The information below largely explores both science-specific terms and publications on facets of the human sensory and nervous system that are interactive with the voice, as relevant to the Therapeutic Vocal Performance Technique (by vocal methodologist Leslie Helpert).
If you are primarily interested in how you can directly, physically engage with your voice for empowered, accessed, articulate creativity, please see the "McKinsey coaching special" offered for San Diego participants (both linked HERE and listed below).
Additionally, this entire site (and relevant links within) will direct you to various media/press and ways you can engage further with your voice! THANK YOU! You are always welcome to reach out directly: [email protected]
If you are primarily interested in how you can directly, physically engage with your voice for empowered, accessed, articulate creativity, please see the "McKinsey coaching special" offered for San Diego participants (both linked HERE and listed below).
Additionally, this entire site (and relevant links within) will direct you to various media/press and ways you can engage further with your voice! THANK YOU! You are always welcome to reach out directly: [email protected]
Implications of the Accessed Voice
"Taking The Pen" 2022 Team Leader Session
The Mechanics of The Voice: Effortlessly Accessing The Power of Expression
As creative thinkers, how we articulate our unique gifts in the world is essential to scripting the collective future. There is no greater resonant tool that we possess than our human voice, not only to convey our clearest thinking, but also, to bring more breath, awareness, nourishment and presence to our lives. When we learn how to connect to the empowering mechanics of our own voice, we can transcend fears of public speaking and access the inherent wealth of our expression.
The Mechanics of The Voice: Effortlessly Accessing The Power of Expression
As creative thinkers, how we articulate our unique gifts in the world is essential to scripting the collective future. There is no greater resonant tool that we possess than our human voice, not only to convey our clearest thinking, but also, to bring more breath, awareness, nourishment and presence to our lives. When we learn how to connect to the empowering mechanics of our own voice, we can transcend fears of public speaking and access the inherent wealth of our expression.
MVOICE SUPPORT:
1. Voice and Breath [Simplified Explanation]: We can think of the voice in the most classic, anatomical terminology as controlled exhalation. "The sound made by the vibration of your vocal folds is called voice. Air pressure makes your vocal folds vibrate, and you can control the vibration by controlling the release of air from your lungs. You can control how much air you inhale and exhale. You can also control how quickly you inhale and exhale." Additionally, you can learn to use awareness and control to "proprioceptively" feel the interior body and best support the expression of your sound. (see 1f. below)
Breathing Practice:
Part 1: With your hands on your ribcage (not waist, but ribcage), move from a-d.
a. inhale, keeping your shoulders concertedly down.
(This supports sending the breath directly into the mid-range of the body, lower diaphragmatic area, torso and pelvic floor).
Envision the inhalation like a rolling out of "scrolls" or a tide in two directions, horizontally-- allowing your widening expansion and receptivity.
b. retain the in-breath as long as comfortable (in nervous system terminology, this is a "sympathetic" energizer). Feel the retained breath in relationship to the interior of the body. Allow the felt sense of breath to offer support internally, but relax the epidermal and external components of the physical frame (your shoulders stay relaxed, facial muscles soft, limbs surrendering to weight, etc.).
c. slowly, evenly release breath, careful particularly on the start of the out-breath to stay consistent, don't let your air escape unevenly. Consider that you are breathing in what we can call "slow-motion cruise control". Stay connected to the feeling of your body and your weight distribution as you release the breath. Envision the exhalation is like a "bringing in" of your sense of center, affirming the alignment of your physical presence, and physiological command.
d. retain the out-breath as long as comfortable (in nervous system terms, a "parasympathetic" reset). Careful not to create pushing pressure as you retain your out-breath. Just relax. Keep your shoulders soft and away from your ears, neck long and neutral. The body system gets to calibrate and equalize.
Part 2: Move from a-d again, but this time, when you get to step c. replace the directions with this alt-c, below:
Alt-c. Exhalation becomes vocalization: simply close your lips and create an even, internally-resonant hum on the complete exhalation, working to neither push nor effort to "grow" your most full, feeling-rich vocal sounds.
*You can practice this breath in the mirror for musculoskeletal alignment and somatosensory-physiological integration
VOICE SUPPORT (CONT.)
