Speech therapy completed!!!

[Steph]

So after almost a year of speech therapy I'm done.  Do I sound like a woman, heck who knows and quite frankly at my age I don't really care.  There has been a huge change in the way I sound though.  We recorded my voice at the start of therapy and again yesterday.  I couldn't believe the change, it is quite dramatic.  Now I still get called 'sir' on the phone from time to time but then so do a lot of women.  No big deal.

The next option for me would be to pursue surgery but the success rate is not reliable enough for me to risk at this point as there are far too many conflicting documents, anecdotes, regarding the stats.  At the beginning of therapy the Dr. scoped my voice box through my nose and the pictures revealed that my vocal cords were about half as thick as the normal male chords and closer to those of a females (Of course they would be).

Therapy was good for me, and while we were unable to raise my pitch any higher than we have, the level and quality we achieved comes naturally now and I don't have to think about the way I speak anymore.  I'm happy with the results.  Could they have been better?  Probably, but I'm not going to let that bother me, I have a life to live and you can't live your life if you spend that life trying to change it

Steph

[Stormy Weather]

Must be nice to have that done with for now. Good timing.

I've never had speech therapy but was curious as to what kind of exercises you had to do and how often you had to do them? In short, what exactly does it involve and was it expensive?

[SusanK]

So after almost a year of speech therapy I'm done....Steph

Thank you very much. I've scheduled voice/communications therapy in the near future in my transistion (it's a step you can't begin until you've finished all the preliminary work and living near-fulltime or fulltime - and before you argue this, the specialist has a very good reason, and she also teaches workshops and coaches transowmen), and all the while I've been verbally pummelled by quite few in the community that there are "cheaper" ways to get a female voice. Yet, very few who go this route seem to be successful, and not without a lot of trial and error practice over years. Few seem to see the value of a speech therapy. During my initial interview with the therapist I went through a lot of voice tests (baseline) and some initial exercise. I had the prerequisite ENT exam, so it's just scheduling when to start.

So, thanks for affirm it's a good decision for me.

--Susan--

[Melissa]

First of all, awesome Steph.  Maybe we can talk on the phone sometime.

Thank you very much. I've scheduled voice/communications therapy in the near future in my transistion (it's a step you can't begin until you've finished all the preliminary work and living near-fulltime or fulltime - and before you argue this, the specialist has a very good reason, and she also teaches workshops and coaches transowmen), and all the while I've been verbally pummelled by quite few in the community that there are "cheaper" ways to get a female voice. Yet, very few who go this route seem to be successful, and not without a lot of trial and error practice over years. Few seem to see the value of a speech therapy. During my initial interview with the therapist I went through a lot of voice tests (baseline) and some initial exercise. I had the prerequisite ENT exam, so it's just scheduling when to start.

So, thanks for affirm it's a good decision for me.

I wholeheartedly advocate voice therapy.  Although I only went for a month (weekly) there was a marked improvement in my voice and I had the techniques to work on.  I went fulltime about a month later.  The reason I did that was because I didn't want too much of a lapse betwen voice therapy and when I used my voice fulltime.  Anyway, it has improved since even going fulltime 5 months ago, just from daily use and I never get sirred over the phone anymore and the people who do know I'm TS that I talk to are usually quite impressed.  So, like I said, I do recommend speech therapy and I think it works far better than the videos because:
a. It may be a different approach that you can add to your repetoire
b. You actually get feedback (which is immediate) and you can make the necessary changes
c. The therapy is customized just for you and you can focus on your weak areas

Good luck

Melissa

[Steph]

Must be nice to have that done with for now. Good timing.

I've never had speech therapy but was curious as to what kind of exercises you had to do and how often you had to do them? In short, what exactly does it involve and was it expensive?

