Releasing throat & jaw tension. BioDynamic Breath & Trauma Release session demo with Giten Tonkov.

Summary

This script explores techniques to unlock tension in the throat and jaw, which can block emotional expression. It discusses the impact of suppressed emotions on physical health, such as sore throats, and guides viewers through exercises to release this tension, including breathing and vocalization, ultimately aiming to enhance the resonance and depth of the voice.

Takeaways

• 🌟 The throat and jaw are key areas where energy and expression can become blocked due to tension.
• 🔒 There are two specific areas in the throat that can lock up and prevent the outward expression of energy: one below the chin and another lower in the throat.
• 🤔 The inability to express oneself freely can lead to physical symptoms like a sore throat, which is often overlooked as a result of emotional suppression.
• 🎭 Techniques are explored to unlock the jaw and throat to release tension and allow for more natural expression.
• 👄 The mouth plays a crucial role in expressing energy, often through sound, growls, or words, and can become a point of blockage if energy does not flow freely.
• 😖 Emotional suppression, such as not speaking up when one wants to, can lead to physical discomfort like a sore throat.
• 🔍 The session involves deep breathing and activation of the constriction to create space for opening up the blocked areas.
• 👁️ Encouraging participants to connect with their body, especially the jaw and throat, is a key step in identifying and addressing tension.
• 🗣️ Making sound and expressing oneself is crucial, even if it involves fear of rejection or not being loved, as these fears often underlie the interruption of self-expression.
• 🤐 The use of a physical object, like a napkin, in the session helps to activate and release the jaw's tension through biting and pulling actions.
• 💪 The release of tension can lead to a powerful feeling of self-preservation and the emergence of a fighting spirit, as well as the activation of the body's fight or flight response.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the session described in the transcript?

The main focus of the session is to work with the throat and jaw areas to release tension and unlock the flow of energy and expression.

Why is it important to revisit the 'belts of tension' when working with people?

Revisiting the 'belts of tension' is important because they often prevent spontaneous expression by tightening up, and addressing these areas can help release the blockages in energy flow.

What are the two areas in the throat that can lock up and block the expression of energy?

The two areas in the throat that can lock up are just below the chin and a bit lower in the throat, acting as defense mechanisms or 'diaphragms' against the outflow of expression.

How does the jaw play a role in the expression of energy?

The jaw is another level where energy can be blocked. If energy makes it through the throat, it still needs to come out through the mouth, often in the form of sound, growls, or words.

What is the significance of making sound during the session?

Making sound is significant because it helps to activate the constriction and create space for opening up, allowing the release of pent-up energy and emotions.

What is the role of the napkin in the session described?

The napkin is used as a tool to help the participant bite down and resist a pulling force, which can help release tension in the jaw and throat and bring emotions to the surface.

Why is it important to allow the gagging reflex during the session?

Allowing the gagging reflex is important because it starts to release the constriction that has been holding in the throat and jaw, facilitating the release of trapped energy.

What does the instructor mean by 'fight or flight' in the context of the session?

The 'fight or flight' refers to the body's natural response to perceived threats, which in this context is the activation of the body's self-preservation mechanisms, such as kicking or struggling against the tension.

How does the instructor encourage the participant to stay present and awake during the session?

The instructor encourages the participant to stay present by focusing on their breath, noticing the movements in their body, and allowing themselves to experience the tremoring or shaking as a release of the nervous system.

What is the purpose of the muscle work on the back of the neck and the SCM muscle?

The purpose of the muscle work is to unlock the tension in these areas, which can contribute to the overall release of constriction in the throat and jaw, allowing for more open and resonant expression.

How does the session aim to help the participant find their inner strength and resilience?

The session aims to help the participant find their inner strength by encouraging them to resist, express, and release their emotions and tension, leading to a sense of empowerment and self-preservation.

Outlines

00:00

🔓 Unlocking Emotional Constriction in the Throat and Jaw

This paragraph discusses the concept of energy getting trapped in the throat and jaw, which can lead to tension and even physical discomfort like a sore throat. The speaker emphasizes the importance of revisiting areas of tension and identifies two specific spots in the throat where energy can become blocked. The session involves exploring these blocks, expressing emotions, and using sound as a means to release tension. The participant, Claire, shares her experience of soreness in her throat and jaw, indicating the beginning of an emotional release.

