amitk
06-07-2010, 07:03 AM
Nice to be here. I am from Canada, was born and raised in India.
I am including a not so small note on history of my stuttering.
I have stuttered since I was 3. I had severe to acute stuttering since I was 3. But yes, my parents always stood by me and I know how much that helped later, though not immediately, but kept me going. After my college, I shunned fear, and it helped me almost eliminate stuttering for a few years. To the extent that I forgot I had the problem. But then it came back again, but I am only a mild stutterer now, but that itself is very difficult to deal with on a daily basis.I think the stuttering came back once I realized that I had only reduced and not eliminated the problem.
My opinion based on my own experience is that it is entirely a genetic problem, but the environment has its effect. Fear is what makes this worse, but fear doesnt cause it. If you can learn to control/shun fear, depending on how long during the day, you could do it, it works. Yes it has worked for me.
Theoretically you cant fix it completely, unless you are able to completely control your fear to the extent that it never crosses the threshold level required for stammering. I know I make this sound simplistic, but based on my experience this is how exactly it has been.
I know I have not stammered even once in the last 10 year, when I had no fear in my mind(except when I am angry and feel like saying 50 words per second). But fear is a strange thing, its like that stock market price which is very random, small ups and downs are so common and unpredictable. Its easier to control the average level of fear and go into a new regime, like I managed to do 7-8 years back. What I cant manage though is the fear/mood swings/anger which are part of our daily lives. These two fears, long term average and the short term (unpredictable) makes the stuttering unpredicable but yes in the new fear regime. I think anything which helps you control your emotion - fear (Read Yoga, Meditation/Pranayam, specially few yogic kriyas I practise) definitely help.
I feel that the one way to eliminate stuttering completely(theoretically) from your daily life is when you can manager fear completely. Sorry, this is based on my experience alone, but its a crux of what I have been through for so many years. And yes it worked for me - 90% effective at least. The other thing which helped me was public speaking, but that helped only in short term, you are back to square one after you leave it.
How else would I manage to cut down the stuttering - no speech therapy sessions since I was 13. Heres how its been since 4.
Scale
10 worse
1 Perfect, no problem at all
Age Stuttering Problm Index(1-10)
4-6 4
6-10 7
10-14 8
14-16 10
16-20 9
20-23 8
23-26 7
26-27 2
28 -29 1
30-32 2
33-34 3
I feel for everyone here. I know what all of us are going through. We need to support each other, not sure how though at this point. And excuse me for stating things which were probably obvious anyway for most of us. I must admit, that some posts on this forum made me cry.
BTW I am also one of those waiting for the perfect cure. Till then whats the harm in trying?
I am including a not so small note on history of my stuttering.
I have stuttered since I was 3. I had severe to acute stuttering since I was 3. But yes, my parents always stood by me and I know how much that helped later, though not immediately, but kept me going. After my college, I shunned fear, and it helped me almost eliminate stuttering for a few years. To the extent that I forgot I had the problem. But then it came back again, but I am only a mild stutterer now, but that itself is very difficult to deal with on a daily basis.I think the stuttering came back once I realized that I had only reduced and not eliminated the problem.
My opinion based on my own experience is that it is entirely a genetic problem, but the environment has its effect. Fear is what makes this worse, but fear doesnt cause it. If you can learn to control/shun fear, depending on how long during the day, you could do it, it works. Yes it has worked for me.
Theoretically you cant fix it completely, unless you are able to completely control your fear to the extent that it never crosses the threshold level required for stammering. I know I make this sound simplistic, but based on my experience this is how exactly it has been.
I know I have not stammered even once in the last 10 year, when I had no fear in my mind(except when I am angry and feel like saying 50 words per second). But fear is a strange thing, its like that stock market price which is very random, small ups and downs are so common and unpredictable. Its easier to control the average level of fear and go into a new regime, like I managed to do 7-8 years back. What I cant manage though is the fear/mood swings/anger which are part of our daily lives. These two fears, long term average and the short term (unpredictable) makes the stuttering unpredicable but yes in the new fear regime. I think anything which helps you control your emotion - fear (Read Yoga, Meditation/Pranayam, specially few yogic kriyas I practise) definitely help.
I feel that the one way to eliminate stuttering completely(theoretically) from your daily life is when you can manager fear completely. Sorry, this is based on my experience alone, but its a crux of what I have been through for so many years. And yes it worked for me - 90% effective at least. The other thing which helped me was public speaking, but that helped only in short term, you are back to square one after you leave it.
How else would I manage to cut down the stuttering - no speech therapy sessions since I was 13. Heres how its been since 4.
Scale
10 worse
1 Perfect, no problem at all
Age Stuttering Problm Index(1-10)
4-6 4
6-10 7
10-14 8
14-16 10
16-20 9
20-23 8
23-26 7
26-27 2
28 -29 1
30-32 2
33-34 3
I feel for everyone here. I know what all of us are going through. We need to support each other, not sure how though at this point. And excuse me for stating things which were probably obvious anyway for most of us. I must admit, that some posts on this forum made me cry.
BTW I am also one of those waiting for the perfect cure. Till then whats the harm in trying?