Reclaiming Our Voice and Releasing Our Authentic Self From Bondage
- Brainz Magazine
- Jul 23
- 7 min read
Written by Janie Terrazas, The Mindfulness Coach
Janie Terrazas is a Mindfulness Coach and creator of PazMesa, a self-mastery guide to help you access inner peace, joy, vitality, and prosperity through mindful living and unconditional loving.
In a world that often encourages conformity, many find themselves suppressing their true voice, fearful of rejection or conflict. In "Reclaiming Our Voice: Releasing Our Authentic Self from Bondage," mindfulness coach Janie Terrazas explores the emotional and neurological effects of silencing our truth. Through mindful practices, self-reflection, and emotional safety, this article offers powerful steps to reclaiming our authentic selves, speaking our truth, and embracing the liberation that comes with living in alignment with who we truly are.
Why so many people feel silenced – even when they speak
Have you ever found yourself saying “yes” when your body screamed “no”? Or kept quiet when your truth burned inside your chest?
You’re not alone.
Many of us have learned to silence our voices, not because we’re weak or broken, but because we were conditioned to believe that our authenticity was unsafe.
As a mindfulness coach and emotional intelligence educator, I’ve seen firsthand how even the most outwardly confident individuals are carrying invisible shackles: old programming, unprocessed emotions, and fear of rejection. These inner restraints create a form of emotional and energetic bondage that keeps us disconnected from our real voice, the one that holds our truth, power, and peace.
The bondage of the false self
From childhood, we absorb subconscious messages that shape how we relate to the world and ourselves:
“Be quiet to keep the peace.”
“Don’t rock the boat.”
“You’re too emotional.”
“It’s safer to hide who you are.”
These messages get internalized and reinforced through relationships, societal norms, and survival-based coping mechanisms. Over time, we begin to live as a performance rather than a presence, a curated version of ourselves designed to please, protect, or prove.
This false self might keep us liked or accepted, but it comes at a devastating cost:
We lose connection to our truth, our needs, and our creative life force.
The neuroscience of suppression
When we chronically suppress our emotions and voice, we impact our nervous system, particularly areas like the vagus nerve and insula, which regulate internal safety and self-awareness.
Long-term silencing and people-pleasing lead to:
Dysregulation and burnout
Anxiety, depression, or numbness
Compromised immune function
Addictive tendencies to self-soothe what we can’t express
In short, when we don’t speak our truth, we suffer in silence, and the body keeps the score. The chronic suppression of truth fuels inflammation, weakening both our vitality and immunity at the cellular level.
How to begin reclaiming your voice and authentic self
Reclaiming your voice isn’t about becoming louder. It’s about becoming realer. It’s about breaking free from the internal scripts that say, “Who I am isn’t enough,” “What I have to say doesn’t matter,” or “If I show up fully, I won’t be loved.”
Here are the first steps to liberation:
1. Create inner safety
Before you can express yourself freely, your body must believe it’s safe to do so.
Practice nervous system regulation:
Deep breathing
Grounding
Somatic touch
Meditation
This helps rewire your stress response and restore your sense of self-trust.
2. Explore the origins of suppression
Ask yourself:
“When did I first learn it wasn’t safe to speak my truth?”
“Whose approval did I need to survive?”
“What part of me did I have to silence to stay accepted?”
Awareness is the first key to unlocking the cage.
3. Write without censorship
Free writing is a powerful tool to reconnect with the real you.
Prompt: “What would I say if I weren’t afraid?”
Let it pour out, raw, messy, honest. No edits. Just essence.
4. Use your voice in safe spaces
Practice saying your truth in low-risk environments.
Start small: set a boundary, name a need, share a story.
Each time you speak from your core, you build new neural pathways for authentic self-expression.
5. Let go of the need to be understood
Part of reclaiming your voice is realizing your truth doesn’t need external validation to be worthy. The more you honor your inner voice, the less you rely on others to approve it.
The truth doesn’t have to be brutal – but it might be loud at first
Reclaiming your voice isn’t just about what you say; it’s also about how and when you say it.
For those of us who have spent years silencing ourselves, tiptoeing, sugarcoating, or suppressing, there may be a backlog of emotion that rises when we finally begin to speak up: anger, grief, frustration, even a roar. It’s natural. When the dam breaks, it doesn't trickle out in perfect sentences.
Your truth may not come out pretty at first.
But it needs to come out.
