11 Year Sufferer My Situation

[Ernster]

Hi guys,

I'm 24 years old and have been stuttering since I was 13. I'm what you call a mild stutterer well at least thats what the 3 speech therapists Ive seen have said over the years, but deep down its killing me and has effected my life in so many ways.

Work, relationships and confidence is all heavily impacted as I'm sure you guys are aware of.

I don't actually stutter much its more I cant get words out as they get blocked.

What I've noticed is that I don't stutter when I'm reading or singing, its only when in conversation.

The speech therapists can't really do much to help me and I have been very slack with practising but I just get the feeling it wont work.

Is there any advice or tips for those in a similar situation as me who are mild and only have trouble in conversation?

Thanks.

[Raye]

well, that's what stutterers are, we only stutter in conversation. We don't stutter when we sing, or when we talk to ourselves. So you're just like any other stutterer, it's just that your stutter may be less serious.

[dream431ca]

I have a moderate blocking stutter, sometimes it's mild, don't know why though. I stutter when in conversation as well, but the thing that helps me the most is taking my time when I speak. I have a job where I am required to talk to customers and on the phone, and when I'm taking my time speaking, it's great. When I'm stressed out or nervous, it's not good at all. Also, I kind of overestimate the speed at which I talk. If I talk to fast, I lose it. If I talk to slow, people look at me more confused than if I had stuttered. Find a balance of speed that you are comfortable with. I wish people who didn't stutter learned this. Some people talk to fast and it's hard understanding them. But really, what my point is, is to take your time speaking. Be comfortable with your speaking.

[Fredrick]

Hi,

If you are a mild stutterer as you said then try the Hollins program, people who are mild stutterers do well with this program, severe stutterers in my opinion not as well.

I talk from a lot of experience.

Fredrick

[angeldust]

I am a stutterer, some days my stutter is more severe than other days but my stutter is definitely "self talk", I have basically programmed myself to stutter (but that's for another thread).

Do slow down if that's what enables you to be fluent. Don't worry what other people are thinking, you're just guessing what they are thinking anyway, they are probably interested and just listening to what you have to say. When I'm nervous I tend to pick up the pace too and oh my gosh, what a stuttering mess I am. We are all better off slowing down, taking our time, and that will reduce the nervous tension anyway. What I really loathe is when you speak with people that speak very fast, when we slow down you can practically see them bouncing up and down with impatience. It's just rudeness on their part and I will often say "can you please let me finish". One more thing, I really enjoy listening to someone who is speaking slower, it gives me time to really hear and absorb what they are saying, fast speakers stress me out!!

[Tennismaster]

Hey Ernster, I had the same experience. I was totally fluent when I read. It angered me for the longest time because if I could read fluently, then why couldn't I converse with others fluently. Then I started speech therapy and and I was lucky enough to not learn any fluency techniques. However my therapist told me one statement that changed my life forever. He told me for the next 5 minutes to do whatever it takes to speak as fluently as possible. I noticed that I slowed down my speech and connected words in a fluid way, but this was only the beginning of my journey towards fluency. The next day I was reading fluently to myself, and for the first time I paid attention to my thoughts, feelings, and emotions while reading. I realized that I was acting assertively and with passion. I put emphasis into each word and took command of the situation. I noticed what was going on when I was speaking completely fluently. I was speaking fluidly, while thinking assertive and bold thoughts. Then came the game-changing moment. I applied this attitude to my conversational speech. Before every speaking situation, I told myself, "I am immersed in the fluid speaking state of mind." I would tell myself this all day long and each time I would feel completely empowered, and almost like magic, I would speak completely fluently.

Now here comes the important message. I had figured out the puzzle of stuttering, in my life at least, but now the important part was to maintain it. There were days when I would switch back to my old speaking patterns and feel helpless. Those were the moments I had to immediately switch back to my fluid speaking state of mind. I did this over and over, every day, until one day, my default setting became fluid speech. I realized I had a choice, to speak fluently, or to stutter, as crazy as that sounds, and I boldly chose fluency. I still occasionally deal with the thought of, what if my fluency breaks down, but I know that this is just an illusion. At these times, I remind myself that I always have a choice because I do.

Thanks for bearing with me here. Now I ask you to do a couple things. Examine yourself. Really examine yourself. When reading fluently to yourself, notice your thoughts, feelings, and emotions. I can guarantee that you feel in control, empowered, and on top of the world when reading, like there is no word that can possibly make you stutter. Also, do whatever you have to do to produce your best speech and notice what is going on inside and outside. Finally, never forget that stuttering is an inside and outside job. When you align your thoughts with a physical way of talking that suits you, fluency will be yours, guaranteed. And never forget, fluency is a choice. Choose it every moment of every day and before you know it, you'll be immersed in it. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.