@Aimpricot, I do have dealt with this.
In addition to the mindfulness and using the signal to relax and speak, studying these three particular techniques helps me both relieve the nightmares, but help me turn around the tightness into ease, during the many moments of the day that it occurs.
1. The Marj Barstow (very important) style of the Alexander Technique. Website : Alexander Technique International (ATI) This teaches, at your own pace, (and can teach you alone or while you are practicing talking to somone else), to minutely undo the muscle tightening when it occurs, and it teaches how to vocalize in an wasteful and efficient manner. If you need a referral for your region, let me know.
The actual teacher's approach makes a big difference.
A a long time practitioner of mindfulness, being mindful, or breathing deeply, doesn't always offer the depth of help I need.
2. Weekly, for 6 quarters within two years time, I took the Kristin Linater's,
Linklater Voice Technique. You can sign up for the weekly class in various small or large acting classes in most cities.
This class is terrific, and wholistic. With the ideas that your throat is the major place where your voice is stuck, this technique sees your whole body as your voice. For example, your who body supports your sound and resonates sound.
What this class will do is, work as a class to allowing air to move and out, loosen each muscle group involved-head, neck, mouth, tongue, throat, abdomen, pelvis, etc, and then it teaches you to let the relaxed parts support and resonate your specific articulations. The tongue, mouth, throatt, air, diaphragm, can work synchronistically.
This is another amazing class to take weekly for at least 3 quarters.
3. As a member referenced above,
Model Mugging in an absolutely safe and woman-centered teaching of self-defense skills, woman can have individual support to set up, move through, and conquer, traumatizing situations in their past.
You just don't learn the self-defense skills, and not practice them fully, you learn the self-defense skills and keep willfully attacking the model-attacker (well padded) until he is disabled-this last step is key, to completing the fight, flight, and freeze cycle.
In this class you use your voice to assist your strength.
If a woman is yelling while attacking someone, she is breathing deeply, and her muscles are getting the oxygen they need to fight.
I've taken the class 3 times. It helps me turn around depression, helps me know how to deal with workplace bullying, and has helped me more quickly notice, people who dominate and stifle others.
4. Special note: I needed a lot of work. To release the old throat/breathing habit ( the trauma) and learn the new habit, to the point that it could be automatic under stress, took the first 6-8 weeks class, plus many follow-up lessons. You'll find how much you may need. I studied as I could afford. Strafing with the 10 lessoms of Linklater Technique and or 10 lessons of the Alexander technique
All I know, is that by studying them, at some point:
- My nightmares of being strangled stopped, at some point my throat and chest muscles didn't tighten frequently, when I wanted to say something, and/or they didn't tighten just after I said something. (Linklater Technique)
- A deeper self-esteem developed, and being able to demonstrate my value, by successfully defending myself. (Model Mugging)
- The Alexander Technique helps fine tune my mindful use of my body, and helps me learn how to untighten and unfreeze my voice and breathing, so that I can go throughout my day with useful tools and skills.
Good luck. I so much like your post, it certainly speaks to me. :hug:
