How Trauma Impacts Your Voice

"When I let go of who I am I become who I might be"

-Lao Tzu-

What is Trauma?

Trauma is defined as a strong emotional response to a negative experience. Trauma is not the actual event, but how we process it internally.

Studies have shown that while "trauma can be shared by many, it is at the same time, an individual experience." Two people can go through the same experience, but perceive it and process it completely differently.

When my brother and I were younger, my mom would take us to the dentist every year. While none of us wanted to be there, I could be bought by the promise of a lollypop. Unfortunately, my brother was not as easy. He would run out of the office the moment his visit was done. However, when it came to horror movies, my brother would enjoy them while I had nightmares all night. Who is to say which experience is more objectively traumatizing than the other?

The same phenomenon can even happen to twins. Despite their identical genes and experiences growing up, their response to any particular trauma can be complete polar opposites.

Many of us aren't fully equipped emotionally to face certain life events. This lack of tools causes our nervous system to look for any available resource in the moment and ends up affecting the body tremendously. Your nervous system activates the fight or flight response and unconsciously sends signals to the body that often manifest in physical, mental, and emotional ways.

When it shows physically:

• We get muscle tension (neck pain, back pain, body aches)

• Sore or dry throat

• Stomach sickness (acid reflux, irritation, etc…)

• Vocal dysphonia or aphonia (hoarse voice or total loss of your voice)

When it shows mentally:

• We get mental blockage

• Feelings of inadequacy

• Fear of been seen or fear of expressing ourselves

• It changes the way we process information

• It changes the way we make decisions

• Rumination

Emotionally:

• Insecurity

• Anxiety

• Feelings of defeat

As mentioned, these changes even influence the way we walk, think, talk and sing.

Let's talk a little bit more about how these traumas influence the way we speak.

How does trauma affect your voice?

We don't have to be experts in vocal analysis to know when someone is feeling tired, happy, or sad. Voices naturally get softer, louder, or slower in these respective situations. But beyond the obvious, long-term unprocessed trauma can affect the timber of our voice and alter it so that it becomes our new normal. "Oh that's just the way she speaks," your friends say.

For example, because of a past trauma, you may feel like you don't have the right to speak. You may feel that you don't have the right to express yourself. You may even feel like you can't physically speak at all. All of these feelings are unconsciously transmitted within your voice but on the surface, people simply chalk it up to just "your personality." You are just a "shy person." You speak quieter and slower or stutter frequently in your words. Your shoulders try to cover your chest often to protect yourself; your posture is not completely open; or you hold tension somewhere else in your body.

On the other hand, the same event can cause someone else to want to speak or sing louder out of the frustration of not feeling heard. This opposite response can cause excess straining of the voice and unnecessary usage of energy.

As you can see, everyone processes trauma a bit differently.

“There's a story behind your voice.”

When a new student comes to class and I hear them sing or speak, it is easy to detect where they hold the most tension. This can cause difficulties in the learning of new voice techniques and result in slower progress if not addressed.

This is why it is very important for voice teachers to adapt their lessons based on the students' needs. ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL. It is also important to be compassionate and create a safe environment for the students to feel free to explore the different aspects of their voice. Each voice is unique; each voice has its story; and each voice deserves to be heard.

Many of my students take voice lessons as a way to express themselves or step out of their comfort zone, or simply to get better at what they already know. No matter the reason, it is important to let them know that taking voice lessons is a great opportunity to make mistakes and to let go of fear. When they allow themselves to let go of perfection and their past traumas, it is very moving to see how this allows them to grow not only when it comes to singing, but with becoming a better version of themselves with regard to any other goal they may have.

How can I start letting go off my unhealthy habits and treat my voice better?

Although there are many exercises to release tension in your voice, I'd say that breathing is the foundation of everything and that we should start from there. Breathing exercises are great to calm nervousness and anxiety. By having more awareness of your breathing, you're sending signals to your body to relax and release tension.

The next important exercise consists of body stretches and warm ups for your voice. Learning proper techniques for humming or blowing even-sized bubbles with a straw in a glass of water are great methods to relax your vocal folds. I'll talk about warm ups in more detail in the next post.

Even if you don't have control of what happens around you, what you do have control of is how you react to them. While you might not be emotionally equipped to deal with certain situations in the heat of the moment, it's always important to do your best and learn from each challenge. Be open and explore a different approach but don't be too hard on yourself. Do your best, but try not to compare yourself with others. Remember that your best is not the same as others. You are on your own unique learning journey.

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