Tapping

[Deven]

A couple of years ago I thought of a tapping technique. Tried it, and it worked. I was almost 100% fluent! I used it for almost a month until it just stopped working. ?? Either my brain got used to it and went back to the stutter or it just happened to be the most fluent few weeks of my life. I would tap a finger on something and on the third tap I would say the (problem) word. (Sometimes it would take more then three taps) I think it helped me coordinate myself. I still use it from time to time in tough situations. You should try it. Let me know what happens.

[Asif]

A couple of years ago I thought of a tapping technique. Tried it, and it worked. I was almost 100% fluent! I used it for almost a month until it just stopped working. ?? Either my brain got used to it and went back to the stutter or it just happened to be the most fluent few weeks of my life. I would tap a finger on something and on the third tap I would say the (problem) word. (Sometimes it would take more then three taps) I think it helped me coordinate myself. I still use it from time to time in tough situations. You should try it. Let me know what happens.

From my experience this is a seriously bad idea.
I got into the habit of tapping when I was young.
It helped very briefly but then did not.
What I was left with was not only a severe stutter but a visible habit of tapping, jerking, hopping, swaying etc. that made my stutter even worse.
Just another uncontrollable habit to try to eliminate.

This co-ordination idea is very misunderstood.
We realize our lack of co-ordination, and try to correct it, but the more we try the harder it gets.
The closest thing I have ever found to explaining this paradox is an oriental way of thinking called Wuwei. Meaning: "Doing not-doing".

For the western mind to grasp this is next to impossible, but it can be done.
Again: not quickly or easily.

http://www.crowfeather.net/tao/

All the necessary answers are there, but it's needle in a haystack time...

[chris2112]

I did the same exact thing when I was like 7 years old and it stoped working. Things to help you force words out are a very bad habit, thats how stuttering ticks form. Iv been trying to undo mine like tighting my lips for a while. I think better to ease words out with a nice breath and gentle onset no matter how long it takes.

[Asif]

Things to help you force words out are a very bad habit, thats how stuttering ticks form.

One of my last remaining tricks is closing my eyes when speaking face to face.
That's a seriously bad habit. And it doesn't even help!

[chris2112]

One of my last remaining tricks is closing my eyes when speaking face to face.
That's a seriously bad habit. And it doesn't even help!

Iv made it a habit of not making eye contact, I dont like it lol.

[Asif]

Iv made it a habit of not making eye contact, I dont like it lol.

Ooo...
Eye contact is soooooooooo important!
People need to see who they are dealing with.
So much is displayed through the eyes.

I assume - of course - you are not an armed robber, or some other type of ne'er-do-well.

[chris2112]

Iv also made it a habit that if I think im going to stutter on a word I tighten my lips to force out the word. Its got to the point where I feel like a NEED to do it or the word will not come out. Its only when Im talking to people too, I dont stutter when Im reading or by myself. I think its all about anticipation.

[Asif]

I dont stutter when Im reading or by myself.

Now that IS interesting.
Maybe you don't stutter!
What form does your stuttering take?
Can you describe it?

[chris2112]

Now that IS interesting.
Maybe you don't stutter!
What form does your stuttering take?
Can you describe it?

The problem is getting the sound out initially, sometimes I stutter every few words sometimes every syllable. Its almost as if Iv forgot to pronouced the word, like I forgot how to move my mouth to produce the sound I want to make. The most fustrating thing is when Im by myself reading outloud 100% fluent, but sometimes when Im reading in front of people I stutter, and I always stutter when Im just talking to people. It just doesnt make sense to me, If I can produce the words when I read perfectly why cant I when Im just speaking to people?

[Asif]

If I can produce the words when I read perfectly why cant I when Im just speaking to people?

OK :) You do stutter then.
That certainly is very odd. But encouraging too.
Evidently you can speak just fine, but just not in front of people.
Sounds like a psychological/emotional thing more than a mechanical one.
How do you feel when you have to talk to people?
Is it easier with some? Harder with others?
How about telephones?

[chris2112]

OK :) You do stutter then.
That certainly is very odd. But encouraging too.
Evidently you can speak just fine, but just not in front of people.
Sounds like a psychological/emotional thing more than a mechanical one.
How do you feel when you have to talk to people?
Is it easier with some? Harder with others?
How about telephones?

Im perfectly fluent practicing with my speech therepist and stutter very little when speaking to her. I also go to a stuttering group thing and I talk pretty fluent there too. When the fear is gone and I dont care if I stutter or not like in those situations I hardly stutter at all. It is definatly about the care thats why I really liked your post about how you stoped stuttering, it really made sense to me lol.

[chris2112]

The thing is my stuttering can be sever to the point where Im completly silent, knowing I wont be able to say anything, especially when Im with friends or a group of people.