I'm very lucky as here in Canada speech therapy is covered and paid for through our health care plan, so it cost me nothing.  My therapy was one on one and she was very good.  After an initial visual and physical examination of my vocal cords, we recorded my voice reading a selected passage that exercises the complete voice range.  Then we started with voice exercises, such as pitch glides and making various sounds that I had to do every day to train my voice to reach and maintain a certain pitch.  In time it became the way I spoke and the changes are so subtle that I didn't notice them.  Once we had gotten the pitch to where it was comfortable we worked on feminizing the way I spoke, the inflection, intonation etc...  How I cleared my throat, how I coughed, how I laughed and I would get homework assignments to go and observe women doing that and I would have to show her during the next session how I thought it sounded.  Reading out loud and talking to myself formed a lot of the training/therapy and we did this every two weeks.  As I mentioned the difference is quite amazing and I attribute it to the one on one training with a woman... instant feed back


Steph

[brina]

Thanx Steph,

  I have had the Adrea voice DVD stuff for a little over a month now and seem to have a total block when it comes to her techniques. Shortly my union benefits will come into effect and one of the covearges is voice thereapy, although it may be a fight with them to actually get it paid for. Anyhow it good to know that one on one actually can make an improvement.

Byee,
  Brina

[SusanK]

I wholeheartedly advocate voice therapy...  So, like I said, I do recommend speech therapy and I think it works far better than the videos because:
a. It may be a different approach that you can add to your repetoire
b. You actually get feedback (which is immediate) and you can make the necessary changes
c. The therapy is customized just for you and you can focus on your weak areas

Melissa

Here we have Sandy Hirsch, who's a really cool person. It's expensive ($50 per weekly session) but she also co-authored the clinic book on speech therapy for transgender people, see Here.  In her therapy you learn speech, communications, voice, face and body expressions, and bad moment techniques, among other things. But she requires you be near-fulltime minimum, fulltime preferable to ensure you're working toward you're authentic self.

--Susan--

[Melissa]

Here we have Sandy Hirsch, who's a really cool person. It's expensive ($50 per weekly session) but she also co-authored the clinic book on speech therapy for transgender people, see Here.  In her therapy you learn speech, communications, voice, face and body expressions, and bad moment techniques, among other things. But she requires you be near-fulltime minimum, fulltime preferable to ensure you're working toward you're authentic self.

--Susan--

Mine was $60 per 1 hour weekly session (all out of pocket), so you're getting a deal.  I was doing it to prepare for fulltime and I actually thought I would come out in August, but I couldn't wait and came out in June and went fulltime at the beginning of July.  I had my voice Therapy for 4 sessions all in May.

Melissa

[HelenW]

Congrats on your milestone, Steph!

And just before that other milestone, eh?  It isn't very long noww!

hugs & smiles (big ones!)
helen

[Chrissyts41]

Thank you for starting this thread!
I started voice therapy six weeks ago and I've been to four appointments so far.  We plan to meet weekly for several months and, luckily, it is covered under my insurance plan (Blue Cross/Blue Shield of MN).  I took me two sessions just to learn how to breathe correctly and to loosen up my throat properly so that I could just make the simplest feminine sounds.  It's starting to snowball now, though and I'm working with specific sorts of phrases centering on words beginning w/ the letter "m".
I think the most difficult part so far is the confusion that comes w/ experimenting and trying so hard.  Sometimes, I think I'm on pitch and then I record myself and sound realize that I sound ridiculous.  Other times, I can find the voice I want a little easier, but it's impossible to maintain it for long.  It's just going to take some time, but she played me a few before/after recordings of other girls and the difference is so striking that it gives me hope.  It just takes time, commitment and patience (and good insurance)...
I came out six months ago and knew all along that I was only passing until I opened my mouth -- then the stares would come, along w/ the dropped jaws.  I'm happy that I'm getting started on this now, but I know I'm lucky to be able to do it.
Chrissy

[LynnER]

Heythere....  Nice thread, and with my looking into the diffrences in technique voice theripy wise I wish I had noticed sooner

Personaly Ive skipped proffessional theripy and strictly worked off a few Ideas I got off the net and took it from there, and with in a few months got my voice down fairly pat.......  Steph... Do you think you could post before and after samples on my thread in the Help and How too forums and maby give me an idea of what techniques were used?  As I said before I want to compile what everyone has done and see about comeing up with a comprehensive guide to voice theripy