stuttering strategies

[leeboss]

Hi all
I'm in the process of writing a book called "seven ways to improve your stutter" it has very powerful techniques that has really helped me, and hope will help many more with there stutter. I have made discoveries since starting to write this book about the phychological sides to stuttering. And that for me to stutter I had to do very specific behaviors and think specific thoughts to stutter, I have called them "stuttering strategies" I would ask you, to become curious about what happens in your mind and body when you know your going to stutter on a word? Please let me know. For me I found that I did a complex set of things, first off I would always be scanning ahead in conversations, to see where was the likely word to catch me. Also I found by scanning ahead all the time, I had kind of left the present moment with who I'm talking with and gone off in my head to a supposed future time when I was going to stutter on a word. Next I would visualize clearly me getting stuck on the word that I had scanned ahead to. I would get a very quick taste of the feelings associated with me getting stuck on that word, then very quickly I would try to find another word to change it with, all the while the feelings that I got a taste of have not gone away but got worse. By the time I have to speak I have all the feelings I associate with when I stutter, but I haven't even stuttered yet. I have set it up in my head first, and then I stutter, Iv already practiced it in my head. I believe we can change these "stuttering strategies" please let me know yours for my research, when I finish my book, I'm not going to sell it, I'm going to give it away. You will be able to get it at my website. <a href="http://www.stutteringnetwork.com">www.stutteringnetwork.com</a> thanks for listening and please become curious about your stuttering strategy and tell me, so between us we can find the answers. Lee

[sruti]

hi,
It's great to know that you are working on a book.i too believe that stammering is more a kind of pschycological problem.the feelings of stammering are always there with me even when i am not speaking.some days i speak completely fluent like there was no speech problem at all,but it just comes back worst than before.even i stammer first in my thinking before speaking.i had lot of consiousness regarding particular letters like starting from m,n,b etc.i always try to substitute for easier words.sometimes words just will not come out of my mouth.there is lot of tension,anxiety associated with my speech .i stuck in the middle of the sentence.breathing tecniques are helping me to some extent.like to know more about the techniques from you.
sruti

[happy7117]

Hi all
I'm in the process of writing a book called "seven ways to improve your stutter" it has very powerful techniques that has really helped me, and hope will help many more with there stutter. I have made discoveries since starting to write this book about the phychological sides to stuttering. And that for me to stutter I had to do very specific behaviors and think specific thoughts to stutter, I have called them "stuttering strategies" I would ask you, to become curious about what happens in your mind and body when you know your going to stutter on a word? Please let me know. For me I found that I did a complex set of things, first off I would always be scanning ahead in conversations, to see where was the likely word to catch me. Also I found by scanning ahead all the time, I had kind of left the present moment with who I'm talking with and gone off in my head to a supposed future time when I was going to stutter on a word. Next I would visualize clearly me getting stuck on the word that I had scanned ahead to. I would get a very quick taste of the feelings associated with me getting stuck on that word, then very quickly I would try to find another word to change it with, all the while the feelings that I got a taste of have not gone away but got worse. By the time I have to speak I have all the feelings I associate with when I stutter, but I haven't even stuttered yet. I have set it up in my head first, and then I stutter, Iv already practiced it in my head. I believe we can change these "stuttering strategies" please let me know yours for my research, when I finish my book, I'm not going to sell it, I'm going to give it away. You will be able to get it at my website. <a href="http://www.stutteringnetwork.com">www.stutteringnetwork.com</a> thanks for listening and please become curious about your stuttering strategy and tell me, so between us we can find the answers. Lee

I will definaetly buy your book when it becomes
available...!!

[llw03c]

Hi all
I'm in the process of writing a book called "seven ways to improve your stutter" it has very powerful techniques that has really helped me, and hope will help many more with there stutter. I have made discoveries since starting to write this book about the phychological sides to stuttering. And that for me to stutter I had to do very specific behaviors and think specific thoughts to stutter, I have called them "stuttering strategies" I would ask you, to become curious about what happens in your mind and body when you know your going to stutter on a word? Please let me know. For me I found that I did a complex set of things, first off I would always be scanning ahead in conversations, to see where was the likely word to catch me. Also I found by scanning ahead all the time, I had kind of left the present moment with who I'm talking with and gone off in my head to a supposed future time when I was going to stutter on a word. Next I would visualize clearly me getting stuck on the word that I had scanned ahead to. I would get a very quick taste of the feelings associated with me getting stuck on that word, then very quickly I would try to find another word to change it with, all the while the feelings that I got a taste of have not gone away but got worse. By the time I have to speak I have all the feelings I associate with when I stutter, but I haven't even stuttered yet. I have set it up in my head first, and then I stutter, Iv already practiced it in my head.
i've used strategies like this for the past several years. they do work for the most part..some days are better than others but in the end, an unfortunate side effect of the whole thing is that you turn yourself into a closet stutterer.