[Asif]

When the fear is gone and I dont care if I stutter or not like in those situations I hardly stutter at all.

Oh wow!
This is better news than you think.
Your stutter is completely fixable. Lucky, lucky you!
It takes a lot to overcome fear, but you can certainly do it.
I would not recommend the way I did it :)
You can read about that on my website if you're interested:
http://www.crowfeather.net/
Click on Tao, and explore a bit.

But what you need to do is just so possible.

All luck to you on this. It's yours for the taking :)

[chris2112]

Oh wow!
This is better news than you think.
Your stutter is completely fixable. Lucky, lucky you!
It takes a lot to overcome fear, but you can certainly do it.
I would not recommend the way I did it :)
You can read about that on my website if you're interested:
http://www.crowfeather.net/
Click on Tao, and explore a bit.

But what you need to do is just so possible.

All luck to you on this. It's yours for the taking :)

haha that makes me hopefull. I have tried to be calm and tell myself not to care, but no matter what Iv done so far I still stutter. I will keep trying, thanks for your encouragment It really helps. : )

[chris2112]

I looked at your web page and I cant help but notice you saying exactly the same thing the spiritual teacher eckhart tolle is saying. If youv never read his books I really think you would be interested.

[eva]

A couple of years ago I thought of a tapping technique. Tried it, and it worked. I was almost 100% fluent! I used it for almost a month until it just stopped working. ?? Either my brain got used to it and went back to the stutter or it just happened to be the most fluent few weeks of my life. I would tap a finger on something and on the third tap I would say the (problem) word. (Sometimes it would take more then three taps) I think it helped me coordinate myself. I still use it from time to time in tough situations. You should try it. Let me know what happens.


You should stop doing that when you still can. I had the most annoying habit of tapping my leg, it was sort of a swaying motion. I did it every time I got stuck on a word and I don't even remember did it help me at first. Soon it became just a part of my stuttering. I did it automatically every time I blocked. It didn't make me any more fluent.

Only recently, after starting speech therapy again and practicing correct breathing technique, I got rid of it. First I didn't even notice it was gone. I stopped doing it by focusing on my breathing as a way to get the words out when blocking. A much better way I think :)

It was a very bad habit I tried to stop for a long time but couldn't. Now I have been lazy, not practiced my breathing and noticed I've started doing the leg thing in hard situations again. I really don't want it back so have to keep practicing.

[TenaciousD]

haha that makes me hopefull. I have tried to be calm and tell myself not to care, but no matter what Iv done so far I still stutter. I will keep trying, thanks for your encouragment It really helps. : )

Hey chris.......judging from your previous posts it sounds like me and you have a really similar kind of stutter............. I don't know about you but I take the stance that stuttering originates in the brain....( probably an excess of chemicals in parts of the brain where they shouldn't be ) anyways....... fear/anxiety etc...... these things also directly affect the chemical levels in our brains. But they are really valuable to have......... A normal, healthy person's sympathetic nervous system is aroused due to potentially dangerous or embarrassing situations ( this is all fear and anxiety is ) Our body using its natural protection mechanism. Ide venture to say its more important to us than fluency...... That being said though....... Fluency is still obviously very important....but trying to eliminate the fear and anxiety I don't think is a wise strategy............................ I mean I know many fluent people that seem to get alot more nervous than me in alot of situations but they don't stutter, and in the same situations I do. But if I didn't have any fear ( though I probably would hardly stutter) I would probably say and do things that would embarass me in the long run.....fear of others judgements is in the category of prudence ( which is a cardinal virtue by the way)........ I say this only because it doesn't sound like you have a hypersensitive sympathetic nervous system or anything like that (panic disorders etc). I would say that I hope you keep on searching for strategies that will help you manage your stuttering better inspite of a little fear and anxiety.:) ...... Hope this advice helps

[Asif]

...fear of others judgements is in the category of prudence ( which is a cardinal virtue by the way)...

As long as you believe that, you will never be any further ahead than you are now.
People will judge you no matter what you do.
When you learn to deal with those judgements without melting down, you will have made a giant leap. Like a lot of things worth doing, it's not easy.

Where in the world did you get the idea that being afraid of being judged was a cardinal virtue?
Prudence has nothing to do with fear. It's more about risk assessment.

[Imperfection]

So, I assume what you mean by this "tapping" is perhaps trying to focus your attention on something else so you aren't totally focused on how you talk?

That's what my new speech therapist at school has been doing with me. I at first did a whole hand tap on my leg while sitting down, slowing down my speech (I sounded like a freaking robot, which was embarassing, but hey, when is there never an embarassing moment when you're a stutterer? :D), but then I went to a kind of tapping where I would start with my pinky and consequently bring down my other fingers in a rhythmic motion on my leg.

