When your voice changes drastically and it's not due to a virus, bacteria or other explainable occurrences, it can be scary. Has this happened to you? Both Dave and Clara are dealing with Silent Reflux (SR), quietly. This conversation is an opening into part of their story of the psychological impact alongside managing the physiology of acid reflux with diet and lifestyle choices.  Dave is a writer and spoken word artist who helps others to live their gifts in verbal form using their voice. It was a massive shock to him when his voice failed him. We share stories around the impact of how this happened, and some strategies to help manage the disorder.  Dave describes the time that his voice left him, associated with him feeling worn out in every sense. He chose to step back from interacting online and stepped into his flow of being an inspirational poet on the street. A week later his voice had complete gone. No sound. Nothing there, very scary... We take our voices for granted, to use and to express ourselves creativity. To have this natural facility withdrawn from use is immense.  Questions like: How do I live? Who would I be? Fear alternates with waves of peace, wrestling with the usual conundrums of life. In the absence of a voice, the wrestle feels like nonsense. No point planning or projecting to future. Dave couldn't work, as coaching people was physically painful. Clara, an Elemental Qigong teacher shares when her first bout of SR occurred, when she couldn't carry on teaching 15 classes a week. Similar overwhelm of overwork, a shift needed to happen. With the attention on the throat chakra, she noticed how out of balance she'd become, over-giving. Anger and frustration reared with resentment and jealousy of other people using their voices "willy nilly for random things." An appreciation for her unique voice began. "It's heartbreaking how cavalier people can be about this magnificent instrument, a product of millions of years of evolution and they're using it to talk rubbish!!" Says Dave. Both Clara and Dave learned to be silent as children, due to the fear of being reprimanded. As adults they worked and played on reclaiming and expanding the capacity to express more freely. Still the shadow side would discourage them from becoming too well known, too prominent, as writers, performers or teachers. A disengaging occurs - somewhere it's not safe to express fully and freely all of the time.   Why do we loose our voices? Physically the issues with stomach acidity rising up and hitting the larynx, aggravated by choices of food and drink. Add stress and emotional components into the mix and we're in the shadowlands of trauma, fear and overwhelm. Often, one is not aware of SR, called silent for several reasons, that it creeps up on you quietly and invites you to be silent, which has both positive and detrimental effects. Treatment in mainstream medicine is restrictive and pharmaceutical based and does not suit everyone. There are alternatives to these. Clara uses the natural approach to combating acid reflux after a meal with: https://www.lifeextensioneurope.co.uk/esophageal-guardian See 'The Acid Watcher Diet' by Dr Jonathan Aviv https://www.acidwatcher.com  Yogi teas Alkaline Blend is very helpful too. Building a sustainable relationship with ones mind-body-soul interaction is the key to finding ways into the harmony of life. Qigong moving meditation calms the system into parasympathetic 'rest and digest'. Clara offer online training, see below for link. When ones voice cannot be used as usual, awareness opens to other methods of communicating. Dave shares a sublime poem spanning timelines and emotional crevices called; 'I can't unsee your face'   Connect with Dave; Web - https://www.flowspeaking.com  IG - @daverockinfinite    Connect with Clara; Web - https://consciouslivingevents.co.uk  IG - @clarachiapollo   Anything to add or ask more about? Do get in touch on chiqitemp