[Vermillion]

I didn't write this, but it sums it up well.

----------------------------------
MY BLOCKING STRATEGY
----------------------------------

THE 6 STEPS
1)I scan ahead and pick out the 'hard' words - Stuttering Mentality.
2)I believe I am going to block. - Stuttering Mentality.
3) I fear that I will block so I choose to fight/flee or play dumb.
4) In the block
5) I use RELEASE.
6) The block ends, with period of fluency afterwards.

--------------------------------
EXPLANATION OF STEPS
--------------------------------

STEP 1) Stuttering Mentality.
When I anticipate that I will have to speak, I automatically
rehe what I am going to say.
I scan the words and pick out the 'hard' words- the words I will
block on. I fear I MIGHT block on those words if the situation
arises.

STEP 2) Stuttering Mentality.
After I rehe what I'm going to say a number of times, I believe
more and more and accept that I will go block on the particular hard
word/s.
If I will have to speak in a feared situation, to a feared person,
or authority figure then I will BELIEVE even stronger that I will
block.
I develop fears about the fact that I will block - Pictures of
myself blocking on those hard words come flashing into my mind, I
see myself struggling/feeling trapped, uneasy. I also imagine seeing
myself in an associated position, looking out at the other person.
The other person isn't doing anything, they are just standing there
looking at me. This is when I think the other person is thinking
thoughts about me.
This adds more fuel to the belief that I will block on that word. I
then think of some avoidance strategies I could use, like FLEEING or
PLAYING DUMB.

These 2 steps can happen in a fraction of a second (as I'm scanning
ahead while speaking), or I could go through them a number of times
in anticipation of an upcoming speaking situation.
This is what I consider to be my stuttering mentality. Getting rid
of these steps would, I believe cause less blocking/stuttering.

STEP 3)
I feel tightness in my throat and chest as I realise the now feared
word that I have rehed (and blocked on in my mind) is coming up.
I fear that I will block, and obviously I don't want to so, so I
choose to FIGHT, FLEE OR PLAY DUMB.
The options are:

FIGHT: I try to say the word fluently.
(.)I attempt to say the word and encounter a block. This happens if
the block comes on very fast, like in a stressful conversation, if
I'm under a lot of pressure and trying to hide my block/stutter.
If I'm trying to hide my blocking this means speaking 101% fluently,
which of course doesn't allow for even the slightest hesitation or
else the other person might discover that I block/stutter. This of
course, puts even more pressure on me.
(.)Speak in a primarily in a hyper-focused, conscious way. I usually
do this if I am trying hard not to block/stutter/hesitate or am
trying to hide my blocks.

FLEE: I use these tactics to avoid a block or to minimise it.
(.)Hesitation- I prolong the word before the hard word and
say 'eh', 'em' or 'uh'.
eg. 'It was aaa...'eh' walking down the street'..I hesitate on 90%
of the time on hard words.
(.)Stay quiet.
(.)Back out - (Petend I don't know)
(.)Substitute -
(.)Prolong - eg. I was at theee cinema, I saw aaaa dog.
(.)Filler Words - 'They were...'like'/'you know'...going for a walk.'
(.)Rearrange sentence structure. -eg' The movie. How was it?'
vs 'How was the movie?'

PLAY DUMB: I use these tactics to avoid a block.
(.)Give incorrect answer.
(.)Lie - on rare occasions (very stressful ones).
(.)I don't know - Answer 'I don't know' to any question especially
in a group setting to take the pressure/attention off myself.
(.)1/2 truth - Hold back from telling the whole story by leaving out
parts changing parts, to speak for less time and minimise the
attention/focus is on me.
(.)Stay quiet.
(.)Pretend to have forgotten the word - Raise my head up, squint my
eye and say 'Emmm.....', until the word comes.
(.)Try to give a false impression eg. pretend I'm anti-
social/quiet/no fun/shy/timid so people won't talk to me/to not
bring attention to myself.

