Voice loss - can it be spiritually caused?

[Perceiver]

Hi

 

About four years ago I started experiencing problems with my voice.

 

I would over-use it when going out on a Saturday night, and could feel it being strained for a couple of days after. Unfortunately this seemed to happen over and over again, even though I didn't feel like I was shouting. After 1,5 years, it got to the point where my voice was also strained and fatigued during normal workdays.

 

I don't go out anymore and haven't for several months. I haven't spoken for a full month to give my voice a rest, but nothing helps. I've been through three doctors, a neurologist, a vocal coach and all of her colleagues and none of them have a clue. It's getting progressively worse, and my symptoms are getting stranger: It doesn't take more than 10 seconds of speaking before my voice "pops" and then I get all kinds of strange symptoms: Feel hectic, nervous-system shaking, pressure between eyes, pressure on top of head, headache, flat feet, trouble coordinating hands and fingers, cannot concentrate, voice is weak and breaks, takes an effort to speak, nerve pain on top of feet close to where it meets the shin.

 

The symptoms persist for several days even if I stop speaking. This Saturday I accidentally laughed once while watching a movie and the symptoms still persist today (Tuesday).

 

Last chance from the doctors is that it may be caused by acid reflux. They want to check my stomach some time in the coming weeks. But I have a hard time seeing how acid reflux could cause all those strange symptoms that don't seem to be out there on any website according to my research, and which no medical professional seems able to explain.

 

As you can probably guess, I'm getting a bit desperate. Considering the strangeness of my symptoms, I'm considering whether spiritual problems/blockages/anything could be a factor? I entered the qigong world one year ago in order to smooth out the problems with an energy/kundalini imbalance that I had. It greatly helped. The voice problems however started prior to getting the energy imbalance.

 

Anyone would know if such voice problems could have a spiritual or energetic cause somehow?

[ChiDragon]

I don't go out anymore and haven't for several months. I haven't spoken for a full month to give my voice a rest, but nothing helps. I've been through three doctors, a neurologist, a vocal coach and all of her colleagues and none of them have a clue. It's getting progressively worse, and my symptoms are getting stranger: It doesn't take more than 10 seconds of speaking before my voice "pops" and then I get all kinds of strange symptoms: Feel hectic, nervous-system shaking, pressure between eyes, pressure on top of head, headache, flat feet, trouble coordinating hands and fingers, cannot concentrate, voice is weak and breaks, takes an effort to speak, nerve pain on top of feet close to where it meets the shin.

 

 

The symptoms persist for several days even if I stop speaking. This Saturday I accidentally laughed once while watching a movie and the symptoms still persist today (Tuesday).

 

Anyone would know if such voice problems could have a spiritual or energetic cause somehow?

 

This seems to be the symptoms from excessive masturbation. Do you masturbate a lot, may I ask ....???

[Anoesjka]

Hi Perceiver,

 

If you're not trolling:

 

I've suffered a inflamed esophagus a few years ago. It wasn't fun and it lasted long. One of the main things you get from this is, difficulty with swallowing, a sore throat and pain in the chest.

 

Medicine couldn't cure it, but I've applied acupressure with success. It never returned after that.

[manitou]

Perceiver - I tend to see spirituality in all maladies.

 

Think back over the last several years of your life. Look at your family and social connections. Is there something you NEED to say to someone, but you've been reluctant or fearful of doing so, because it would rock the boat?

[mYTHmAKER]

.

Edited July 8, 2014 by mYTHmAKER

[Perceiver]

Guys, thanks for the answers so far.

 

Chidragon: No I'm not an excessive masturbator. I probably have around 3 ejaculations per week - which from a quick google search seems to be below the medically "excessive" category. I have considered scaling down though, as many people report it to be beneficial for qigong process (and quality of life in general).

 

Anoesejka, thanks for the answer. I was actually at the specialist clinic last week and they could see I had an inflamed esophagus too. Probably from acid reflux. But it just puzzles me how it can cause all those weird side effects - especially considering the fact that they persist after having been on a very alkaline diet for one week and counting (doesn't seem to work).

 

How long was your esophagus inflamed? And which kind of acupressure did you apply?

 

Manitou: It's a good point, but I don't think this is what caused it. In fact, since I started qigong I've been amazed at the degree to which I have "discovered" my emotions - and the authenticity with which I now communicate them. Especially the pan-gu exercise has helped me with that.

[GrandmasterP]

Acid Reflux is a tricky beast for sure.