Part of healing is making space for this. It’s okay if your first attempts at truth-telling feel awkward, sharp, shaky, or emotional. You’re learning to use a voice that’s long been buried. It’s like reactivating a muscle; there may be soreness before strength.
But over time, and with mindful practice, you will learn how to speak your truth with clarity, courtesy, and compassion.
Speaking with mindful awareness: Timing, tone, intention
The PazMesa philosophy teaches that emotional honesty and relational safety can coexist. That means learning to balance authentic expression with intentional delivery:
Timing – is this a receptive moment? Is my body regulated enough to speak clearly?
Tone – am I reacting or responding? Is my voice firm but grounded?
Intention – am I trying to be understood, or am I trying to punish?
Manner – can I express what I need or believe without attacking, blaming, or controlling?
You can express raw truth and still be respectful. You can be honest without being harsh.
You can share your pain without projecting it. And the more you practice, the smoother and more soulful your communication becomes.
Not everyone will be comfortable with the new you
Here’s a hard truth: your healed voice may threaten the dynamics that benefited from your silence.
As you become more authentic:
Some may feel triggered or challenged by your change.
Some may accuse you of being “too much,” “selfish,” or “different.”
Some may quietly (or loudly) step away.
But those who truly care about you, those who are safe and secure in their own emotional growth, will:
Respect your evolving self-expression
Make space for your unfolding
Welcome the real you, even if it takes getting used to
Your voice is not a weapon, it’s your return to wholeness.
And those who love the whole you will walk alongside you as you heal, expand, evolve, and rise.
The PazMesa way: Peace is the real power
In the PazMesa Self Mastery Program, we teach that the goal isn’t perfection; it’s peace. The path to peace is paved with honest expression, emotional integration, and nervous system regulation.
You are not here to live in bondage to who you had to become. You are here to resurrect your authenticity and reclaim your voice with reverence.
The world doesn’t need more filtered personas. It needs more people rooted in their truth, even when their voice trembles.
You didn’t lose your voice.
You protected it.
You buried it to survive.
Now it’s time to remember who you truly are, reclaim your truth, speak it mindfully, live it fully… and finally set yourself free.
Journal prompts: Reclaiming your voice
These are designed to awaken clarity, courage, and curiosity, three key ingredients in the PazMesa Self Mastery path to personal liberation and illumination.
What was the moment, or pattern, when I started to silence myself to avoid conflict, shame, or rejection?
What parts of myself have I had to mute, filter, or hide to feel accepted or loved? What has it cost me emotionally, spiritually, or creatively?
How does my body respond when I want to speak up but feel afraid or unsure? Can I name the physical sensations, emotions, or fears that surface in those moments?
In what areas of my life am I currently shrinking, performing, or people-pleasing instead of expressing my truth? What am I afraid might happen if I stop?
What stories have I internalized about being “too much,” “too sensitive,” or “too honest”? Who gave me those messages, and are they still true?
If I trusted my voice had value, even if it made others uncomfortable, what would I say or do differently starting today?
What supportive practices or people can I invite into my life to help me feel safer expressing my authentic self?
What would reclaiming my voice look and feel like in action, love, work, and daily life? Visualize your future self, or write a letter from your future self, who speaks truth with honesty, clarity, and compassion.
Final reflection
Your voice is not just a sound; it’s the sacred signal of your truth, your needs, your presence, and your purpose. Reclaiming it is a radical act of love, liberation, and leadership. It is how we break generational cycles of silence, suppression, and shame. It is how we rise, first within, then beyond.
The path won’t always be smooth, and not everyone will walk it with you. But every time you choose presence over performance, courage over compliance, and peace over perfection, you return home to your real self. And that return is what the world has been waiting for. This is the way of PazMesa, where your truth becomes your peace, and your peace becomes your power.
Read more from Janie Terrazas
Janie Terrazas, The Mindfulness Coach
Janie Terrazas, known as The Mindfulness Coach, transformed her media career into a life coaching and wellness advocacy mission after a spiritual awakening in 2011. As the creator of the PazMesa Self Mastery Program and the force behind Rise Above TV, she fosters balance and mindfulness in others. Her triumphs and trials deeply shape her coaching as she helps clients address stress, trauma, and safe relationship building. Janie combines spiritual depth with actionable strategies to guide individuals toward a joyful, vital life. Her coaching transcends conventional methods, empowering clients to find peace and purpose within. Janie's empathetic and innovative approaches offer a safe self-discovery roadmap to authentic living and loving.
