Resonant Voice Therapy (RVT) is a physiologic approach to maximize laryngeal muscle health, often used for treating tension dysphonia or vocal fold nodules.
RVT uses biofeedback to train patients how to sense sensations associated with breathing, resonance and phonation. You may use either the Lessac-Madsen or Stemple protocol during treatment.
1. Vocal Assessment
Voice therapy can play a pivotal role in improving vocal health and quality. It can aid people suffering from everything from hoarse or straining voices to speech and singing impairments. Individuals experiencing these problems must understand their specific requirements; working with an experienced, licensed voice therapist ensures safe and effective practices are utilized.
The vocal folds are an intricate network of muscle bands in the larynx that vibrate to produce sound, as determined by tension and movement. Their tension impacts pitch, enabling people to speak or sing clearly and with resonance. To minimize strain on these delicate tissues, Resonant Voice Therapy seeks to address any issues which might affect them directly.
Stimulability techniques are used as assessment tools for resonant voice therapy, measuring vocal tract movement, airflow, and voicing effort to identify any potential problems affecting resonant voice production.
SLPs use stimulability assessments for various reasons, including selecting appropriate training gestures and selecting suitable behavioral voice therapies; additionally, SLPs evaluate patient progress throughout treatment.
There are various stimulability assessments available, including GRBAS (voice, glottal, resonant and articulation scale), OMNI Vocal Effort Scale (which measures voice effort across the entire vocal range) and Voice Pronunciation and Resonance Disorders Inventory (VPDRDI). Each tool has its own set of advantages and disadvantages; GRBAS in particular stands out as an effective way of measuring voicing efforts across both resonant voices as well as normal voices while VPDRI measures voice effort during speaking tasks.
Home evaluations of stimulability may be possible, but many speech language pathologists find professional evaluations more accurate and meaningful. A resonant voice therapist can guide patients through these procedures while teaching them how to interpret the results.
Resonant voice therapy can provide significant relief from vocal disorders. It teaches individuals to speak more clearly, decreasing risk for straining and tiring voices while increasing confidence and performance both professionally and socially. For more information about how resonant voice therapy could benefit you, reach out to a qualified SLP today.
2. Vocal Training
The vocal folds vibrate to produce sound and shape your voice when speaking or singing, as they’re enclosed within muscle bands in the larynx which determine pitch. However, using inappropriate or excessive force on these delicate structures may result in hoarseness, breathiness, loss of vocal range or tone changes (Yiu 2017). When practicing resonant voice therapy steps you will learn strategies for relieving strain on vocal folds while encouraging healthy vibrations; additionally this form of therapy also can prevent conditions like nodules and polyps which could otherwise affect singing or speaking voices from worsening or worsening (Yiu 2017).
Resonant voice therapy should be part of everyone’s regular practice, particularly professional speakers and singers who rely on their voices as part of their livelihood. Resonant therapy can help increase confidence and authority to make you more efficient both professionally and personally.
Resonant voice therapy primarily utilizes breathing and speech exercises to develop a more flexible, fuller and richer sound. Through these exercises you’ll be taught to alter resonance patterns for improved articulation and communication in any environment, increasing presence within any setting.
Resonant voice therapy entails teaching you to adopt an easy and relaxed posture when speaking and singing, which will facilitate airflow while relieving strain on your vocal folds. Your therapist will also offer helpful tips to maintain vocal health such as staying hydrated and avoiding potential irritants.
As part of RVT therapy, your therapist may introduce breathing and speech exercises focusing on adduction and abduction of vocal folds, slowly transitioning to more complex tasks such as humming or semi-occluded tube phonation (which involves placing a mouthpiece on lips to partially block airflow and help balance pressure for easier phonation).
Resonant voice therapy not only encourages more flexible and natural-sounding voices, but it can also aid transgender people with gender congruence. With transgender people becoming increasingly visible, having a voice that matches their perceived gender is becoming increasingly essential. Gender-congruent resonant voice therapy can help reduce feelings of dysphoria while simultaneously increasing self-confidence in public settings.
3. Vocal Maintenance
Resonant voice techniques can help anyone, whether a singer, speaker, or casual communicator, overcome hoarseness and enhance the quality of your vocal folds. Voice therapists leverage natural resonances within the voice tract – an array of resonating cavities like your mouth and throat– to produce clear, powerful communication with minimal strain.
Resonant voice therapy provides individuals with various strategies and exercises designed to promote healthy vocal fold vibration. Breath support and control exercises utilize diaphragmatic muscle use efficiently for maximum resonant power; resonance shaping techniques employ individualized changes in tongue posture, lip tension, oral cavity configuration in order to maximize resonance qualities; gentle onset phonation techniques encourage starting voice production gradually and effortlessly without creating unnecessary strain on vocal folds; gentle onset phonation techniques are designed specifically to reduce unnecessary vocal fold stress during vocal fold vibration.
Resonant voice therapy entails several steps designed to strengthen and sustain voice clarity, strength and endurance while decreasing strain and preventing potential future damage. Speech-language pathologists oversee each person’s progress throughout this process and monitor and adjust it as necessary. Research has proven these therapies highly effective at treating symptoms like laryngitis, vocal nodules and other vocal injuries.
Voice therapists aim to achieve positive outcomes by teaching at-home practices which enhance the gains made during professional therapy sessions. Such practices could include breathing exercises, humming practices and easy-onset phonation practices – not forgetting vocal hygiene education that includes maintaining adequate hydration levels, avoiding irritations and discontinuing behaviors which cause vocal damage.
Encourage your patients to follow these guidelines to get the maximum benefits from resonant voice therapy. Receiving personalized guidance from a speech-language pathologist during initial stages is key for avoiding harmful habits and developing safe long-term vocal maintenance practices. Once your patient has mastered these techniques, you can transition them to at-home practice under supervision. Recording their practice can provide invaluable feedback about the effectiveness of their new voice management and self-care routines. In addition, direct them towards online resources with tips, videos, and tools for creating a comprehensive home voice care regimen.
4. Self-Management
Resonant voice therapy teaches patients how to create a clear, rich, and pleasant sound by employing vibrations in the front of the face and throat to shift phonation away from vocal cords, relieving strain. Not just for singers; teachers, professionals and everyday individuals can utilize Resonant Voice Therapy techniques for improved communication skills as well as reduction of breathiness or hoarseness.
Be it as an SLP or patient, you can learn and implement resonant voice therapy steps into your treatment plan. However, first it’s essential to comprehend the anatomy and physiology of voice production – including learning more about vocal fold function as well as flow phonation, acoustic manipulation techniques such as huming or resonant shaping techniques.
As with any new approach, resonant voice therapy presents both challenges and obstacles to its success. One major barrier is adherence. Studies suggest a variety of factors influence adherence; however, few attempts have been made to predict or enhance it between sessions (Duarte de Almeida et al, Santos Bassi Teixeira Cortes Gama 2013 and Hapner Portone-Marra Johns 2009).
SLPs can use various strategies to increase resonant voice therapy adherence. These include:
Flow Phonation
Flow phonation is an evidence-based technique designed to coordinate breathing and phonation to produce balanced oral-nasal resonance during easy phonation, providing relief for various voice disorders such as muscle tension dysphonia.
Acoustic Manipulation Techniques
SLPs can use acoustic manipulation techniques such as acoustic feedback and acupressure to assist their patients in creating more flexible vocal fold movement for controlling resonance, tone, and pitch. Furthermore, these methods also reduce voice effort.