05:01

🌪 Emotional Release Through Breathing and Physical Expression

The focus of this paragraph is on using deep, connected breathing to address emotional tension in the throat and jaw. The participant is guided to pay attention to the sensations of tightness and soreness, and to use these as a gateway to explore underlying emotions. The process involves a physical exercise with a napkin, where the participant bites down and then resists pulling it away, which helps to bring anger and frustration to the surface. The session also includes allowing natural reflexes like gagging, as part of the release process, and encourages body movements that arise during this emotional exploration.

10:02

🤼‍♀️ Engaging the Body's Self-Preservation Mechanisms

This paragraph delves into the physical manifestations of the body's fight or flight response during emotional release. The participant experiences a muscle activation in the neck, which is identified as a source of tension. The session involves physical manipulation and pressure to release this tension, along with encouragement to move and express through actions like kicking. The participant's narrative includes feelings of power, fear, and the emergence of humor, indicating a complex emotional response to the process.

15:03

🎶 Enhancing Voice Resonance Through Throat Relaxation

The final paragraph highlights the relationship between throat relaxation and voice resonance. As the throat opens up, the voice is described as becoming more vibrant, deep, and resonant. The participant reflects on feeling powerful and competitive during the session, and there is a discussion about the body's self-preservation mechanisms. The session concludes with an emphasis on staying present and awake to one's experience, allowing for a full emotional and physical release.

Keywords

💡Energy

In the video, 'energy' refers to the emotional and physical vitality that flows through the body. This energy can become trapped or blocked in certain areas, particularly in the throat and jaw, preventing spontaneous expression. The session aims to release this energy to alleviate tension and promote well-being.

💡Throat

The 'throat' is highlighted as a key area where energy and emotions can become blocked. Tension in the throat can prevent the outward expression of feelings, often leading to physical discomfort like a sore throat. Techniques in the session focus on unlocking this area to facilitate better emotional and physical health.

💡Jaw

The 'jaw' is another critical area where tension accumulates, often as a response to suppressed emotions. The session includes exercises to release jaw tension, which can help in expressing pent-up emotions and reduce physical discomfort.

💡Belts of tension

'Belts of tension' refer to areas in the body where stress and emotional energy accumulate, creating blockages that hinder the free flow of energy. In the video, the throat and jaw are discussed as such belts, and the session aims to repeatedly address these areas to release tension.

💡Expression

In the context of the video, 'expression' involves the release of trapped emotional energy through sound or movement. Blocked expression can lead to physical symptoms like a sore throat. The session encourages participants to vocalize and physically express their emotions to alleviate tension.

💡Soreness

'Soreness' in the throat or jaw is a physical manifestation of trapped energy and tension. Participants often report feeling sore in these areas due to suppressed emotions. The session's techniques aim to address and alleviate this soreness by releasing the underlying tension.

💡Defense mechanisms

'Defense mechanisms' are psychological responses that protect individuals from emotional pain by preventing the expression of certain feelings. The video describes how these mechanisms can create physical blockages in the throat and jaw, which the session seeks to release.

💡Sound

'Sound' plays a crucial role in the session as a means of releasing trapped energy. Participants are encouraged to make sounds, such as growls or words, to help unlock tension in the throat and jaw. This vocal expression is linked to the emotional release process.

💡Gagging reflex

The 'gagging reflex' is mentioned as a possible reaction during the session when attempting to release throat tension. This reflex is a natural response and part of the process of expelling trapped energy from the body. Allowing this reflex to occur can help in the emotional and physical release.

💡Fight or flight response

The 'fight or flight response' is a physiological reaction to perceived threats, often resulting in physical manifestations like tension in the body. The session aims to activate and then release this response to help participants process and release their pent-up emotions and energy.

💡Resonance

'Resonance' refers to the quality of the voice that is enhanced when the throat is relaxed and open. In the video, it is explained that releasing throat tension can lead to a more vibrant and resonant voice, indicating the free flow of energy and emotions.

Highlights

The throat and jaw are critical areas where energy gets trapped, and these areas will be focused on during the session.

Tension in the throat can prevent spontaneous expression by tightening up, requiring repeated work on these tension belts.

