The Sonic Environment of the Clinic — and How to Work With It

You can't exactly design a clinic that focuses on acoustics. Sure, they place reclining chairs, rolling carts with blood pressure cuffs, and privacy curtains in functional rooms. The rest of the sonic environment is kind of an afterthought — as if it even matters. And yet, sound is the one sensory modality that is almost impossible to block out. Especially when the drug starts to work.

The good news is that you don't need your clinic to be quiet. You just need to bring your headphones and your loud clinic-beating playlist. This is the predicament, and these are the remedies.

What you can expect to hear in the room

"The clinic is not a concert hall. It's not meant to be. Your headphones are your concert hall."

The headphone question

Over-ear headphones with passive noise isolation are the single most beneficial additions to your session environment. Active noise cancellation isn't required, though it is helpful. You need headphones that have enough physical mass to surround your ears and lower the ambient noise floor by at least 20dB, and you're good. That'll take care of the HVAC noise and the hum of fluorescent lighting.

Earbuds won't do that. They sit in the ear canal and do almost nothing to lower low-frequency sound, which is where clinic noise is found. If you are using earbuds and hear distracting noise, switching to over-ear headphones will make a huge difference.

As for volume: you don't have to crank the music to drown out background noise. A well-isolated headphone at a moderate level will actually do a better job, protect your hearing, and be safe for long-term use — which is important because you'll be doing this for months at a time.

When you can hear other patients

This is the hardest one. You are easily taken out of your state when you hear the breathing and murmurs of patients in distress. Hearing someone else's suffering can easily pull you out of your own process and deter you from focusing.

The most beneficial reframe: sound can be seen as part of the healing environment. Imagine — you are in a room with other people who are doing the brave thing you are doing. You aren't in this alone. The presence of other people in the room, even when sound is present, is not disruptive to your session.

You may reach out to your clinic to address your concerns. Many clinics will move individuals to more private rooms, add white noise machines, and schedule you for sessions at less busy times. You have more control over your treatment environment than you think.

Music as acoustic architecture

The correct music does more than just mask distracting clinic noise. The correct music replaces the clinic acoustic environment with its own acoustic environment. A great orchestral piece or ambient soundscape creates its own space, with its own dimension and air. This is a hidden benefit of using music for Spravato® treatments. It is not just emotionally supportive — it is spatially supportive as well.

Music that helps in this is music that has a strong sense of space — reverberant strings or recordings made in large halls. These give the mind a destination other than the treatment room.