Obviously, when I had to stand up with a group to do a project last month in my sociology class, I wasn't sitting down so the tapping wouldn't work. I blocked and someone else took over my part for me.

The tapping would work in therapy for many weeks (around two-three months, maybe?) but during my last session it would not work that well. It may have just been the heightened stress I was feeling (my grandmother had just died a week or so earlier), but I had felt in the back of my mind for a couple of the previous sessions that it would stop working someday...that my mind would get used to the "trick" I was playing on myself.

So now I'm a bit worried about my AP English class next year, as I assume we will have to read out loud and present things. :(

...I miss my old therapist. She actually did help a lot.

[TenaciousD]

As long as you believe that, you will never be any further ahead than you are now.
People will judge you no matter what you do.
When you learn to deal with those judgements without melting down, you will have made a giant leap. Like a lot of things worth doing, it's not easy.

Where in the world did you get the idea that being afraid of being judged was a cardinal virtue?
Prudence has nothing to do with fear. It's more about risk assessment.

You say I'll never be "further ahead" than where Im at now with this perspective............ What do you mean by further ahead? I mean..further ahead of what?.................. You say here that " when you learn to deal with those judgements without melting down, you will have made a giant leap". People (all the time )experience fear and nervousness without melting down:) A little bit of fear and nervousness only helps you.... some needs to be there..... now obviously if that fear and nervousness completely overides your life than its too much, which I don't perceive to be the case here......but fear and anxiety don't cause stuttering...... One of the obvious differences between fluent and dysfluent people is that both can experience the same amount of fear and anxiety and yet stutterers stutter and fluent people are fluent......so obviously fear isn't the problem hear.
:) ...............

"Where in the world did you get the idea that being afraid of being judged was a cardinal virtue?
Prudence has nothing to do with fear. It's more about risk assessment".................................................. ................ hmm sympathetic nervous system is our bodies natural RISK ASSESSMENT mechansim. I mean, think about it......what's fear? fear is what happens when our bodies ( brain, mind etc. ) perceive danger or embarrassment)-......Whats prudence? Prudence is simply a word used to describe the idea of being cautious. The idea of catiousness is very broad. And there's no doubt that the idea of having a little fear as to what others think about how I talk or what I say etc..... can be considered prudence.
A little fear is a good thing

[Asif]

...but fear and anxiety don't cause stuttering....

I will shortly be posting a piece that may cause you to change your view on that.

[TenaciousD]

I will shortly be posting a piece that may cause you to change your view on that.

Good......I look forward to reading that :)

[Adrian]

I will shortly be posting a piece that may cause you to change your view on that.

Asif, in all seriousness, are you at all familier with the last 50 years of research of this disorder? Although there are still many questions, we have certainly learned alot.

[nate]

Asif, in all seriousness, are you at all familier with the last 50 years of research of this disorder? Although there are still many questions, we have certainly learned alot.

i doubt that i can cite anything on such short notice, but i remember a proponent of the mcGuire program saying that fear was an integral part of the "stuttering syndrome" and that overcoming that fear was imperative to fluency. i dont know if it causes it or merely exacerbates it but hey...its a component!
just my two cents.
Nate

[nate]

A couple of years ago I thought of a tapping technique. Tried it, and it worked. I was almost 100% fluent! I used it for almost a month until it just stopped working. ?? Either my brain got used to it and went back to the stutter or it just happened to be the most fluent few weeks of my life. I would tap a finger on something and on the third tap I would say the (problem) word. (Sometimes it would take more then three taps) I think it helped me coordinate myself. I still use it from time to time in tough situations. You should try it. Let me know what happens.

i remember tapping the desk whenever i had to talk to, y'know...keep rhythm. then when it wouldnt work i'd tap louder. then i started pounding the desk but that made too much noise so i started pounding my thigh. if i wasnt already black i'd have black and blue bruises to show for it:)
I wouldna advise it.
Nate

[Adrian]

i doubt that i can cite anything on such short notice, but i remember a proponent of the mcGuire program saying that fear was an integral part of the "stuttering syndrome" and that overcoming that fear was imperative to fluency. i dont know if it causes it or merely exacerbates it but hey...its a component!
just my two cents.
Nate

Sure fear is a contributing factor as are other emotions. But research has clearly shown stuttering to be, at it's root, a genetic, brain based disorder. It is not caused by fear, nervousness, low self-confidence, or bad parenting.

I am also a member and proponent of the McGuire program and I know many McGuire members who would agree with me.

[nate]

Sure fear is a contributing factor as are other emotions. But research has clearly shown stuttering to be, at it's root, a genetic, brain based disorder. It is not caused by fear, nervousness, low self-confidence, or bad parenting.

I am also a member and proponent of the McGuire program and I know many McGuire members who would agree with me.

point taken.
Ta
Nate