There are two main areas in the throat where the outward expression of energy can lock up: just below the chin and a bit lower in the throat.

The jaw is another level where energy can get stuck, often leading to sound or growls being trapped, causing tension and sometimes a sore throat.

Releasing the tension in the throat and jaw often requires activating the constriction through sound and expression to create space for opening.

Fear of rejection or not being loved are common reasons for interrupting expressions, leading to tension in the throat and jaw.

Connecting with the body, especially the jaw and throat, helps in identifying and addressing the areas of blockage.

Making sounds and allowing gagging reflexes during the session helps release the constriction in the throat, jaw, and stomach.

Techniques like biting onto a napkin and resisting its pull can help express and release anger and frustration.

Emotional charge is often connected with physical tension, and addressing one can help release the other.

Using the charging breath technique can help wake up and energize the body, facilitating the release of tension.

Kicking and physical movements during the session can help release fight or flight responses stored in the body.

Tremoring and shaking are natural responses of the nervous system releasing tension.

Staying present and awake during the session helps fully experience and release stored emotions and tension.

Opening the throat improves the resonance and vibrancy of the voice, making it deeper and more resonant.

Transcripts

[Music]

this is pretty much the area in our body

where the when the Energy starts to come

up it's it's the narrow area where where

it gets

trapped so the

throat and the

jaw these are the two areas we're going

to work with

today what happens is usually the belt

of tension above the oneand that we're

working with tries to prevent the

spontaneous expression by tightening up

again so that's why it's important

always when we work with people to keep

coming back to the belts of tension that

you worked with before

in the throat there's two areas where

the the sound or the the outward

expression of energy can lock up one is

right here just below the

chin and one is just a bit below this

area right here in the throat so it's

kind of like two diaphragms that that

are in the throat that that are are

areas of

Defense yeah the the the locks that keep

blocking the the out outflow of

expression of

energy the next level is your jaw so

even if the energy does make it

through your throat is one more level

that is your mouth this actually has to

come out through your

mouth a lot of the times it comes in the

form of

sound a lot of the times it comes in the

form of growl or

words so any form of sound that gets

stuck in the throat creates this tension

and that's why we explored this in the

morning and you're sharing your memory

of the first experience where you felt

that your Expressions been interrupted

and I'm sure you found that a lot of the

times it results in the tightness in the

throat or even sore throat you want to

say something and you don't and you keep

it in you end up with a sore throat the

next day then you wonder why oh my

throat hurts most of the time we don't

make the connection

but the stock stockness of energy in the

body absolutely creates some kind of

result

so we will work today with a few

techniques to help you unlock the jaw so

let's see for you Claire what do you

feel

is happening in your throat and your

jaw yeah my throat is sore right my

throat sore right here and my JW is L

it's tight but it's less tight from the

L

M okay so already some opening started

to happen yeah okay so let's explore how

we can take this opening

deeper usually when

we try to open up the

constriction we need to activate this

constriction to create the space for

opening it is important to make sound it

is important to say to express and a lot

of the times we don't do it for the fear

of being rejected for the fear of not

being

loved this is the main reason that we

stop that we interrupt so let's Express

let's explore sorry what you've been

holding in your throat and your

jaw so for now I want you to close your

eyes for a moment and connect with your

body

connect especially with the area around

your jaw and your

throat yeah like we said there's

two areas where it can be blocked it's

either here right below the

chin and just a little bit lower in the

throat and already as I as I pointed out

on Claire's body and I and I talk about

it you could see feel that his emotions

start to come for

her you can let yourself feel

clear but I want you to bring your

attention now to the tightness in your

throat the soreness that you mentioned

before and also to the tightness that

might be living in your

jaw take a deep full

breath

so the emotional charge right away

connected with with the tension there or

the tension rather connected with the

emotional charge as soon as we brought

our attention to

it the emotion came to the

surface so let's explore this in the

session let's see what can come up

during the session yeah you can open

your eyes for a

moment we will use this uh

napkin and in the session you will start

first us to

breathe and then I'll ask you to B onto

it then I pull and you hold

on notice what happens for you that this

