how to use your transitioning voice in public
If you’re someone who gets uncomfortable or nervous and it starts to affect your voice, this one’s for you.
Here it is:
Wrap the fingers of one hand around the wrist of the other hand. Hold it and focus on the sensation.
This is called containment.
It’s the process of using support and pressure to communicate safety to your nervous system.
It works for the same reasons weighted blankets work, for the same reasons babies like to be swaddled. Our systems like to be held.
By wrapping your fingers around your wrist, you’re applying support to a floppy, more vulnerable and weak part of your body.
This technique works great when you’re anxious in public because it’s discreet and you can do it anywhere even when you’re talking.
If you find it difficult to use your transitioning voice anywhere but the privacy of your car, your room, the shower, or your own head… you’re not alone. It’s one of the most COMMON roadblocks to making progress. Voice dysphoria is strong, but easier to manage when you have a community of other folks to feel safe practicing with and to motivate you to try!
In Undead Voice Lab, we have an active community of 200+ other trans folks working to transition their voices. As a member of the lab, you have the option to join a small practice cohort of 3-4 people to meet with weekly or bi-weekly for voice practice.
These sessions aren’t for drilling exercises, they’re an opportunity to use your transitioning voice in a fun and safe space while setting an intention. For example, you may say, “for the next 20 minutes I want to maintain the bright resonance in my voice.” Then you have a group of friends who not only know what that means, but can help keep you accountable and prompt you when they hear your voice faltering.
You also get to do the same for them, which exponentially increases the rate at which you can transition your own voice, since you are learning to train your ear to recognize subtle changes in the voice!
Join Undead Voice Lab and meet a whole slew of new virtual friends!
