In this video, I am going to share three truths about pain that will help you understand
why your voice hurts when talking. I will also share 5 tips on how to start
reducing chronic pain or discomfort from your voice. You may actually be surprised to know
that you already have everything you need within you to change your perception of vocal pain.
Hi! I am Katarina, speech language pathologist and here on this channel, I share practical tips
about using your voice in a healthy way. So, if this is a topic that interests you,
consider subscribing to this channel and hitting that bell notification icon so that
you don’t miss any of my future videos. Almost every day, I meet with people who
experience some level of pain or discomfort when using their voice. And they all have one
wish - they want the pain to go away. The problem with that wish is that the more they are
focused on pain, the more it persists in their voice and body. And in this video,
I want to tell you why this is happening and what you can do to start eliminating pain from
your voice. This understanding of pain is one of the most important things you can do on the way
to a better voice. And it does not matter how long you experienced pain, or how severe it is,
knowing more about pain can actually decrease the perception of pain. Yes, just knowing
how your body works can bring some relief. So, here are three truths about pain:
Truth #1 Pain is a good thing Your brain will produce
pain when it concludes that your tissues are in danger and you need to do something about it.
The sensation of pain is actually a very useful signal that can save you from further harm and
danger. For example, when you touch a hot pan, your brain will produce pain so that
you stop touching the pan. You remove your hand from the heat source to prevent tissue damage.
This is possible because there are millions and millions of sensors all over your body, in the
skin, muscles, joints and ligaments. These sensors send millions and millions of messages to your
brain. Some sensors inform your brain about the temperature, some respond to movement and position
of different muscles and body parts, some sensors respond to pressure. Our brain receives these
messages constantly. Sometimes, the brain receives danger messages, that’s when things get too cold,
too hot, too stretched, or too squished. But these danger messages are not pain messages.
Danger messages can become pain messages when your brain interprets them as that. Pain is not
a perfect representation of what is really going on at the tissue level. Because you can have a
severe injury and no pain and you can have the most insignificant injury but a lot of pain.
The amount of pain does not reflect the amount of tissue damage. Just think about hero stories,
in which people saved other people’s lives without noticing their own severe injuries. Maybe you have
a story like that. Can you recall a situation when you got injured but did not experience any pain
at that time? Maybe hours later but not at that time. If you have a story like that,
share it in the comments below. Now, the opposite can be true too. A
situation where there is no more danger of tissue damage but pain persists. And that’s when we
talk about chronic pain. This is very typical of voice problems with persistent pain. For example,
if you experience vocal issues, you go to see an ENT for a proper voice assessment. The doctor
tells you that your vocal folds look great but you still feel a lot of pain when talking. There is
actually no tissue damage present but your brain still interprets the sensations from your throat
as pain. How is that possible? This brings us to: Truth #2 Your brain is not perfect
The number one role of your body is to protect you. Your body will try to protect you
no matter what. Survival is the main goal. It does not matter if the threat is real
or not. And what I mean by that is: your body will protect you with pain from situations that
don’t cause any tissue damage. How is this possible? Your brain will consider everything
possible and will not take any chances. Your brain will consider your thoughts,
beliefs, past experiences, your knowledge and understanding, your values, your support system,
the environment that you are in right now. There are so many factors that
your brain will consider to protect you. Here are some examples. If you took a break
from talking in the past and you now associate no talking with zero pain and talking with pain,
your brain will always trigger a pain response as soon as you start talking. If you use your
voice for work, your brain will interpret any danger to your voice as high priority and may
actually trigger more pain or pain for a long time to protect you. If you overused your voice in the
past and you ended up with a hoarse voice, your brain will protect you from doing the same mistake
by creating pain as soon as you increase your volume. If you are given a diagnosis without
any explanation, you may experience more pain than a person who has the same problem
but more understanding of the diagnosis because your brain may put you on a downward spiral
of negative thought patterns. If someone gives you a worrying piece of information,
you may have more pain than when someone gives you hope and reassurance that you are going to be ok.
If you have a lot of stress in your life, you may perceive more pain than if you had a calm
life. You will have more pain if you don’t have any support system, if there are no people around
you who really understand you and help you. You will have more pain, if you don’t have access to
a healthcare professional who can actually help you. You may have more pain if you hear people
commenting on your voice or talking about you. And I could go on and on and on. There are so
many things that can affect how your brain interprets signals and messages.
But from my many years of experience, I know that people who are worried about their voice, who do
not understand what is happening to them and why, people who believe that they will not get better,
people who feel alone or people who feel like a failure, they tend to have more pain than others.
Truth #3 You have super powers The good news is that you can actually affect
how you perceive pain. As I said before, your brain receives a lot of messages from your body,
some neutral messages, some danger messages and some messages of safety. If your brain
receives mostly signals of safety, you have the power to decrease the amount of pain you feel.
I absolutely know that it is very hard to believe that your thoughts, emotions and a million other
factors can make your pain get worse or go away. I see it every day when I work with my clients.
My reassurance that they are going to be ok and that they are not damaging their
voice when talking go a long way in building their bank of safety messages to their brain.
So, here are five tips on how to start signaling safety to your brain:
Make an appointment to see a laryngologist for a proper voice assessment.
If the doctor tells you that there are no structural changes or damage on your vocal folds,
then start believing that it is safe to use your voice even though it feels like
burning inside your throat. Most likely, there is tension, which your body interprets as pain.
Find a trusted professional who can help you outline the next steps you need to
take on your vocal journey. Make sure that you understand what needs to be done for you
to feel better. Learn about your voice and how it works. Make sure you understand why you do what
you do and how it is helping you. Understand what physical exercises, vocal exercises and
manual approaches you can use to ease tension. Find people who have the same vocal issue.
Knowing that there are people with the same problem who were able to find a solution gives
you hope and emotional support. When you feel understood by others and when you don’t feel
alone with your problem, pain tends to lessen. Smile a lot. Spend time in joyful situations
with your family and friends. Replace your negative thoughts with
positive. Start your day with positive affirmations for your voice. Start with
joy and hope instead of worry and despair. Follow a regular mindfulness or meditation
practice and it does not have to be long. These five tips will help you start signaling
safety to your brain and your pain will slowly go away. But I have to warn you: this is a process,
it’s not a quick fix. Your pain or discomfort will stay with you for some time because
it is a learned behaviour. But luckily, learned behaviours can be unlearned, it just takes time.
If you are experiencing vocal strain, tension or even pain when speaking, and you are ready to work
with me towards a free, strong and confident voice, you can apply to our Vocal Freedom
System coaching program. Check out the links in the description below this video.
I also made a video, in which I walk you through 7 steps that lead to a
strong voice without tension. If you want to know what voice, body and mind considerations
you need to take to truly free your voice, click the link in the description below this video.
If you found this video helpful, click the like button and share it with your
friends. Check out my other videos right here below. I hope to see you soon. Bye.