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Spasmodic Dysphonia & Muscle Tension Dysphonia Exercises

Spasmodic Dysphonia & Muscle Tension Dysphonia Exercises

by Drew Hanson

Self-Improvement Alternative Health

Season 1

Spasmodic Dysphonia & Muscle Tension Dysphonia Exercises - January 9th, 2025

Working with a NEW YouTube instructor today. Basic humming. Watch on YouTube www.youtube.com/spasmodicdysphoniaexercises On Patreaon: www.patreon.com/SDExercises -------------- If you want to fly, you have to give up what weighs you down. Roy T. Bennett - 1939-2014 - Author --------------- The device being used is Forebrain. https://www.forbrain.com/?affiliate=3A9905993 I also use "The Breather" for increased breath support. https://amzn.to/3vryKDf Daily Gallon of Water with Hours https://amzn.to/49HiWKA

Spasmodic Dysphonia & Muscle Tension Dysphonia Exercises - January 7th, 2025

The Straw! -------------- The device being used is Forebrain. https://www.forbrain.com/?affiliate=3A9905993 I also use "The Breather" for increased breath support. https://amzn.to/3vryKDf Daily Gallon of Water with Hours https://amzn.to/49HiWKA -------------- The only thing more challenging than pursuing the highest version of yourself is not pursuing the highest version of yourself. Dan Koe - Freelance Creator

THE RETURN! Monday January 6th, 2025

The Daily Drill. Do these drills daily at least 5 times a week, and you’ll notice a remarkable difference within 2 – 3 weeks. Even people who know you well may comment that “something has changed.”2 – 3 weeks is just a benchmark for gauging the effectiveness of the drills. Continue for as long as you feel you’re deriving benefit. Afterward, strive to do as many of these drills as possible prior to any needs. --------- Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. Lucille Ball - 1911-1989 - Entertainer-Businesswoman --------- The device being used is Forebrain. https://www.forbrain.com/?affiliate=3A9905993 I also use "The Breather" for increased breath support. https://amzn.to/3vryKDf Daily Gallon of Water with Hours https://amzn.to/49HiWKA

Cord Closure / Adduction Voice Exercise — Archive Lesson

I had a whole old-school Friday video recorded, and then the recording stopped one minute in. So this episode pivots into the archive. This is a never-before-seen voice lesson with instructor Jeff focused on cord closure, also called adduction. The lesson works through short vowel syllables, airflow coordination, vocal fold closure, and simple exercises using “we,” “he,” and “you.” As always, use your own discretion. I’m not a professional voice coach. I’m someone with spasmodic dysphonia sharing exercises, lessons, and tools that have helped me. Watch the video version here: https://youtu.be/xO0RQY4yGRY

EXTREME Beginner Voice Reset for Spasmodic Dysphonia

This is the beginning of the beginner. In this episode, Drew slows everything down for an extreme beginner spasmodic dysphonia exercise session focused on breath, mask placement, repetition, the simple V sound, and resetting the voice without pushing. This is for anyone who feels intimidated by bigger voice exercises like Attack, straw work, middle voice, or head voice. Drew is not a professional voice coach. He is someone living with spasmodic dysphonia, sharing exercises and tools that have helped him. Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Pv5QkCv3sQw Or listen wherever you get audio podcasts.

Spasmodic Dysphonia Exercises Are Back: The Attack

Spasmodic Dysphonia Exercises are back after a few months away. In this session, Drew works through lip rolls, modified lip rolls, middle voice focus, tongue tension release, the Attack exercise, “wee” placement, and a tongue-out lip roll variation. These exercises are shared from Drew’s personal experience with spasmodic dysphonia and from work he has done with professional voice coaches. He is not a professional voice coach — just someone doing the exercises alongside you. Watch the video version on YouTube, or listen wherever you get audio podcasts.

Vowels Are the Enemy | Spasmodic Dysphonia Exercises

Today we are tackling one of the biggest tests for Spasmodic Dysphonia: Vowels. Even saying the word “vowels” can be a problem, so this session jumps right into the challenge. We start with “me me” and “nim nim” warmups, then move into counting drills, head voice, mask placement, Forebrain buzz awareness, and vowel work with A, E, I, O, and U. The focus is breath support, diaphragm power, holding the vowel as long as the breath allows, and trying to keep the voice from getting hijacked by Spasmodic Dysphonia. Also included: pepperoni, cold pool water, ASMR coffee, and Y being off drinking again. Reminder: I am not a doctor, speech therapist, or professional voice coach. I’m just a guy with Spasmodic Dysphonia sharing the exercises and techniques that have helped me.

Spasmodic Dysphonia and Alcohol: The Quick Fix Trap

Everything has a quick fix. And for a lot of people with Spasmodic Dysphonia, one of the strangest “quick fixes” is alcohol. This is not medical advice. This is a lifestyle conversation about something many people with Spasmodic Dysphonia have noticed, wondered about, joked about, or secretly tested. For some people, alcohol can temporarily make the voice feel smoother. It may reduce tension, calm the nervous system, lower anxiety, or simply make you less hyper-aware of every voice break. But the tradeoff is real. The next day can bring dehydration, thick mucus, throat clearing, reflux, poor sleep, anxiety, worse spasms, and a voice that feels like it is running on sandpaper and bad decisions. In this episode, I talk about the pros, the cons, the trap of using alcohol as a voice tool, the social situations where it becomes tempting, and why “it helps my voice” can become dangerous logic when a craving is looking for a lawyer. This is not about shame. It is about honesty.

Spasmodic Dysphonia Attack Drill: Release the Tension

Tension is not our friend with Spasmodic Dysphonia. This is a focused Attack Drill built around loosening tension, finding head voice, getting into the mask, and moving the voice without forcing it. We work through warmup counts, tongue-out variations, “goo goo” drills, tongue-curled-back “oh” drills, tongue tension release, “we we we” resonance drills, Forebrain buzz awareness, and quick reset work for Spasmodic Dysphonia. And yes, I almost knocked over my coffee. Reminder: I am not a doctor, speech therapist, or professional voice coach. I’m your friend with Spasmodic Dysphonia doing exercises with you. Nobody sue me. Unless you want a couple baseball cards.

Why Phone Calls Are So Hard With Spasmodic Dysphonia

No exercises today — this is a lifestyle episode. And today’s topic is one of the biggest enemies of Spasmodic Dysphonia: The phone. If you have a voice disorder, the phrase “give me a call” can feel like a threat. In this episode, I tell a real-life story about dealing with eBay customer service, a missing Bar Bingo championship belt case, a mystery shipping company, forced callbacks, spam-call settings, and the kind of stressful phone conversation that can make a Spasmodic Dysphonia voice go completely sideways. The bigger point is how phone calls affect people with Spasmodic Dysphonia, dysphonia, speech issues, or voice disorders — especially when we are already frustrated, emotional, misunderstood, or forced into a situation where texting or email would have worked better. Sometimes the best sentence is: “I have a speech impediment and a hearing impediment, so phone calls do not work well for me. Can we please handle this by text or email?” This is part of the lifestyle side of Spasmodic Dysphonia. Because honestly? This could have been a text.

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