2. Awareness:
a. Growing Proprioception: Proprioception helps us confidently orient, feel grounded and "identified" with body; helps with "self-regulation, coordination, posture, body awareness, the ability to focus, and our felt sense of speech" (see #1i. below)
b. Identifying pleasant-feeling (vocally safe) sounds and general "diagnostics" with the voice.
c. Noticing where we are holding ourselves closed, where we might feel physical "locks" (stiff jaw, raised shoulders, tightness in chest, etc.)
d. Awareness and Control of voice allows us to have precision in our timing, execution and heartfelt relaying of meaningful expression.
3. Nourishment:
a. Range: Range helps us release and condition various parts of the internal body and the momentum of our expression, this helps us nourish our various body centers, providing clarity and waking up our felt sense of presence. Range helps us move out of monotone habits, where we hold back parts of our full, expressed, dynamic person.
b. Vibrationally toning: We can relieve tight areas of the body or neutralize certain facets of our physical holding by both creating vibrationally-rich sound into our physical system as well as opening up and releasing held places in our body. Using the voice in this way can help us to relieve ourself from conditions like migraines or insomnia, etc.
4. The Voice and The Mind:
a. Defining facets of the Mind (clinical psychologist and the UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center founder Dr. Dan Seigal's terms): "One aspect of the mind, beyond subjective experience, consciousness and even information processing— these are facets of the mind that are good descriptions— let's just put those aside for now. This fourth facet of the mind has a definition, not just a description. This facet of the mind can be defined this way. 'The emergent, self-organizing, embodied and relational process that regulates the flow of energy and information.' And if we take that apart step-by-step we can see the system we're talking about is called a 'complex system'. That means it's open to influences outside itself, it's capable of being chaotic and it's non-linear, meaning small inputs have large and difficult to predict results. When you have those three characteristics, math says 'that system is a complex system'. And—once we're in the realm of complex systems, we find that these complex systems have what we call 'emergent properties', the interactions of the elements of this system give rise to these properties that cannot be reduced to the singular elements that give rise to them."
b. inference, afference, ascending and descending information: the voice—nerves of the PNS and CNS.
"The brain and spinal cord are the organs of the central nervous system. Because they are so vitally important, the brain and spinal cord, located in the dorsal body cavity, are encased in bone for protection. The brain is in the cranial vault, and the spinal cord is in the vertebral canal of the vertebral column. Although considered to be two separate organs, the brain and spinal cord are continuous at the foramen magnum", the large, oval-shaped opening in the occipital bone of the skull. (Paper link 1w.) and "The organs of the peripheral nervous system are the nerves and ganglia. Nerves are bundles of nerve fibers, much like muscles are bundles of muscle fibers. Cranial nerves and spinal nerves extend from the CNS to peripheral organs such as muscles and glands. Ganglia are collections, or small knots, of nerve cell bodies outside the CNS.The peripheral nervous system is further subdivided into an afferent (sensory) division and an efferent (motor) division. The afferent or sensory division transmits impulses from peripheral organs to the CNS. The efferent or motor division transmits impulses from the CNS out to the peripheral organs to cause an effect or action. Finally, the efferent or motor division is again subdivided into the somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system. The somatic nervous system, also called the somatomotor or somatic efferent nervous system, supplies motor impulses to the skeletal muscles. Because these nerves permit conscious control of the skeletal muscles, it is sometimes called the voluntary nervous system. The autonomic nervous system, also called the visceral efferent nervous system, supplies motor impulses to cardiac muscle to smooth muscle and to glandular epithelium. It is further subdivided into sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions. Because the autonomic nervous system regulates involuntary or automatic functions, it is called the involuntary nervous system." (For all quotes from 4b. see paper link 1v, below.) And "The vagus nerve is the longest cranial nerve. It contains motor and sensory fibers and, because it passes through the neck and thorax to the abdomen, has the widest distribution in the body. It contains somatic and visceral afferent fibers, as well as general and special visceral efferent fibers." (See paper link 1x.below.)
1. Voice and Breath [Simplified Explanation]: We can think of the voice in the most classic, anatomical terminology as controlled exhalation. "The sound made by the vibration of your vocal folds is called voice. Air pressure makes your vocal folds vibrate, and you can control the vibration by controlling the release of air from your lungs. You can control how much air you inhale and exhale. You can also control how quickly you inhale and exhale." Additionally, you can learn to use awareness and control to "proprioceptively" feel the interior body and best support the expression of your sound. (see 1f. below)
Breathing Practice:
Part 1: With your hands on your ribcage (not waist, but ribcage), move from a-d.
a. inhale, keeping your shoulders concertedly down.
(This supports sending the breath directly into the mid-range of the body, lower diaphragmatic area, torso and pelvic floor).
Envision the inhalation like a rolling out of "scrolls" or a tide in two directions, horizontally-- allowing your widening expansion and receptivity.
b. retain the in-breath as long as comfortable (in nervous system terminology, this is a "sympathetic" energizer). Feel the retained breath in relationship to the interior of the body. Allow the felt sense of breath to offer support internally, but relax the epidermal and external components of the physical frame (your shoulders stay relaxed, facial muscles soft, limbs surrendering to weight, etc.).
c. slowly, evenly release breath, careful particularly on the start of the out-breath to stay consistent, don't let your air escape unevenly. Consider that you are breathing in what we can call "slow-motion cruise control". Stay connected to the feeling of your body and your weight distribution as you release the breath. Envision the exhalation is like a "bringing in" of your sense of center, affirming the alignment of your physical presence, and physiological command.
d. retain the out-breath as long as comfortable (in nervous system terms, a "parasympathetic" reset). Careful not to create pushing pressure as you retain your out-breath. Just relax. Keep your shoulders soft and away from your ears, neck long and neutral. The body system gets to calibrate and equalize.
Part 2: Move from a-d again, but this time, when you get to step c. replace the directions with this alt-c, below:
Alt-c. Exhalation becomes vocalization: simply close your lips and create an even, internally-resonant hum on the complete exhalation, working to neither push nor effort to "grow" your most full, feeling-rich vocal sounds.
*You can practice this breath in the mirror for musculoskeletal alignment and somatosensory-physiological integration
VOICE SUPPORT (CONT.)
2. Awareness:
a. Growing Proprioception: Proprioception helps us confidently orient, feel grounded and "identified" with body; helps with "self-regulation, coordination, posture, body awareness, the ability to focus, and our felt sense of speech" (see #1i. below)
b. Identifying pleasant-feeling (vocally safe) sounds and general "diagnostics" with the voice.
c. Noticing where we are holding ourselves closed, where we might feel physical "locks" (stiff jaw, raised shoulders, tightness in chest, etc.)
d. Awareness and Control of voice allows us to have precision in our timing, execution and heartfelt relaying of meaningful expression.
3. Nourishment:
a. Range: Range helps us release and condition various parts of the internal body and the momentum of our expression, this helps us nourish our various body centers, providing clarity and waking up our felt sense of presence. Range helps us move out of monotone habits, where we hold back parts of our full, expressed, dynamic person.
b. Vibrationally toning: We can relieve tight areas of the body or neutralize certain facets of our physical holding by both creating vibrationally-rich sound into our physical system as well as opening up and releasing held places in our body. Using the voice in this way can help us to relieve ourself from conditions like migraines or insomnia, etc.
4. The Voice and The Mind:
a. Defining facets of the Mind (clinical psychologist and the UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center founder Dr. Dan Seigal's terms): "One aspect of the mind, beyond subjective experience, consciousness and even information processing— these are facets of the mind that are good descriptions— let's just put those aside for now. This fourth facet of the mind has a definition, not just a description. This facet of the mind can be defined this way. 'The emergent, self-organizing, embodied and relational process that regulates the flow of energy and information.' And if we take that apart step-by-step we can see the system we're talking about is called a 'complex system'. That means it's open to influences outside itself, it's capable of being chaotic and it's non-linear, meaning small inputs have large and difficult to predict results. When you have those three characteristics, math says 'that system is a complex system'. And—once we're in the realm of complex systems, we find that these complex systems have what we call 'emergent properties', the interactions of the elements of this system give rise to these properties that cannot be reduced to the singular elements that give rise to them."
b. inference, afference, ascending and descending information: the voice—nerves of the PNS and CNS.
