In silence, the brain regenerates, growing new neurons in the hippocampus which is the cerebral center of memory, spatial navigation and emotional regulation (Kriste, Nicola, Kronenberg, Walker, Liu, & Kempermann, 2015). Silence has also been shown to be relaxing and therapeutic, restoring equilibrium and reducing brainwave frequency while lowering blood pressure, heart and respiratory rates (Siegel, 1999; Bernardi, Porta & Sleight, 2006; Kim, Lee, Kim, Whang, & Kang, 2013; Kim, Rhee, & Kang, 2014; Kriste, Nicola, Kronenberg, Walker, Liu, & Kempermann, 2015).
In silence, as our breathing rate slows our brain’s production of thoughts also lessens. This is vital for dementia relief and improvement, for in dementia, the brain easily becomes overwhelmed by external and internal stimuli. In a person with dementia the brain over produces thoughts making it often intolerable for a person to be at peace in their own mind. This can lead to people wanting to leave their own mind or to disassociate which makes improvement far more challenging.
In my over 25 years of working with those with dementia, I have witnessed the huge relief that my clients have experienced when they can simply be in silence. I have created an approach to dementia relief and improvement called Resonant Silence Technique (RST) ® which is based on using silence as a therapeutic modality. In my RST dementia therapeutic sessions I prepare people to appreciate the richness of silence through gentle, soothing and subtle aspects of sound called vibrato and harmonics. Research into singing bowl sound interventions has found that these sounds may modulate brainwave activity, decreasing beta waves and enhancing theta waves associated with deep relaxation (Walter & Hinterberger, 2022; Starcevic et al., 2024). After hearing these calming sounds and then experiencing deep silence one of my clients said, “my mind is blank!” For someone with dementia a blank mind is experienced as great relief for rather than being tormented by an avalanche of thoughts and sensations this person now feels comforted and comfortable within their own mind.
The brainwave frequency wherein we function in the world is called Beta. This brainwave state, mode of thinking or state of consciousness is rational and logical and has a frequency of 13-30 hertz or cycles per second. Our modern technology runs on the Beta brainwave state and though our technology can be wondrous, this brain wave state also locks us into and limits us to this one way of experiencing the world thereby cutting us off from appreciating the world in other ways or from the perspective of other brainwave frequencies or consciousness levels.
Creativity, deep inner peace and intuitive leaps in consciousness come from other, slower brainwave states such as Alpha (7-13 hertz) and Theta (4-7 hertz). As a composer and life-long practiser of autogenic meditation referred to earlier in the scientific studies by Kim et al. in 2013 and 2014, I have experienced both the Beta and other slower brainwave states or levels of consciousness. As a meditator I have spent much time in solitude and silence. As Dr. Daniel Siegel says, “Solitude is an essential experience for the mind to organize its own processes and create a state of resonance” (The Developing Mind, p. 235). Dr. Siegel continues,” respecting the need for solitude allows the mind to “heal” itself- which in essence can be seen as releasing the natural self-organizational tendencies of the mind to create a balanced flow of states ” (Ibid, p. 235). In solitude where silence is experienced, the brain re-establishes and once again asserts its own internal balance and order. For a brain with dementia that is dis-regulated and intolerably chaotic from too many thoughts and stimuli, reestablishing order and balance is vital to creating comfort, relief and improvement.
In the silence following subtle sound and measured breathing, a person with dementia relaxes deeply and as they become calmer, the amount of thoughts in their mind decreases substantially to the point where thoughts may disappear completely for a few seconds.
When all thought ceases, even for this brief time, the brain rests from its continual processing and as we mentioned before, literally regenerates by growing new neurons in the hippocampus ( Kriste, Nicola, Kronenberg, Walker, Liu, & Kempermann, 2015) and re-asserts its own internal order and balance ( (The Developing Mind, p. 235).
By creating the conditions for the mind to be completely silent, thought-free and calm through reduced brainwave frequency, RST offers a drug and side-effect free approach to supporting dementia relief and improvement, drawing on an emerging evidence base around silence, sound, and neurological function.
Author Bio
Miriam Fein is the creator of Resonant Silence Technique (RST) ®. She graduated with a Bachelor of Sacred Music and Certification as Cantor/Minister/Educator from The Jewish Theological Seminary and Certification as a Therapeutic Musician from the Music for Healing and Transition Program. Between 2002-2022 she worked with dementia patients as the Director of Therapeutic Music and RST at United General Hospital, in skilled nursing facilities, memory care centers and hospice. In 2018 she published a scientific article on RST in Dementia: the International Journal of Social Research and Practice and in 2019 spoke on RST at an Alzheimer’s conference in Germany. In 2022 she spoke on RST on the Innovinc Healthy Aging webinar based in New Delhi, India and on June 5th, 2026 she spoke on RST on the Alzheimer’s Speaks podcast hosted by Lori La Bey. She continues in private practice training those with dementia and family dementia caregivers in RST.
