6: Ancient Wisdom: Modern Science with Michelle Hammond - Episode 66: Ancient Wisdom: Modern Science with Michelle Hammond - Episode 6
UK Health Radio Podcast
Michelle Hammond and sound artist Brian D’souza talk about how music, nature and immersive sound can influence the brain, body and emotions. The conversation touches on psychedelic-assisted therapy, addiction, and simple listening practices that may support calmer, more balanced living.
47:41•30 Apr 2026
How Sound Shapes Healing: Brian D’souza on Music, Psychedelics and Recovery
Episode Overview
- Sound and music affect physiology, mood and behaviour in real time, making them powerful tools for regulation rather than just background entertainment.
- Human beings naturally sync to rhythm, so tempo and tone in our sound environment can influence focus, productivity and even eating pace.
- In psychedelic-assisted therapy, carefully curated music acts as a “hidden therapist” that guides people through intense emotional states linked to pain, depression and addiction.
- Non-verbal approaches like sound therapy and nature soundscapes can support people in addiction recovery who struggle with talking about trauma.
- Simple practices such as deep listening to one album without multitasking, or consciously tuning into natural soundscapes, can restore attention and calm the nervous system.
“Music is known in this domain as the hidden therapist.”
How do different strategies aid in addiction recovery? This conversation on Ancient Wisdom: Modern Science zooms in on sound as a powerful, everyday tool for emotional regulation, nervous system support, and long-term healing. Host Michelle Hammond talks with London-based sound artist and producer Brian D’souza, whose career has moved from DJ’ing and music consultancy into sound therapy and health-focused sound design.
Brian shares how his psychology background led him to ask what music is really doing to the brain and body, and why human beings are, as he puts it, “very rhythmical” creatures who unconsciously match our pace, chewing, and even work rate to the tempo around us. For anyone interested in recovery, mental health, or addiction, the most striking parts of the chat centre on Brian’s work with psychedelic-assisted therapy at Imperial College London.
He explains how music is used as a “hidden therapist” in trials for chronic pain, depression, anxiety and addiction, including gambling. Carefully curated soundtracks guide people through intense psychedelic journeys, helping them safely meet difficult emotions and potentially rewire stuck patterns linked to trauma. Michelle then connects this with quieter, non-verbal approaches like auricular acupuncture for addiction, highlighting how sound can offer a “silent therapy” that bypasses the pressure to talk, yet still deeply calms the nervous system.
Brian also talks about field recording, plant “music” through biosonification, and building immersive soundscapes that bring nature to people who can’t easily get outside – including those who are bedbound or living in noisy cities. Simple practices like deep listening to an album from start to finish, or breaking a soundscape into geophony, biophony and human-made noise, become surprisingly powerful self-care tools.
If you’re sober, sober-curious, or simply trying to feel more settled in your own skin, this episode may leave you asking: how could you change your day, your cravings, or your mood, just by changing what you hear?
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