“I have only had three sessions with Deborah so far and already feel myself connecting more to deep parts of myself that have been silent for years.” – CT
We intuitively understand that our physical voice – the sounds that we make in our body – is deeply intertwined with our ‘habitual’ way of being in the world. When we make a sound that is new or uncharacteristic we are sometimes startled. We have been struck by the understanding that we are more than we had believed ourselves to be. This moment of realization can be scary or exhilarating – or both! Our voice is limited by our beliefs about who we are. These beliefs have been shaped by the world we grew up in. Our parents certainly had a large hand in shaping our self-concept but siblings, neighbors, teachers, friends, community and the cultural landscape of our world all contribute to our beliefs about ourself. Our physical voice is, in fact, so deeply influenced by our beliefs about our self that there can be no doubt that both our body and mental state have a direct affect on the timbre of our physical voice. Everyone’s life path is unique. Silencing, however, is a universal experience that we all share. What parts our being become ‘silenced’ during our development vary widely from person to person however, no one gets out of childhood without being stifled in some significant way.
The good news is that it works the other way too! Growing your voice can help you hear and embody more of who you were born to be.