It can be acidic gases as much as fluids.

Some people with persistent coughs have acidic gas reflux and don't know it.

Easy way to find out is to self medicate with safe patent remedies.

Windeze or similar plus an antacid such as Rennies.

If when you take those the symptoms disappear or decrease then it was reflux.

If they don't then it's something else.

Hope that helps.

Edited July 8, 2014 by GrandmasterP

[goldisheavy]

Ultimately everything is spiritually caused, even the phenomena we ordinarily tend to consider as being governed by some objective laws.

 

So can voice loss be caused spiritually? Yes, of course it can be.

 

That said, since you have doubts about it being possibly caused by acid reflux (which by implication you don't consider a spiritual condition), you should take care of acid reflux and eliminate it as a possible factor. Personally I doubt your voice loss is caused by acid reflux, but since acid reflux tends to be annoying in its own right, why not at least try to manage it for a while to see if it makes a difference?

 

Then if you go with spiritual (read: mental) causality, it becomes tricky, because using the POV of magick, all phenomena are ultimately ambiguous. Which means, whatever you end up determining, ideally you should not be latching onto it as "the only possible" explanation or "this is how things truly are." This way you can use your determinations to heal yourself while retaining your original freedom. Otherwise, if you make a spiritual determination and stick to it as the only truth, then you may heal yourself, but at a cost of becoming spiritually rigid internally and temporarily losing your ability to perceive spiritual alternatives.

 

In practice, for me, I tend to self-diagnose 99% of the time. When I have a spiritual malady, I self-diagnoze through introspection and through creative phenomenal reality construction. But that's what works for me. I don't want to give too much power to others, so I don't let other people, even doctors, define what my maladies mean to me. This doesn't mean I ignore the doctors. It does mean that whatever the doctor says is not considered to be final by me.

 

However, if you have a trusted spiritual friend who is known to do some doctoring, you can do something I don't do, and that is, just trust your friend to deal with the issue for you, the same way you'd trust any expert. Of course placing your trust in the experts is a tradeoff. You get something and you lose something by doing it that way. But it might be a good tradeoff for you.

[manitou]

In practice, for me, I tend to self-diagnose 99% of the time. When I have a spiritual malady, I self-diagnoze through introspection and through creative phenomenal reality construction. But that's what works for me. I don't want to give too much power to others, so I don't let other people, even doctors, define what my maladies mean to me. This doesn't mean I ignore the doctors. It does mean that whatever the doctor says is not considered to be final by me.

 

 

I think this is excellently put. I am the same - western docs can be part of the input, but I am the final decider. The doc doesn't take into consideration the metaphysical reason for the disease (at least none that I've met) and I believe the metaphysical reason to be crucial. If the offending dynamic remains, there is nothing to prevent re-manifestation of the malady over and over.

[Horus]

the best way to answer that is through the emotions and thoughts...

 

what is it you don't want to say?

 

to answer your own question enter stillness and ponder the situation at hand.

 

what emotions arise? what thoughts respond to them?

 

what emotional and mental clearing modality do you have to work with?

 

 

I once had a mentor that was a very powerful medium - and when she was working with me she would ask me to make a statement to her (about whatever was at hand). I would make the statement and she would feel nuances in my voice "not working" properly - which would divulge the mento-emotional currents unmistakably flowing through the voice.

 

When I worked more on the given issue - the voice became clear, strong and unhindered.

 

The voice/speech is residing with the heart and its root being the tongue, the element fire.

[Spotless]

Their are Qi Gong exercises for the throat chakra area.

 

You can be in a standing position and looking up slightly with your arms extended out and up just above shoulder height with your forearms bent and extended inward over your throat.

Left hand palm chakra (Lao Gong) closest to the Adam's apple with right hand palm chakra over left hand. normal breathing pattern

5 minutes.

 

Attend to the acid reflux problem - don't eat late at night - try no eating 4 hours prior to sleep.

GrandP gave you a good post on this.

 

Also - break up the upper energy

Standing

Arms sweep upward from the side while breathing in

As hands approach above shoulder height move in one motion by pivoting on one foot and turning until you are facing the other direction and then forcefully push down.

As you push down allow a loud forceful sound of release.

Do again on other side.

Repeat 3 times on each side.

 

Meditation will help to bring about a calm lowered fine voice - if you do not do meditation for long sittings then you may be very pleasantly surprise by an hour session regarding voice problems.

