by Dr. Alfonso Gianluca Gucciardo
The voice forms and shapes us from the maternal womb. It is ours, part of who we are and what we possess, growing with us throughout our lives. Yet, there are times when we struggle to control it, particularly during adolescence—a crucial and challenging period for many reasons. Regardless, the voice grows alongside us, and especially through singing and music, it nurtures our development in an egosyntonic way. It helps us find dynamic and nourishing balances for the body-mind-soul unity that defines us.
Even before experiencing light and sound directly, with
their allure and extremes, from the very beginnings of ontogenesis—and perhaps even phylogenesis—the voice has been our companion, filtered through a protective and plastic maternal body, both immensely strong and resilient.
The voice of this body, and of others it encounters, continuously shapes us. If we have and are our voice, it is also thanks to the countless other voices we have heard daily since forever. We react to these voices (even unconsciously), imitating or rejecting them.
We are our voice, yet it is not entirely ours nor solely for us. The body molds it, nurtures it, sustains it, and even attempts to restrain it when the psyche wants to silence or alter it due to sadness, fear, or overwhelming joy.
The Plasticity of the Voice
The plasticity of the voice begins in the womb. The voice we have and are grows with us, yet we often struggle to control it, especially during adolescence—a period that is both crucial and challenging for many reasons.
As we grow, the voice, particularly through singing and music, supports our growth in an egosyntonic way. It helps us find dynamic, nourishing balances for the body-mind-soul unity that defines us. The unwanted silence—too much of it—is a prison. By contrast, the voice is "the nourishment of the ear, the meadow of the soul, the source of the heart, the solace of the sorrowful, the companion of the lonely, and the provision of the traveler. "Then, one day—usually, for physiological reasons, at night—the child we once were begins to show strange signs no one prepared us for. Our body starts claiming more space, greater autonomy, and more opportunities to express itself. Gonadal hormones activate suddenly; the preparatory phase ends, and the voice—almost “offended” at no longer being the sovereign ruler—begins to change. It becomes unstable over time, leaving us with the sadness of hearing it crack. Alongside it, the heart breaks a little too, given how much we rely on voices, especially our own.
We begin to avoid speaking. That bear-like voice, coupled with a body sporting just a few scattered hairs, does not align with the ethereal, angelic image we still feel inside—a self that has very little connection to the carnal. We withdraw into a desperate silence as a form of protection. At school, now in high school (around 14 years old), when our minds are fixated almost entirely on beauty, symmetry, and an undefined yearning for the caregiving aspects of eros, no one seems to notice or care about our silence.
Everyone demands that we control our words and the volume of our voice, but no one stops to listen or nurture it—or so it seems to us.
The Role of Voice in Emotional and Social Development
For those fortunate enough to begin playing an instrument during adolescence—whether it’s a guitar, cello, or percussion—they may discover how the resonance of an instrument against their thighs, abdomen, or pelvis can transmit "beautiful," "warm" vibrations that restore balance and a sense of well-being. Similarly, when we are alone with our voice, it can align with these frequencies, entering our body gently and harmonizing with it.
This harmony helps us emerge from the sadness and depression that, at times, vocal changes can impose. Through these resonant cavities—of wood, skin, and air—we find solace and healing. Reflecting on it, the human body itself is also a cavity, filled with water, air, and matter that is both phono- and melody-sensitive.
Have you ever tried singing or vocalizing while placing your voice against your own skin, or that of someone you love—a partner, a child? If you haven’t, it’s difficult to fully grasp the profound meaning of this experience.
The music produced by our body, psyche, and soul—understood as a mystical and mysterical unity (these terms share semantic and etymological roots)—creates a “virtuous cycle.” This cycle activates the whole being—the body, mind, and soul—balancing excesses and compensating for flaws where they exist.
Music and Performing Arts in Adolescence - The Plasticity of the Voice and Performing Arts on the Self.
Adolescence often feels like being in a house where the electrical system has gone haywire—lights flicker on and off unpredictably, leaving us with no control. We sway like leaves caught in the stormy winds of the battle between Love and Hate.
In these moments, we need a complete reset. Much like restarting a malfunctioning computer, the body needs to systematically analyze and synthesize its functions, resolving its "bugs" automatically. Music and singing can assist this process perfectly. Martial arts and mystical practices can also perform similar roles, perhaps because both integrate discipline and mindfulness. Interestingly, music and the voice inherently contain elements of both martiality and mysticism. This is why it would be highly beneficial for many adolescents to explore them wholeheartedly.
Without these outlets, the body struggles to self-regulate. For boys, bodily changes like increased body hair and the development of new physical functions—barely understood and difficult to control—can be disorienting. For girls, the swelling of breasts and the arrival of menstruation may provoke embarrassment, almost as if these changes were illnesses.
Music and the arts provide an outlet, helping adolescents navigate these challenges and grow.
The Voice as a Metaphor for Identity and Love
Adolescence teaches us many things. For some, it offers the profound lesson that, in silence—far from noise and distractions—deep breathing without force or strain can allow us to descend into the "cellar of the heart." There, one can rediscover the voice, unchanged since the time we were nestled in the womb of our mother and our earth.
This "voice-body-mind-soul-earth-mother-father" unity represents our essential self—the child within us capable only of love. The voice is, fundamentally, our true essence. The voice is love.
Bibliography
Garcia-Tapia Urrutia R. – Cobeta Marco I. (eds.), Diagnostico y tratamiento de los trastornos de la voz, Garsi, Madrid 1996
Gucciardo A.G., Voce e Sessualità, Omega, Turin 2007
Gucciardo A.G., Silenzio e Voce, Qanat, Palermo 2016
Gucciardo A.G., Curare l’Arte, il corpo e la voce, Qanat, Palermo 2017
Gucciardo A.G., Voce, Io e Società, 2020 (in press)
Author's Note
Alfonso Gianluca Gucciardo is a specialist in performing arts medicine, with expertise in otorhinolaryngology and bioethics and sexology. He has published extensively on phoniatrics, vocal philosophy, and performing arts medicine, sharing his expertise globally.
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