A surprising number of people suffer vocal abuse and are unaware that it is a problem which will not go away on its own. There are no drugs or medications which will end your suffering because the abuse is being caused by misplacement of your speaking voice. In the long run, what this means is that as long as you continue with the same vocal habits which created the abuse, it will not go away and it will probably get worse.
The symptoms of vocal abuse may be chronic hoarseness, persistent sore throats or even loss of voice.
While it is possible to experience vocal abuse because of certain antihistamines or post nasal drip, if you have been to an ear, nose, and throat specialist and have been given a clean bill of health, then your vocal abuse is being caused by how you are producing your vocal sound. In order to remedy the problem you will have to break your old voice habits and instill new ones.
We have 5 resonators which are responsible for powering as well as amplifying voiced sound. The problem for the majority of the population is that they are unaware of and not using the largest of those resonators, the chest cavity. We are renowned for being lazy or shallow breathers which results in your voice being powered by only the other 4 resonators: your voice, throat, mouth and nose. You may think that those 4 are enough to do the job but when you look at the size of those 4 cavities and then compare them to the size of your chest cavity, can you see the advantage of adding your chest to the picture?
In doing so, you will not only discover a richer, warmer, deeper, resonant sound, but you will also have the ability to increase your volume without shouting. You will also have the ability to speak for greater lengths of time without hurting your throat or voice box.
What is also fascinating about this type of voice improvement or voice training is that once you make the change and allow your ‘chest to do your talking,’ your vocal abuse will be no more.
We all need a voice, be it for professional reasons or personal. Ignoring your vocal abuse will not make it go away. Learn to place your voice properly and listen to the difference in how you sound.
If you would like eliminate your vocal abuse once and for all, you can sign up for private Zoom sessions with me or stream my video course, Voicing It. Click here for more information.