At the age of 19, Alyssia started off with the intention of pursuing music as a career. She had gone to MacEwan university and after 2 attempts at a very long audition process and prep course to improve music theory, she was accepted out of 15 students in her class. She got into the program for vocals but had originally started off playing piano at a very young age, mostly learning by ear.
Unfortunately, due to the intense stress of the program and performance anxiety she had her first multiple sclerosis flare up at the age of 21, as such, she felt she was drawn to a career in the healthcare field, helping people in whatever way she could. She decided to go to a massage therapy school and see if there was any interest and ended up applying the same day.
As a new massage therapist, she had the opportunity of massaging a vocalist, and was told about laryngeal massage from that client. She decided to combine her knowledge of singing with massage therapy and took a course in New Orleans for myofascial release for neck, voice, and swallowing disorders, as well as a course through Seminars for Health for intra-oral massage for the TMJ. These courses have allowed her to work with a variety of clients with muscle tension dysphonia, dysphagia, TMJ disorders, all of which apply to people who use their voice as a career but also people who have suffered from whiplash, tension due to stress and anxiety, and people with desk jobs.
Laryngeal massage typically involves myofascial release and intra-oral massage of the muscles surrounding the larynx, TMJ joint, pecs, diaphragm and even around the tongue to help clients create more space within the surrounding areas which in turn helps vocalists improve pain from tension, increase their vocal range and last a longer duration during vocalization, whether it be singing or talking.
This type of massage is slow paced. It is used with dry hands to create a tension of the skin, pulling and finding areas of tension within the myofascial tissue and holding for long durations until a sense of relaxation has been established in the area. Communication is very important for this type of work not only to guide the therapist in the direction of the discomfort, but also to maintain a sense of safety. Working around the throat area can be a very sensitive place for some people due to trauma or just being uncomfortable with people in contact with their throat, even though it is generally considered a safe form of massage.
TMJ pain is also interconnected with laryngeal tension and intra-oral massage is often used in a laryngeal massage session. There are many muscles of the TMJ that are not accessible from the outside of the mouth and require an intra-oral approach. A lot of times people compare it to feeling like they are at the dentist, but it isn’t uncommon for people say the relief is so great that they fall asleep while being treated.
Although laryngeal massage is a great tool to help assist in the treatment of neck voice and swallowing disorders, it does not replace the need for an assessment from either an ear, nose and throat doctor or speech language pathologist for further testing. I will usually want clients who have not seen either to make sure they are seen to help assist in their treatment.
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