[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39336088]

I didn’t watch this video, but am familiar with “The Body Keeps the Score”, and want to contribute supporting evidence (that I don’t recall being discussed in the book).

I’ve taken and taught voice for theatre, following what’s called the ‘Natural Voice’ method. (Look for a book called “Freeing the Natural Voice”, by Kristin Linklater, though other practitioners have augmented that since.) To summarize: bodies have natural resonating chambers, that act like the sound-box of a guitar or violin; tension in the body inhibits sound vibrations; release the tension.

It’s a completely physical process: exercises are about making sounds and feeling their vibrations in the body, relax, rinse repeat. It’s occasionally odd, but not ‘woo’ in the least. Very pragmatic, and not at all psychological. Nevertheless, people have incredible emotional reactions while doing it. Linklater’s theory is that we develop habitual tensions in response to things that hurt us (physically or emotionally), and that releasing tension releases emotions connected with the original incitement. (You can call that trauma, if you want, though I don’t think Linklater ever uses that word. I never did when I was teaching, though maybe with “kids these days” I would.)

In fact, those responses are kind of non-psychological, in that they’re not like a flashback, or anything like that. People don’t necessarily (although sometimes they do) have any knowledge or memory of the inciting events, but their bodies do. It’s a fascinating process, which I think gets at these ideas from (as it were) the other way around.