WHISPERS - Voice exploration & healing
- Estelle Mey
- Aug 11
- 5 min read
Whispers Exploring the mysteries of the voice
Voice. The muscle of the soul, the amplifier of the body.
Where body meets mind, and mind melts into vibration.
Where silence breathes, and sound reveals.
A journey through mechanics, science, somatic play and poetic exercises to reconnect with our inner resonance.
A return to the breath-like, instinctive movement we so often forget.
A space for healing, expression and deep listening.
For singers and non-singers alike.
l. What is Voice?
Your voice is not just sound. It’s your unique identity.
It’s your body, your brain, your breath, your stories, vibrating into the air.
It’s air shaped by flesh: breath pushed through vocal folds, filtered by throat, mouth, tongue, lips....It carries tone, tension, mood, memory..
It’s unique to each of us, and, to each moment!
We use more than 40 muscles move just to let a single word out! When you speak or sing, your vagus nerve, diaphragm, lungs, larynx, and jaw all respond like an orchestra of instinct.
Our voice is our nervous system in song.
Every voice is unique: like a fingerprint. It reveals your emotional state, confidence, and identity.
Research in psychology shows that voice is a core expression of identity and self-concept (Scherer, 1986)
“The voice is the muscle of the soul.” - Alfred Wolfsohn, vocal pioneer
ll. Can everyone sing?
Mechanics:
Nearly all humans with working singing organs are born able to match pitch (except for a rare condition called amusia.) Almost everything in your brain that helps you speak also helps you sing. Areas like the auditory cortex (hearing), motor cortex (movement), and cerebellum (coordination) all work for both talking and singing.
That means: if you can speak, you can sing.
But many stop singing because they've been judged, shamed, or told to be quiet. Even if unaware, the body can "block" the sound. That makes singing feel scary or awkward.
When stuck in your head, it feels unnatural.
Like breathing: it's natural until you start thinking about how to breathe, then it can feel weird you can even wonder if you remember how to breathe naturally.
The art of singing: Your voice, Your taste.
Some people will love your sound, some won't, and that's okay.
What matters is you enjoy the moment. We all have preferences, like liking certain styles or sounds, including our own voice.
Singing is a skill. The more you do it, the easier it gets. It's about training brain and body. Think of singing like polishing a diamond: each practice makes your voice shine more and take the shape you love.
When you let go of judgment and perfection, your voice can flow freely and comes from pure enjoyment. Then you can explore skills like pitch control and effects. It's part of the journey.
lll. The Silence Speaks
When the Voice Holds Back Sometimes, the voice holds back, even when we don’t know why.
When you’ve been silenced, your body remembers. But not all silence comes from being silenced. It can come from traumas (even tiny) shame, fear, perfectionism, or simply not feeling heard. Sometimes, the voice learns to stay small to avoid judgment, stay safe, or stay in control.
Some emotional and psychological patterns can lead to hypophonia (a reduced voice), tension, or vocal inhibition.
Your body literally tightens your sound. It’s your nervous system protecting you.
The autonomic system, especially the vagus nerve reacts to stress by limiting breath, tightening the throat, and softening sound. Like a survival reflex... and it can feel like your voice has disappeared. Suppressing your voice (literally or metaphorically) can create a disconnection from self.
Some call this a throat chakra block in yogic traditions, a somatic holding pattern in body-centered therapy, or a freeze around truth and expression in trauma work
But your voice isn’t lost. It’s just waiting for safety.
The Nervous System and The Voice Our voice is deeply connected to our nervous system and emotional state.
When trauma, stress, or fear interfere, the body can restrict vocal expression, a natural survival response.
Up to 70% of people with trauma history report vocal tension or voice difficulties.
Van der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score, 2014)
The vagus nerve plays a key role in regulating voice, breath, and emotional safety.
(Porges, Polyvagal Theory, 2011)
Suppressing voice affects identity and self-concept; voice is a core part of how we express and know ourselves
(Scherer, 1986)
Studies show that even simple vocalizing can reduce stress hormones like cortisol and increase oxytocin, boosting well-being. (Kreutz et al., 2004)
Each of us have our unique and powerful voice, even if it feels hidden, it is waiting for safety and space to return.
V. PRACTICE
Whispers unbound:
Somatic practice to release your voice.
Here are two little free tastes of Whispers Unbound. A simple step to bring to life what we just explored. If it speaks to you, even more awaits our subscribers! Before You Begin: Vocal Health & Lifestyle
Hydrate, Hydrate: The power of Water.
Throughout your day, consciously drink plenty of water. But don’t over do it niether (discomfort)
Aim for consistent hydration, not just large amounts right before singing.
Well-hydrated vocal cords are supple and less prone to strain. Room temperature water is the best suited before or during singing.
A voice ritual for everyone, no training needed. Just breath, sound, and honesty.
Singers, non-singers, shy hearts, loud souls.
l. The Sigh Release
Gentle Breath Release
Aim: To release tension and invite natural voice flow through simple sighing.
How-To:
Take a deep breath in through your nose.
Exhale on a relaxed, long sigh “haaah.”
Repeat 4-5 times, letting the sound fall naturally without force.
Notice how your throat and body soften with each sigh.
Why It Works:
Sighing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, lowering heart rate and promoting calm (Jerath et al., 2015).
It resets breathing patterns, improving oxygen flow and reducing tension (Bachar et al., 2020).
Relaxes vocal muscles, preventing strain and fatigue (Titze, 2000).
Stimulates the vagus nerve, helping regulate emotions and reduce stress (Porges, 2011).
ll. The Gateway of Softness
Gentle Yawn-Sigh Release
Open the door, and let resistance melt into breath ... Or just enjoy feeling tired!
How-To:
Start a genuine yawn, letting your jaw drop wide.
Feel your throat open fully.
Just before the yawn finishes, let a soft, unforced "sigh" sound escape on your exhale.
Repeat 5-7 times, feeling the release with each one. Optional: now, hold the note after the yawn... now start singing vowels in this postition .. now explore!
Why It Works
Lowers the larynx (voice box), widens the pharynx (throat space), and relaxes the suprahyoid muscles (muscles above the hyoid bone, often tight in constricted throats). This creates maximum vocal tract openness.
Diaphragm: A yawn initiates a deep, involuntary contraction of the diaphragm, promoting maximal inhalation and releasing tension in key respiratory muscles.
Source: Provine, R. R. (2005). Yawning: The Human Story. Harvard University Press.
Reduces tension and mental blocks: Consciously mimicking it can trigger a parasympathetic nervous system response, yawning is an involuntary reflex associated with relaxation and release.
Source: Hoit, J. D., & Plassman, B. L. (1998). The effect of yawn on laryngeal position. Journal of Voice, 12(1), 101-111.
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