Vocal massage therapy can help with:

• Vocal fatigue and discomfort
• Strain and tension for professionals with a heavy vocal load: singers, actors, presenters, teachers, fitness instructors, sports commentators and military commanders
• Vocal range, ease and smooth transitions between vocal registers
• Freeing up the belt voice quality
• Tongue root tension
• Temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD): jaw pain, aching, clenching, clicking or tooth grinding
• Globus Pharyngeus / Globus Hystericus: a sensation of a ‘lump’ or constriction in the throat
• Laryngopharyngeal reflux: damage to the larynx caused by digestive secretions
• Muscle tension dysphonia: disruption to or loss of voice owing to muscle tension in or around the larynx
• Loss of voice related to trauma or work stress
• Recovery from whiplash

Vocal massage therapy can also provide support with the following more complex vocal pathologies, provided that we are working in collaboration with your speech and language therapist or vocal rehabilitation coach in a multidisciplinary team: –

• Vocal nodules and polyps: thickenings and lesions on the vocal folds associated with vocal misuse or abuse
• Dysphagia: difficulty in swallowing or swallowing disorders
• Dysphonia caused by nerve damage, such as adductor spasmodic dysphonia or stroke

We use the approach developed by Stephen King and his team at the Voice Care Centre in London. This is an evidence-based approach evolving from the research literature in the field of voice. Members of the team have even treated each other with a laryngoscope in place (a fibre-optic camera in the larynx), which shows how the fascia and muscles respond to the massage techniques. The effects can be much further reaching than you may imagine! For example, one muscle in the pharynx (throat), the superior constrictor, is attached to another muscle in your cheek, the buccinator, via a fascial band. Just stretching the cheek can therefore sometimes resolve swallowing difficulties resulting from muscle tension.

Vocal massage therapy works best when the interacting biological, psychological and social factors affecting a person’s vocal health are considered. For pathological voice conditions, vocal massage therapy has been found to be most effective in conjunction with vocal rehabilitation coaching or speech and language therapy. Again, this is akin to an athlete working with both a sports massage therapist and a coach or personal trainer, to get the most out of their body.

We recognize that many voice problems emerge from the interplay of biological, psychological and social factors. We therefore adopt a person-centred, biopsychosocial approach to working with clients. Most clients come with a prior experience of pain and trauma, and our intension is therefore not to cause further pain. We use gentle, slow, sustained, myofascial release techniques to induce a rest and digest vagal state in the body, helping it to change, relax and heal. Therapeutic dialoguing is an important part of the process, making sure that you remain comfortable throughout and sometimes unearthing a deeper understanding of factors affecting your voice. You may remain fully clothed if you wish or remove upper body clothing for ease of working on your skin. You can return to using your voice immediately after treatment and may find that it sounds deeper and clearer.