"The brain and spinal cord are the organs of the central nervous system. Because they are so vitally important, the brain and spinal cord, located in the dorsal body cavity, are encased in bone for protection. The brain is in the cranial vault, and the spinal cord is in the vertebral canal of the vertebral column. Although considered to be two separate organs, the brain and spinal cord are continuous at the foramen magnum", the large, oval-shaped opening in the occipital bone of the skull. (Paper link 1w.) and "The organs of the peripheral nervous system are the nerves and ganglia. Nerves are bundles of nerve fibers, much like muscles are bundles of muscle fibers. Cranial nerves and spinal nerves extend from the CNS to peripheral organs such as muscles and glands. Ganglia are collections, or small knots, of nerve cell bodies outside the CNS.The peripheral nervous system is further subdivided into an afferent (sensory) division and an efferent (motor) division. The afferent or sensory division transmits impulses from peripheral organs to the CNS. The efferent or motor division transmits impulses from the CNS out to the peripheral organs to cause an effect or action. Finally, the efferent or motor division is again subdivided into the somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system. The somatic nervous system, also called the somatomotor or somatic efferent nervous system, supplies motor impulses to the skeletal muscles. Because these nerves permit conscious control of the skeletal muscles, it is sometimes called the voluntary nervous system. The autonomic nervous system, also called the visceral efferent nervous system, supplies motor impulses to cardiac muscle to smooth muscle and to glandular epithelium. It is further subdivided into sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions. Because the autonomic nervous system regulates involuntary or automatic functions, it is called the involuntary nervous system." (For all quotes from 4b. see paper link 1v, below.) And "The vagus nerve is the longest cranial nerve. It contains motor and sensory fibers and, because it passes through the neck and thorax to the abdomen, has the widest distribution in the body. It contains somatic and visceral afferent fibers, as well as general and special visceral efferent fibers." (See paper link 1x.below.)
Delineation and Description of Terms relevant to Therapeutic Vocal Performance Technique
1. somaesthetics: rather than singly "heard" or "acoustically measurable", we can consider the felt components or "bodily and experiential aspects" of the voice in a somaesthetical nature. (see paper links 1b. below)
2. proprioception: Proprioception is the sense though which we perceive the position and movement of our body, including our sense of equilibrium and balance and senses that depend on the notion of force. (see paper links 1c. below)
3. somatosensory: conceptually a systemic function in the human body related to sensing and perceiving, anatomically associated with a cortical section of the brain that receives the "sensory data from skin, muscles, tendons, and joints of the body" We also physically infer information from our somatosensory system through receptors in our skin and hair (and, in animals, in whiskers). These receptors are specifically related to the processing of sensory information. (see paper link 1d. below)
4. sensory systems: "Vision, hearing, kinesthesia, and touch serve as initial functions for generating information within the Peripheral Nervous system (PNS) and central nervous system (CNS). Multisensory integration is particularly crucial for the emergence of a coherent body scheme", and operates both within our conscious perception and also within the unconscious. (see paper link 1e. below)
5. afference: Biologically, afferent axons are dorsal (or back body) "root ganglia", within nerve cell-bodies, within the spine and brain stem. The "afferent" quality of these "axons" mean that their information is inwardly relating conductive processes within the relay station of collective nerves. These inward conductions translate from the peripheral nervous system fiber to the central nervous system. (see paper link 1j. below). Interestingly, where "the afferent (or sensory) division transmits impulses from peripheral organs to the CNS.... the efferent or motor division transmits impulses from the CNS out to the peripheral organs to cause an effect or action." (see paper 1k. below) [To add—efferent neurons are ventrally-associated (or front body).] The Vagus nerve, the longest connective nerve of the peripheral nervous system, is both ventral and dorsal.