 

(If your skin crawls when you hear that the root cause may be that you are not communicating something - tell it not to crawl so easily - this in fact may also be the cause of your acid reflux - in any case it is a result of stuck energy and a backing up of it to a point of symptoms)

 

Acupuncture should also be very effective along these lines.

Edited July 9, 2014 by Spotless

[Anoesjka]

Guys, thanks for the answers so far.

 

Chidragon: No I'm not an excessive masturbator. I probably have around 3 ejaculations per week - which from a quick google search seems to be below the medically "excessive" category. I have considered scaling down though, as many people report it to be beneficial for qigong process (and quality of life in general).

 

Anoesejka, thanks for the answer. I was actually at the specialist clinic last week and they could see I had an inflamed esophagus too. Probably from acid reflux. But it just puzzles me how it can cause all those weird side effects - especially considering the fact that they persist after having been on a very alkaline diet for one week and counting (doesn't seem to work).

 

How long was your esophagus inflamed? And which kind of acupressure did you apply?

 

Manitou: It's a good point, but I don't think this is what caused it. In fact, since I started qigong I've been amazed at the degree to which I have "discovered" my emotions - and the authenticity with which I now communicate them. Especially the pan-gu exercise has helped me with that.

 

I will look up what points to use. I don't remember their exact position anymore. My esophagus was completely cured after two years. I stopped taking the omeprazol I was subscribed after a year and a half even though the doctor said I would have to take them my entire life.

[Anoesjka]

I recently moved, so I can't find my acupressure books. They're probably in one of the boxes at the very bottom of the pile.

 

But if you search for the word "stomach" on this site, it will help you find the points:

http://www.acumedico.com/acupoints.htm

 

This one is more simple, but with less points:

http://pointfinder.org/classic/

[Clarity]

Yes, it can (be spiritually caused). For example, if I ask about your voice, loss, and negative life experiences, I feel a lot of energetic weakness there. If i ask about past experiences (from the spiritual experiences) of saying things, making speeches, and suffering the consequences for "saying the wrong" thing, again there's more weakness (specifically to a trauma of throat cutting).

 

It' almost always the case that these kinds of sticky problems have their roots in psychic and spiritual weaknesses (with the mental, emotional, and psychological kind of layered on top). And yet so often we assume that these problems are physical.

 

So my 2 cents says this has little or nothing to do with acid reflux symptoms.

 

And delete the weakness to "last chances" because that kind of makes you even more desperate (all your last chances from the past).

 

Strengthen spirit, mind, body (for coming together, separating, boundaries, and dynamics).

[mYTHmAKER]

mYTHISmAKER says that Edgar Cayce lost his voice before his psychic abilities opened.

Also another person who she doesn't remember the name.

So you might get some info reading about Edgar Cayce

His foundation has information on what he had to say about different diseases and symptoms.

 

mYTHmAKER says have you tried acupuncture - had your pulses read?

[Perceiver]

Thanks again for all the posts. Must admit I'm a bit overwhelmed at all the help I'm receiving in here..

 

Short update on the problem: For some reason, it seems to get worse. I've been doing an alkaline diet for a week. Been on proteine pump inhibitors for 2,5 days. Taking care of my stomach in general and don't have any pain there.

 

But the voice is still gone or rather reduced to a croaking version of its former self. And my nerve symptoms persist. It's a very unusual feeling: Feels like some "layer" has been peeled of off me; which has left me raw and unprotected. I don't have the same feeling in my body anymore. Feels like my muscles are dead and non-responsive meat hanging on a skeleton.

 

The feeling I have in my body is that of a tire where the rubber has been peeled off and the metal is grinding against the road. I know that sounds a bit extreme and believe me it's not that painful, just uncomfortable. Feels like I've got little knives pointing down at my shoulders and top of my head. My entire forehead is being pressed inwards and there's a pressure in my third eye. My heart area feels tight. I'm not sleeping more than three hours per night now.

 

I must really somehow have damaged my nervous system, which is strange as i haven't talked for more than a month, and still it gets worse. Don't really feel like I've got much of a fighting chance anymore. Another strange thing is that at the same time I am incredibly aware of the present moment, for some reason. Much more than I've been before.

 

Somehow I can't help but think if this is some kind of karmic "revenge" or the like. It just seems like the perfect storm: I was bullied in school and developed social phobia from I was 18-28, until I was cured by a psychologist. Then, being cured, I rejoiced in my new opportunity to partake in life, only half a year later to witness my early voice problem becoming more and more debilitating. That was four years ago, and the past two to three years it has left me increasingly socially isolated. I dreamed of finally being able to create a career for myself, to find a girlfriend, but that has been put on hold again - indefinitely. I don't know if I believe in karma - am still new to the spiritual world. But I'm beginning to think I might have done something horrible in a past life - molested old women or similar, and am paying for it know..

