a few minutes, with no special skills required. The feature is designed for use at bedtime, when you want to unwind or when you want to clear the afternoon fog.
Three strands of content launched with the feature. 7 Days of Shift is a guided programme led by Calm meditation teacher Rose Nisker. Each day pairs a few minutes of guidance to settle the body and mind with a bilateral audio track. Shift Your State has one dedicated track with looping visuals for each of four states: Focus, Release, Uplift and Sleep. Shift Music contains more than 20 bilateral audio tracks to listen to whenever you like.
The feature also includes a collaboration with musicians. New York-based duo Daisy the Great have reworked their 2018 song “The Record Player Song” as bilateral audio, exclusively for Shift. Calm said it is the first of several tracks the company plans to make with the duo. The pair said the song was a natural fit for Shift because their voices take turns passing the melody between them.
Shift is available only to Calm Premium subscribers, which costs $79.99 a year. US student publication Her Campus reported that it is initially available to Premium subscribers in the US. It is not yet known whether the service will be available in Korean.
US searches up 5,000% in a year: why the company is paying attention to this sound
Calm first added bilateral audio to its music library in 2022. According to the company, it is now among the most-searched terms in the Calm app, while Google searches for it in the US have risen by more than 5,000% over the past year. Her Campus, citing Calm data, reported that bilateral audio tracks had been played more than 110 million times in the app over the past year. These figures were provided by the company.
The growing interest has also been fuelled by social media trends. In a press release, Calm noted that brain flossing, a similar concept, had spread widely online. The term describes listening to sound that moves from side to side through headphones, with the idea of clearing the mind as if flossing it.
Bilateral stimulation originated as a technique used in therapy. Her Campus says that since the late 1980s, therapists have used it as part of EMDR (eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing), a form of psychotherapy for addressing trauma and stress. Calm said it worked with external advisers certified by the EMDR International Association during development, to assess whether the content was credible and safe for people to use on their own in everyday life.
Calm does not present Shift as therapy. Its customer support page says the content is inspired by EMDR techniques but is not a substitute for clinical treatment. A Calm blog post on bilateral stimulation also describes the explanation for how it works as still theoretical, and advises people who have experienced trauma or panic that doing it without a therapist may bring up overwhelming emotions. It recommends stopping if you feel dizzy or uncomfortable. The press release did not include any research specifically verifying Shift’s effectiveness.
From meditation to sleep, and now sound: the meditation app broadens its reach
Calm chief executive Dun Wang said the company had “never intended to be a meditation-only app”. It began with meditation, then moved into sleep, which led to Sleep Stories, he explained. Shift is the next step: the company says it aims to offer approachable care through bilateral sound and music.
Calm says its app has been downloaded 180 million times, is available in 10 languages and operates in around 190 countries. The app made its name with meditation practices that involve sitting quietly and counting your breaths; its expansion into sleep and sound reflects a shift in what meditation apps offer. On 22 October, Healing News covered Headspace’s sale and Calm’s expansion into the corporate and insurance markets in a column by Oh Hye-sun. Shift takes a different direction, focusing on how individual users spend a few minutes of their day.
For those who find it hard to sit with their eyes closed, listening can be an entry point to meditation
In an age of unrelenting information, being told to sit for a long time from the outset and let go of your thoughts can be a high hurdle for many people. Following sound can lower it. In South Korea, meditation classes built around sound, such as singing bowl meditation and sound baths, continue to attract people. Paying attention to bodily sensations and sound can help someone new to meditation practise returning to the present moment.
That said, sound moving between the ears may not suit everyone. As Calm has noted, working through emotional wounds should be done with a professional, while a few minutes in an app is more like a tool for choosing how you feel. If the sound in your headphones feels comfortable, you could also explore practices that involve the body, such as singing bowl, walking or breathing meditation. Whether sitting, walking or listening, meditation begins with finding an entry point that works for you.
Enquiries about this article: fare3041@naver.com