"In the periphery, the somatosensory system detects various stimuli by sensory receptors, such as by mechanoreceptors for tactile sensation and nociceptors for pain sensation. The sensory information (touch, pain, temperature, etc.,) is then conveyed to the central nervous system by afferent neurons, of which there are a number of different types with varying size, structure, and properties. Generally, there is a correlation between the type of sensory modality detected and the type of afferent neuron involved. For example, slow, thin, un-myelinated neurons conduct pain whereas faster, thicker, myelinated neurons conduct casual touch." (see paper 1l. below) To clarify, the central nervous system "includes the brain and spinal cord, while the peripheral nervous system includes all of the nerves that branch out from the brain and spinal cord and extend to other parts of the body including muscles and organs." (see paper 1m. below) The phrenic nerve, which contains motor, sensory and sympathetic nerve fibers connects C3-C5 to diaphragmatic breathing, voicing and cognitive functions, and contains afferent pericardial mechanosensitive afferents. (see paper 1r. below) The phrenic and vagus nerves are involved in the respiratory functions of the diaphragm, in perfect synergy. (see paper 1s. below)
6. Simple delineation between interoception, exteroception, proprioception and nociception (see 1q. below)
a. interoception: "our felt experience of the internal workings of the body, such as digestion, breath regulation, etc.". Our ability to access and assess internal sensation,
b. proprioception: root word "proprio"—means "one's own". "Proprioception is the unconscious perception of movement and spatial orientation arising from stimuli within the body... includes balance, coordination and agility, the result of sensory input throughout the body." Proprioception consists of stretch receptors located in muscles and ligaments and sensory neurons in inner-ear. It allows us to locate our limbs in space (with our eyes closed, for example), and requires the "piezo2" receptors located in dorsal root ganglia. (see 1p. below). Proprioception is sometimes interchangeably used with the term "kinesthetics", but proprioceptive sensory input from (skin, fascia, muscle, joint receptors) is sent as feedback to the spinal cord and brain and "kinesthesia, however is more behavioral in origin, and your body is more actively involved in assessing movement patterns and making adjustments." (1q.)
c. exteroception: how we perceive our outer environment.
d. nociception: "noci" root word means "pain or injury". Nociception relates to our ability to bodily sense pain, threat or danger.
1. somaesthetics: rather than singly "heard" or "acoustically measurable", we can consider the felt components or "bodily and experiential aspects" of the voice in a somaesthetical nature. (see paper links 1b. below)
2. proprioception: Proprioception is the sense though which we perceive the position and movement of our body, including our sense of equilibrium and balance and senses that depend on the notion of force. (see paper links 1c. below)
3. somatosensory: conceptually a systemic function in the human body related to sensing and perceiving, anatomically associated with a cortical section of the brain that receives the "sensory data from skin, muscles, tendons, and joints of the body" We also physically infer information from our somatosensory system through receptors in our skin and hair (and, in animals, in whiskers). These receptors are specifically related to the processing of sensory information. (see paper link 1d. below)
4. sensory systems: "Vision, hearing, kinesthesia, and touch serve as initial functions for generating information within the Peripheral Nervous system (PNS) and central nervous system (CNS). Multisensory integration is particularly crucial for the emergence of a coherent body scheme", and operates both within our conscious perception and also within the unconscious. (see paper link 1e. below)
5. afference: Biologically, afferent axons are dorsal (or back body) "root ganglia", within nerve cell-bodies, within the spine and brain stem. The "afferent" quality of these "axons" mean that their information is inwardly relating conductive processes within the relay station of collective nerves. These inward conductions translate from the peripheral nervous system fiber to the central nervous system. (see paper link 1j. below). Interestingly, where "the afferent (or sensory) division transmits impulses from peripheral organs to the CNS.... the efferent or motor division transmits impulses from the CNS out to the peripheral organs to cause an effect or action." (see paper 1k. below) [To add—efferent neurons are ventrally-associated (or front body).] The Vagus nerve, the longest connective nerve of the peripheral nervous system, is both ventral and dorsal.
