QUESTION 1 of 12

How would you describe your nervous system's baseline state most days?

This identifies your autonomic nervous system tone — the foundation of any sound prescription.

Chronically activated

Persistent tension, vigilance, or inability to fully relax even in safe environments.

Chronically shut down

Persistent flatness, numbness, low motivation, or difficulty feeling present.

Cycling between both

Alternating between anxious activation and exhausted collapse — rarely in the middle.

Mostly regulated

Generally able to return to calm after stress — occasional dysregulation only.

QUESTION 2 of 12

What is your most consistent sleep pattern?

Sleep architecture directly reflects brainwave dominance and determines which frequency range will be most therapeutic.

Difficulty falling asleep

Mind races at bedtime — takes 30+ minutes to fall asleep most nights.

Waking in the night

Fall asleep easily but wake between 2–4 AM and cannot return to sleep.

Unrefreshing sleep

Sleep the full hours but wake feeling unrestored, heavy, or foggy.

Generally restorative

Sleep is mostly adequate — occasional disruption only.

QUESTION 3 of 12

How do you respond to loud or chaotic sound environments?

Auditory sensitivity is a measurable marker of sensory processing and nervous system load tolerance.

Quickly overwhelmed

Loud spaces cause rapid fatigue, irritability, or the need to escape within minutes.

Gradually drained

Can tolerate loud environments but feel depleted afterward and need recovery time.

Largely unaffected

Noise is noticed but does not significantly alter mood or energy.

Energized by sound

Loud, rhythmic, or high-energy sound environments increase alertness and vitality.

QUESTION 4 of 12

Where do you most consistently hold physical tension or discomfort?

Somatic tension patterns map directly to specific chakra-frequency correspondences in Vedic nada yoga.

Jaw, neck, and shoulders

Chronic tightness in the upper body — often linked to suppressed expression.

Chest and heart area

Tightness, heaviness, or constriction in the chest — often linked to grief or anxiety.

Belly and solar plexus

Knots, nausea, or tension in the abdomen — often linked to fear or loss of control.

Hips, pelvis, and legs

Chronic tightness in the lower body — often linked to unprocessed survival stress.

QUESTION 5 of 12

When you are under significant stress, what is your most dominant response?

Stress response typology determines whether activating or deactivating frequencies are indicated.

Irritability and reactivity

Stress makes you sharp, short-tempered, or prone to conflict.

Anxiety and restlessness

Stress produces racing thoughts, urgency, and difficulty staying still.

Shutdown and withdrawal

Stress causes you to go quiet, numb, or disappear from engagement.

Over-functioning for others

Stress activates compulsive helping, people-pleasing, or self-neglect.

QUESTION 6 of 12

How would you characterize your cognitive state during focused work?

Cognitive state maps to brainwave dominance — beta, alpha, theta — which determines the most effective entrainment target.

Scattered and easily distracted

Attention moves frequently — difficult to sustain focus for more than 10–15 minutes.

Rigid and tunnel-visioned

Can focus intensely but lose peripheral awareness and become inflexible.

Foggy and slow to process

Thinking feels effortful, slow, or like working through resistance.

Generally clear and sustained

Able to focus for extended periods — occasional lapses only.

QUESTION 7 of 12

How do you most commonly process difficult emotions?

Emotional processing style determines whether limbic-targeting or prefrontal-targeting frequencies are indicated.

I suppress or avoid them

Uncomfortable emotions are pushed down, distracted from, or rationalized away.

I ruminate and replay them

Emotions are processed through repetitive mental replay — hard to let go.

I feel them strongly in my body

Emotions arrive as physical sensations — tightness, heat, nausea — before thoughts.

I express them relatively freely

Able to identify, name, and express emotions without excessive delay or overflow.

QUESTION 8 of 12

What sound environment most reliably shifts your state in a positive direction?

Preferred sonic environments reveal your nervous system's natural entrainment pathway.

Natural sounds

Rain, ocean, forest, birdsong — organic, non-rhythmic sound.

Steady rhythmic drumming

Repetitive, grounded percussion — tribal, shamanic, or electronic.

Sustained tones and drones

Singing bowls, overtone chanting, tanpura, or sustained instrument resonance.

Silence or near-silence

The absence of sound is more restorative than any sound.

QUESTION 9 of 12

How does your own voice relate to your healing practice?

Vagus nerve stimulation through vocalization is clinically distinct from passive listening — this determines whether active or passive protocols are indicated.

My voice feels blocked or tight

Difficult to speak freely, sing, or express vocally — often tied to throat tension.

I rarely use my voice intentionally

Voice is functional but not used as a healing or expressive tool.

I am beginning to explore it

Some experience with chanting, toning, or humming — still developing.

I actively use my voice for healing

Regular practice of chanting, mantra, toning, or vocal meditation.

QUESTION 10 of 12

How long have the patterns you most want to shift been present in your life?

Duration determines whether acute, subacute, or chronic protocols are indicated — chronic patterns require deeper limbic and somatic approaches.

Weeks — a recent onset

A clear trigger or recent change brought this on.

Months — gradually building

A slow accumulation over 3–12 months without a single clear cause.

Years — a persistent pattern

Present for more than a year — feels like a recurring or chronic condition.

Lifelong — as long as I can recall

Cannot remember a time before this pattern — feels constitutional or early-formed.

QUESTION 11 of 12

Which of the following most accurately describes your physical constitution and energy pattern?

Ayurvedic dosha typing directly informs the Vedic nada yoga prescription — each dosha has a distinct sonic medicine.

Light, variable, and quick-moving

Thin frame, irregular habits, creative mind, prone to anxiety and dryness.

Intense, focused, and heat-generating

Medium build, strong appetite, sharp intellect, prone to irritability and inflammation.

Steady, heavy, and slow to change

Larger frame, calm disposition, strong endurance, prone to lethargy and congestion.

A combination — I cannot clearly identify one

Elements of two or more doshas present without a clear dominant.

QUESTION 12 of 12

What is the primary outcome you are seeking from a sound healing practice?

This final question calibrates the entire prescription toward your most essential therapeutic intention.

Nervous system regulation

To move from chronic stress or shutdown into a stable, grounded baseline.

Deep, restorative sleep

To restore sleep quality, reduce nighttime waking, and wake feeling rested.

Emotional processing and release

To move stuck grief, trauma, or emotional weight that has not resolved through other means.

Mental clarity and cognitive focus

To sharpen attention, reduce mental fog, and improve sustained concentration.

The Sound Healing Compass