Are you screaming inside?
By Lyz Cooper
From screams of pleasure at being turned upside down at the fairground to screams of terror (possibly at the same thing!) most of us at some time have let out a scream, but why?
Screaming is ancient. It started way back at the beginning of human-kind. When out hunting and gathering it was a way of warning other members of the group of a potential threat to our survival. Our facial expressions would have conveyed a message and of course, the sound of the scream would have carried a long way, alerting all within hearing range. All animals have an alarm call and screaming is ours.
But what use does it have today, and can it be used for healing?
Richard Highfield, in an article for the Daily Telegraph writes ‘even if there is nothing scary around, pulling a scared face will make you more alert’. This is because the facial expression of the scream causes certain chemicals to be released which enables your body to get ready to fight or run. I would argue that there are better ways to wake up - this sudden shot of chemicals is not the best signal to send to the body!
In the 1970s, Arthur Janov made screaming chic with ‘Primal Scream Therapy’. Janov believes that trauma from before birth and in early life can be recorded in the primal centre of the brain. This trauma, if repressed, can create illness and disease that can last a lifetime. Screaming accesses the primal parts of the brain and therefore this method of therapy was a very effective way of allowing people to release anything held in the early stages of life. It also by-passed ‘talking therapies’ which access the cerebral cortex, rather than the primal brain centre, so do not allow early memories to be released, only those that can be analyzed.
However, screaming is not actually that good for your physical system. As we have already explored it puts the system into ‘fight or flight’, releasing stress chemicals. It also puts great stress on the vocal mechanism and, if it is used frequently, can damage the vocal chords. It also raises blood pressure, so people who are already suffering from high blood pressure or are at risk of a stroke may not benefit.
The Silent Scream
Although we may not be screaming out loud our body may be screaming on many levels. Try this exercise.
Stand up and scream without making a sound. Repeat this a few times, really getting into the process. The chances are your belly, thighs, hands, face, neck and shoulders have tensed up. These are all areas where stress can be held in the physical body and therefore if you have any tension, stiffness or pain in these areas you are actually experiencing the effects of the silent scream.
This ‘scream’ may not only be on the physical level. The emotional body is, in energetic terms, ‘less dense’ than the physical, but still dense enough to manifest as feelings and emotions. Reflect on your emotional level – if your emotions were on a fairground ride would they be on the carousel, the rollercoaster or the ghost train!
The level of thought is very important – it is the pivotal point of manifestation. Do we allow our life experiences to flow in acceptance and love? Do we view our experiences as a gift to learn from or do we weave them into a story that we repeat over and over in our heads, reinforcing our life limiting beliefs?
The nature of energy is to flow unhindered. Quantum physics has shown us that thought ‘collapses the wave function’ allowing energy to become matter so we know that our thoughts create our reality. Therefore if we are screaming at the mental level we will have unhelpful beliefs and thought patterns that have the ability to affect our lives and our health. When we have an experience that we may consider as ‘bad’ this is the point at which we have the chance to be the master of our reality and choose to allow the energy around the event to flow. Love it for what it is and see the gift that the event has for you.
But how can you do this?
Vocal Evolution
There are many, many ways to move energy around the system but as we are looking at screaming let’s try an exercise that takes the idea of the primal scream one step further.
For this exercise is it a good idea that you are home alone – trust me on this one! Remember that energy has to flow unhindered and so if you are worried about what your partner may think you will only inhibit your energy so do the best you can to make a suitable space for yourself.
Lay on the floor in a fetal position and bring your imbalance into mind – what are you working on? Begin to make a sound that reflects that emotion/physical discomfort/unhealthy thought pattern. As you make the sound begin to uncurl your body as if you were growing like a seed. Allow the voice to change as you move – there is no right or wrong, you can make whatever sound feels right. Unfurl and visualise the sound moving the energy through your system. When you are ready for the next stage of your growth, move onto your knees and then onto all-fours, sounding all of the time. Then sit back on your heels and kneel up.
These movements are designed to represent different stages of your growth. Some clients I have worked with using this technique have not been able to stand up for several sessions due to the reluctance to move the energy into the present so don’t worry if you need a few sessions working on the same imbalance. When you are ready come to a standing position (which represents the present) get to your feet and enjoy a few moments in this position before taking your energy forward by raising your arms up high above your head.
All the time your voice will be changing and evolving as you move through the origins of the pattern to the present and into the future. Notice how it changes and reflect on the session but at this stage it is important not to get too hooked back into the story; why you made this sound, what it represented etc. This is because a pattern can need space to realise its new potential way of being. If you start reinforcing it with too many stories you could be undoing all of your work.
I really encourage you to embrace this exercise – it is so very useful and effective and is one of many techniques that an Holistic Voice Practitioner have in their tool bags. Using these techniques and others HVT practitioners have worked with people suffering from the effects of deep traumatic experiences and have transformed lives.
It is not always appropriate to lay on the floor and howl but it is still important to keep energy moving throughout the day so anytime you feel yourself screaming on any level take yourself somewhere and make a sound to reflect how you feel. If you cannot make a sound, breathe into the feeling and release through the breath – you can always use sound later when it is appropriate.
So next time you feel yourself screaming inside – remember, keep your energy moving and you will reap the rewards!
If you would like to know more about how to use sound for health and wellbeing Lyz’s book ‘Sounding the Mind of God’ is available from all good bookstores, Amazon and directly from Lyz.
For Lyz’s website have a look at www.healthysound.com
Holistic Voice Therapy practitioners can be found at www.healthysound.com/findatherapist
Resources
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/3344701/Science-why-we-scream.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primal_scream_therapy