"In the periphery, the somatosensory system detects various stimuli by sensory receptors, such as by mechanoreceptors for tactile sensation and nociceptors for pain sensation. The sensory information (touch, pain, temperature, etc.,) is then conveyed to the central nervous system by afferent neurons, of which there are a number of different types with varying size, structure, and properties. Generally, there is a correlation between the type of sensory modality detected and the type of afferent neuron involved. For example, slow, thin, un-myelinated neurons conduct pain whereas faster, thicker, myelinated neurons conduct casual touch." (see paper 1l. below) To clarify, the central nervous system "includes the brain and spinal cord, while the peripheral nervous system includes all of the nerves that branch out from the brain and spinal cord and extend to other parts of the body including muscles and organs." (see paper 1m. below) The phrenic nerve, which contains motor, sensory and sympathetic nerve fibers connects C3-C5 to diaphragmatic breathing, voicing and cognitive functions, and contains afferent pericardial mechanosensitive afferents. (see paper 1r. below) The phrenic and vagus nerves are involved in the respiratory functions of the diaphragm, in perfect synergy. (see paper 1s. below)
6. Simple delineation between interoception, exteroception, proprioception and nociception (see 1q. below)
a. interoception: "our felt experience of the internal workings of the body, such as digestion, breath regulation, etc.". Our ability to access and assess internal sensation,
b. proprioception: root word "proprio"—means "one's own". "Proprioception is the unconscious perception of movement and spatial orientation arising from stimuli within the body... includes balance, coordination and agility, the result of sensory input throughout the body." Proprioception consists of stretch receptors located in muscles and ligaments and sensory neurons in inner-ear. It allows us to locate our limbs in space (with our eyes closed, for example), and requires the "piezo2" receptors located in dorsal root ganglia. (see 1p. below). Proprioception is sometimes interchangeably used with the term "kinesthetics", but proprioceptive sensory input from (skin, fascia, muscle, joint receptors) is sent as feedback to the spinal cord and brain and "kinesthesia, however is more behavioral in origin, and your body is more actively involved in assessing movement patterns and making adjustments." (1q.)
c. exteroception: how we perceive our outer environment.
d. nociception: "noci" root word means "pain or injury". Nociception relates to our ability to bodily sense pain, threat or danger.
r1. Papers and Links on Somatosensory, Neural, Proprioceptive, Musculoskeletal, Somaesthetical and Voice Connection:
a. Frontiers publication (web)
b. Aesthetic Experience and Proprioceiving (paper)
c. simple overview of proprioception
d. simple overview of primary somatosensory cortex
e. on sensory systems
f. on controlled breathing
g. proprioception as the "invisible 6th sense"
h. mechanosensitive receptors
i. proprioception and development
j. weighted neuronal firing from afferent nerves
k. more on afferent nerves
l. afferent nerves, nociceptors, mechanoreceptors.
m. singing and the vagus nerve/afferent nerves
n. central nervous system and peripheral nervous system
o. interoception (feeling from within)
p. piezo2 channels for proprioception
q. difference between proprioception, nociception, exteroception and interoception
r. phrenic nerves, diaphragm and mind
s. phrenic and vagus connection and emotional regulation
t. proprioceptive innervation of the diaphragm
u. afferent and efferent nerves of PNS and CNS
v. Dan Seigal's explanation of The Mind
w.Nervous system organization—CNS and PNS nerves
x. Vagus nerve
y. Nervous system: 90,000 miles of sensations
2. Book Recommendations:
a. This is the Voice, by John Colapinto (2021)
b. Of Sound Mind, by Nina Kraus (2021)
a. Frontiers publication (web)
b. Aesthetic Experience and Proprioceiving (paper)
c. simple overview of proprioception
d. simple overview of primary somatosensory cortex
e. on sensory systems
f. on controlled breathing
g. proprioception as the "invisible 6th sense"
h. mechanosensitive receptors
i. proprioception and development
j. weighted neuronal firing from afferent nerves
k. more on afferent nerves
l. afferent nerves, nociceptors, mechanoreceptors.
m. singing and the vagus nerve/afferent nerves
n. central nervous system and peripheral nervous system
o. interoception (feeling from within)
p. piezo2 channels for proprioception
q. difference between proprioception, nociception, exteroception and interoception
r. phrenic nerves, diaphragm and mind
s. phrenic and vagus connection and emotional regulation
t. proprioceptive innervation of the diaphragm
u. afferent and efferent nerves of PNS and CNS
v. Dan Seigal's explanation of The Mind
w.Nervous system organization—CNS and PNS nerves
x. Vagus nerve
y. Nervous system: 90,000 miles of sensations
2. Book Recommendations:
a. This is the Voice, by John Colapinto (2021)
b. Of Sound Mind, by Nina Kraus (2021)
Special offering for San Diego Retreat Members
Three Sessions: Custom Vocal Coaching
private sessions link
Three Sessions: Custom Vocal Coaching
private sessions link