Can stuttering groups make stuttering worse?

[BayAreaBrad]

Hi! I'm new to this forum and I have a question:

I really want to join a stuttering group and attend meetings. I think it could be a great way for me to work with the SHAME that underlies and is re-enforced by my stuttering. However I'm having a hard time getting around the fear that by attending a stuttering group, it will make my speech worse. Let me explain...

I went to a group meeting once a few years ago and overall it was a good experience. I was very scared and nervous, but everyone was very nice and I really planned to go back but I never did. At the time I rationalized it that most of the attendees stuttered worse than I did and that by attending the group, it might make me worry about stuttering more which would in turn make my stuttering worse. In other words, I would think about how disfluent X was at the meeting and worry about being stuck in the same way which would then become a self fulfilling prophesy.

What are your experiences with attending stuttering group meetings? What impact, if any, did it have on your fluency?

Part of me thinks that even if my speech does become worse that it might still be worth attending - as it would really highlight all of the thoughts and feelings that arise in association with my stuttering (shame, fear, anger, etc) and allow me to work with these in a safe environment.

[Penelope]

I would say that attending a meeting, and coming face to face with other people who stutter, many more severely than you, will be a fairly intense experience for anyone, more so if you haven't that much experience of other stutterers.

In the short term, you might find it overwhelming to be confronted with all of these other people who are stuttering, seeing them and wondering if that's how others see you and so on. You will have a lot to think about, and some of those thoughts will be negative, but I do think that if you allow yourself to process all of those thoughts, you will reach the more positive stuff and ultimately help you to become less self-conscious about your stuttering.

If you already had few hang-ups, then it might be better to simply "get on with it" and not letting it be a big part of your life, but you admit you have hang-ups, and the fact you are curious enough to hunt out a forum like this suggests that you have got issues to deal with. I would say it is worth going to a group, but to be prepared for some emotion and to prepare yourself for the possibility that things might get more confusing before they get better. Much will depend on the nature of the group and the individual members too, so don't be scared to ask around and think what it is you really want to get out of it.

[CathyO]

As a person who stutters, I find that emotional support is just as important as therapy for our stuttering (if not more important). To meet other people who stutter who can relate to our lives as people who stutter helps us accept our stuttering more than anything else. For 33 years The National Stuttering Association (NSA) has been doing just that. The NSA is the largest self-help non-profit organization for people who stutter in the country. They offer several programs which provides the opportunity for people who stutter to meet and interact with other people who stutter at local chapter meetings, workshops and annual conferences in which over 600 people who stutter (including kids and teens) attend each year! Conferences in recent years have included such keynote speakers as VP Joe Biden, Arthur Blank (Owner, Atlanta Falcons and founder of Home Depot), Bob Love (Chicago Bulls), Annie Glenn, John Melendez and John Stossel. They all shared truly amazing stories.

To learn more, pls contact them at: www.westutter.org, info@westutter.org or 1-800-937-8888

[DKoz]

All of my speech therapy lessons are in group format. I believe they charge you a little more but it's worth it.