 

Thanks for all the info regarding acupressure and the throat chakra. I've noted these down, and to be honest that's probably going to be my next strategies. When I showed the doctor a piece of paper with my symptoms his face went blank : That's a typical problem with doctors, as goldisheavy also points out: They know the standard stuff but not more than that. I fear I'm making the poor old fella nervous when I show him a list of symptoms that conflict with everything he knows about voice disorders

[Spotless]

Do you have a teacher? (Qi Gong.....)

[Horus]

This feels like very old past-life issues coming up to be resolved. But we can make it as complicated of as simple as we choose.

 

Karma is not punishment - it's compassion - it's the compassion to allow you to be that which you are not until such times as you choose to remember who you are and start rummaging through all of the old choices until clarity arises.

 

Again, you will find your answers and healing within the emotions and beliefs you have around this issue - just work with them one by one.

 

Do you have an emotional clearing modality to work with?

Edited July 10, 2014 by Horus

[manitou]

It just seems like the perfect storm: I was bullied in school and developed social

phobia from I was 18-28, until I was cured by a psychologist. Then, being cured, I rejoiced in my new opportunity to partake in life, only half a year later to witness my early voice problem becoming more and more debilitating. That was four years ago, and the past two to three years it has left me increasingly socially isolated.

 

And you thought we were done, lol.

 

This is crucial, this part. I don't think a psychologist can cure years of bullying and social phobia 'just like that'. He brought you to the point where you could function within your inner dynamics and become a more normal member of society.

 

But I think you have more work to do. Look at it this way: all the years of the bullying left you with a "comfort zone of familiarity", a feeling that wasn't comfortable, and yet it was Familiar. We tend to recreate our initial comfort zones (even if uncomfortable) through later relationships, etc. - just because we're familiar with the feeling. I call it our Emotional Bathtub Ring. The psychologist didn't pull this ring out of you.

 

Try to see if there is something today that is causing you to sit inside this bathtub. A relationship you're in, where you're feeling 'bullied?' A family dynamic you're not speaking up about? You have to use your 'long eyes' to see this - truly zoom out into space and look at yourself without emotion, without judgment, without fear of what you'll find. You will find that you're not perfect. I think part of the problem might be that you think that psychologist 'fixed' you and you have no need to go any deeper. I underwent maybe 2 years of psychiatric help after my breakdown years ago - I did get plenty of Aha's! from that experience, but they were mainly the really obvious ones having to do with family, etc. But the psychiatrist never addressed any of it from a "you're actually manifesting this yourself" perspective. It was all about Them Doing it to Me and how I reacted.

 

This was important stuff at the time, though. But the Way requires much introspection. Look for where you're allowing yourself to be bullied in some way.

[Anoesjka]

And yet, it's problems like these that are also great opportunities and a window into the divine. (But that's only partly my own experience. I still have to get rid of a lot of rubbish too)

[Perceiver]

Thanks for the replies again guys.

 

Manitou, I think I know what you mean. Actually the kind of psychological treatment I got was designed at giving me a greater insight into my thoughts. And I actually found out that the social phobia was due to the fact that I bullied myself. I had negative deep thoughts that I weren't aware of. Once I became aware of them, the anxiety rushes stopped controlling me, and eventually faded (because I didn't care about them). But somehow this condition seems to bring some it back up - I have like a bodily nervousness, like my system is shaking, and old fears that I had conquered now reemerge in the sense that my body is doing the "afraid-ness" and not so much my mind anymore.

 

I'm still not sure whether the causation is physical, nerve-related, spiritual or everything mixed together. On one hand I haven't used my voice for a long time, so that can't be the reason. It sounds extreme if acid reflux is able to cause it. On the other hand I can't see how it's completely spiritually caused as there is a very direct physical link to it: The voice "pops" have occurred out in bars and clubs with loud music etc., which is a rather common occurrence among those with dysphonia. When I've had voice breaks it usually got better - until some time ago when it spiraled out of control and the symptoms would persist even without talking. My qigong exercises don't seem to affect it in any way either - have done the orbit, pan-gu, inner smile regularly. No effect.