anger and frustration starts to come

forward so be something like this it's

important that when I pull you make

sound and you hold on to te and

something like

this and

then sometimes what happens this gagging

reflex comes and when we do this we want

to

to release something gagging so it's

important that you allow yourself to do

that because this is starts to release

all the constriction that been holding

in the

Thro in the jaw and also in stomach area

stomach contracts on to give

something

so we'll use

this and the same time allow whatever

happens through your

body allow it to release the movement I

would love for you to bring your knees

up and plant your heels into the

mattress so for now you can start with a

deep full connected breathing yeah with

your mouth and I want you to relax your

your jaw that you're not blowing air out

actively you're just allowing it to flow

a little more

open

but start to breathe a little more

charging not like you're trying to fall

asleep yeah it's we want to wake up we

want to bring the breath flowing so you

can charge your body with energy yes

just like that

great open your jaw and now bite onto

the napkin really bite bite into it bite

into it yeah I want you to bite into it

yeah and you can put it into your mouth

yourself yeah yeah take it take it with

your hands CL and put it into your mouth

yeah bite into to it really bite with

your teeth yes now I'm going to try to

pull it out you don't let me make

[Music]

sound make

sound

[Music]

yeah okay let go now let go let go let

go of your

cheee let go of the napkin

let's

go now

breathe allow the jaw to move a

bit come back to

breath notice what your body wants to do

now I'm going to press a bit

here where oh a or it might be like yes

now the kicking motion comes let

yourself explore

this let yourself kick down

yes

yes oh off yeah say it off say

it

off so what I do

here muscle called stero ploid

SCM this is the muscle right right

here so I I pinch it

between

my two

fingers this is what brought up for her

this off yeah this expression in

the throat this starts to unlock all the

tension that we carry

here

again I invite you to go into charg

breath and at the same time I work with

the back of the

neck the

belun all the

through

yes and again I want to go in with

pinching this part of the

NE move your jaw

[Music]

around I want to like grab you with my

legs oh like yeah so use this motion

yeah use the movement yes don't stop

it don't grab me but you can release

into the

mattress I encourage you to move the

movement in the

legs yeah use use your

legs

Let The Voice come don't let it get

stuck again in your

[Music]

throat yes great allow

it yeah watch that you're going into

this movement and then you collapse

again I want you to continue with it

yes yes great

kick

this is a fight or flight that wants to

come out of the body we activated it I

want I would say this is enough for her

so now I want to Resource

her through my touch just

relax

[Music]

yeah fully breathe

in

down back lay down

back take a deep full breath into your

belly notice yeah some movement in the

spine that wants to happen give it give

it chance let it happen yeah she

mentioned before the somebody was trying

to strangle all this trapped in there

yeah hellow

hello yeah notice how it feels in your

body

notice and you see this tremoring yeah

this is a effect of the nervous system

releasing the sh

it's great that this

happens so in your sessions when you

notice that the tremoring comes shaking

this is a

[Music]

release Slow Down slow down you can stay

stay present to your experience CLE as

much as

possible yeah and allow this tremoring

to

arise just

allow

I want

to ask you to start to come

back you feel like you need more

time no just can't go

up I'm

awake that's the whole point to stay

present and awake to your experience not

to disconnect from it it's great that

you are

awake sometimes I felt really powerful

with that thing in my mouth like there's

no way you're going to beat me like my

competitive side came in like you're not

going to beat me you're not going

to you're not going to

win um and

then other times I wanted to just curl

up and do

nothing I had a strong sense of doing a

backward roll

and and locking your head head and

breaking your neck my

legs the defense mechanism kicks in

um suppose different humor was coming up

as

well um that is your resource yeah so I

I

was I was kind of cracking jokes in my

head I wanted to share them with you but

I thought maybe it won't be appropriate

um

sick I still feel

sick like see

sick no control like fear as

well

more a lot more fight in me than I

imagined I wanted to fight

you how does the how does it

feel make you feel

powerful yeah yeah I could have beaten

you

great like a little fighter came in me

mhm

um else did I feel

sick my

jaw

angry but you

don't touch me like

great self-preservation mechanism is

there yeah really strong you won't beat

me great this is what we're looking for

yeah right you don't collapse in

it so there's some opening happen in the

throat when the throat becomes open

there's more

resonance our throat is a resonating

chamber for our

voice so when the throat relaxes The

Voice becomes more

vibrant becomes deeper becomes more it

has more resonance and

temper