How Gia Broke the Chain of Generational Trauma with Her Voice
People assume college students don’t want to do the work. They haven’t met Gia.
Gia was like any other student in my Voice for the Actor course—kind, curious, and, sometimes, quiet. A little older than the other students in my class, she held a fact about herself close to her chest. Gia was a mom to an eight-year-old girl.
Gia did not disprove the idea that college students are lazy because she managed a full course load with motherhood, although it is truly remarkable.
Gia asked how to use the voice tools I taught to break generational trauma. Gia told me that it’s been customary in her Jamaican family to yell at the kids when you want them to do something. Her grandmother spoke to her mom by yelling; her mom yelled at her, and she found herself yelling at her daughter. She grew sad and frustrated when her daughter started to pull away from her emotionally, which is what Gia did with her mom because of the yelling.
Instead of feeling helpless, Gia took control of the situation.
When she felt the impulse to yell at her daughter to do her homework or clean up the living room (mind you, this is the first ask of the child, not a repeated ask), she stopped, took a breath, and felt an easy Y-buzz, a tool I taught her in class to develop vocal power that carries across a room without ever raising your voice.
The Y-buzz is a Y consonant with a Long E vowel that resonates in the lower third of the speaking voice range on the space of the hard palate just ahead of the gumline by the upper front teeth.
I asked Gia to either hum on a Y Buzz whenever she felt the urge to yell to center her voice or to feel it at the moment in words with a long E vowel. Gia chose both options.
Instead of yelling, “Jasmine! Please pick up your books!,” Gia communicated, “Jasmine, PLEEEEEEASE (that’s the Y Buzz) pick up your books.”
Jasmine looked at her mom for the first few times like she was an alien. Because of this new dynamic, Gia may have needed to repeat herself, but Jasmine followed through on the request.
But then, a massive shift happened.
Jasmine began opening up to Gia about her life. They began connecting through their communication. Their relationship deepened exponentially.
Gia broke the chain that kept her from feeling close to the women in her family because she chose the path of peace and potent, balanced communication over yelling.
She now models to her daughter how to express your needs potently and calmly, not by yelling.
I cannot stress the importance and power of embodied voice work to change your life.
You develop your sense of self.
You actualize how you want to be in the world.
You improve your relationships.
You can start now with my self-paced online course “Embodied Voice.” The materials are downloadable, so you have them for life.
Anytime you want a refresher as you enter a new season of life, your toolkit awaits you to level up how you show up.
And, from my heart, if you have questions about this work or this course, please do not hesitate to contact me.
(Names changed for privacy)