 

To answer your questions: Yes, I have a spiritual teacher, Michael Winn, and am doing his qigong system (a bit the same as Mantak Chia's). Am overall very satisfied with him and my progress within it. Started because of an energy imbalance/semi-kundalini. There are still a few things I can't do without getting energy side effects - can't do things such as enlarging my energy body, projecting energy outside of me etc. Have done the fundamentals and started the fusion practices a couple of weeks ago. Had to stop though as it was too much, probably because it turns out i skipped some of the fundamentals (bone breathing and rooting), which i am to do next now.

 

Manitou: To be honest I just feel bullied by life. There are so many things right in front of my nose, that I could try and achieve if just I had a goddamn voice. Interesting women with great smiles that I see on the street. They look at me, and I want to approach them. But I don't have a voice. A business idea that I'm passionate about and that I want to start. But I've got no voice. Friends that I want to see and spend time with. Talk and laugh the night away in good company. But I have no voice. A bit irritating, as you can imagine..

 

The side effects have worn down a bit today and my sleep was better. But it sure is weird: I had lost much of my contact with my nerves yesterday. I could punch a fork with almost full force into my shoulder several times without feeling much. I can't feel energy that well anymore when doing the orbit. I'm thinking that maybe the vagus nerve has been damaged by acid reflux fumes.. I don't know. I'm really at the point where I don't know. Next step is to contact a private hospital as the public hospital (I live in Europe) is taking ages to schedule an appointment. Will see a neurologist and gastro-intestinal and throat doctor all together, I hope.

 

If they can't say anything intelligent, next step will be to try accupressure or -puncture.

 

Or maybe I should just get really drunk? Probably not a good idea, but seems inviting anyway .

[manitou]

Also...you're still thinking in terms of the physical body being separate from the energy body or spirit body. They're all there combined.

 

If you've studied metaphysics at all, it's all Mind. Mind controls our physicality.

 

Why were you bullied as a kid? Do you know?

Edited July 10, 2014 by manitou

[Anoesjka]

Hi Perceiver,

 

What suddenly cam to my mind, was when I was struggling with my esophagus, I had an episode of hyperthyroidism. Probably caused by a virus. Have you checked your thyroid hormone levels yet?

[manitou]

You know what just occurred to me? I had a Buddhist friend that decided to do a year of not talking - I'm not sure what the discipline is called. The not-talking discipline, probably.

 

I wonder if there is a spiritual component that is being imposed upon you because there is something there you need to experience or realize through non-communication verbally? Food for thought.

[Perceiver]

Alright, here's the latest update. It sure gets stranger and stranger:

 

Today a lot of the nerve (?) pain has subsided. I no longer have the cutting feeling at the top of my head and shoulders and neck so much. The heart palpitations subsided this evening. It's easier to control my fingers now. The pressure at the third eye and forehead has subsided. I still feel somehow disconnected from my body, like my shoulders are dead and non-reactive meat. Still got the flat muscles and feel like a layer of me has been peeled off. The bodily anxiety has been reduced slightly this evening.

 

A new thing I am experiencing today is emotional numbness. Can't really feel happy or sad about anything. I could earlier this day. I sat in my living room, had finished a meal and was angry at life. Tired of getting goddamn cornered all the time. So I slammed my hands into the table several times. Boy I was angry. Strange thing is it felt cathartic. After I had beat the table for some minutes, there seemed to be an energy shift in my body. And the frustration and anger was replaced with emotional numbness. A sort of nothingness. No real joy or pain about anything. Not especially positive but not negative either, I think.

 

Maybe I am going through a process. Have experienced the following: 1) Build-up of symptoms over the past 14 days, 2) explosion of symptoms with forehead pressed in etc 4 days ago 3) pain and other side effects gradually subside but still feel my body is a dead lump of meat and feel a protective layer has been peeled off 4) side effects gone, still dead body and no protective "skin", emotional numbness.

 

Let's hope the next days will see me being readjusted into my body and emotions again.

 

I've done some searching and I think my vagus nerve may have been damaged. Perhaps from the acid fumes. It seems like the most rational physical explanation for now. It explains the voice problems, heart palpitations, bodily anxiety (sympathetic nervous system overstimulated). And it explains why I feel my head is on a "stilk" of a body, as the vagus nerve runs up the head and branches out from there. I did deep breathing this morning and visualized my vagus nerve as a healthy cord of golden light. Seemed to work.

 

Thanks for the tip re the hyperthorodism. Will definitely pose that question..