STEP 4)
This is when I'm in a block.
If I hesitate, for example, I can avoid the block, that's basically
why I hesitate most of the time. But in a stressful situation I
might hesitate and find that the hard word doesn't come out and I
usually find myself in a block. Luckily, my blocks only last for
about 2-3 seconds.

STEP 5)
I realise I'm in a block and I try to get out of it, using the
following tactics which I call RELEASES. I feel tightness in my
throat/chest (physically holding back) and I feel 'blocked'/unable
to think clearly in my mind.(mentally holding back).

Or you might decide to SUBSTITUTE in this situation in that
situation using a RELEASE WORD [i dont know, not sure]

RELEASES:

1)Last it out, until tension fades, until the threat fades and I
find it safe/free to speak.
2) Break eye contact and wait for No.1 to happen to regain eye
contact and say the word.
3)Hesitate again.
4)Substitute.
5)Filler words
6)Move about/ shift position.
7)Pretend that I have forgotten the word until No.1 happens.
8) Wait/Hope for other person to interrupt.

STEP 6)
This is when my block ends. I have expressed the word I held back
and I usually have some feelings about the block afterwards
(frustration, embarrasment, shame etc)
I am usually fluent with the following words after that because
maybe my mind is temporarily off thinking about the upcoming words,
while I was concentrated on the block. I therefore don't have time
to scan out the words, and don't have time to doubt if I will be
able to say them and get myself back into a block.

[godmir]

hey leeboss,

Your post exactly explain how i stutter. I am 200% sure of this because i just experience it an hour ago.

All i had to do was go and ask the lady at the gym if i could get my glasses from the lost and found. It took me 45mins to get the courage to go and ask her.

During those 45mins all I thought about was my stutter and i rehed the exact words that I would use and thought about where i would have difficulty. I was thinking of all the possible things she could as me and thinking of replies to them.

In the end when i went down there, after 45mins of the most unrealistic and illogical stress, I said the first line pretty smoothly, "I left my glasses in the weight room a few hours ago." She threw me off when she asked me "what kind of glasses are they".....All i wanted to say was "they are silver with black ends" but all i could say was " they are....they are....they have black...they have black....their ends are black."

Shit man. What a torturous thing to go through. Its shit like this that makes me not want to have kids cause i don't want them to stutter.

What a ing brutal day man......actually the last couple of weeks.

!!

[nbakunda]

i have a very severe stammer and block all the time. i have no repetitions but have many prolongations and thats when i'm relatively fluent. i've actually gone weeks without opening my mouth except to eat and brush my teeth. so that may help. voluntary muteness.
however i have many other startegies
1. tell the listener up front that u stammer and that they should feel free to help u(i stammer terribly so i dont mind when people help out because its the only way anything will ever get said) and to ask u to be clear if they cant understand, and that u would appreciate their patience. it decreases the pressure to be fluent or in my case produce vaguely intelligible speech.
2. always have a pen and a pad in case u get into too much trouble. i never go out without those 2 and sometimes after i've written down what i want i can just say it.
3. always be patient with people who might be mean or unfair or talk over u. u cannot fight the world. i know, i tried and so did hitler! i find that people laugh at u because because they dont know what else to do. and besides its not their fault that u stammer. just accept it and move or or say something in a noncronfrontational way. then they wont think u r a psycho!

[whisky]

I will definaetly buy your book when it becomes
available...!!
i used to be a stammering sufferer for years, i have recently started a site about my experiences stammering-information (http://www.stammering-information.com)

[Vermillion]

i used to be a stammering sufferer for years, i have recently started a site about my experiences stammering-information (http://www.stammering-information.com)

You only joined this forum to market your website, and product (which I've heard people say doesn't work)

[bignick]

Whisky,

I have just looked at this website. You dont go into much detail about your stuttering experience and the rest of it contents is links to stuttering websites offering "CURES".

Stop trying to profit from this forum and go find some other mugs to try and con.

[happy7117]

You only joined this forum to market your website, and product (which I've heard people say doesn't work)

I ordered "Whisky's" program-- Whisky is realy Stephen Hill!!!

I tried his program which was $94-- IT DOES NOT
WORK!!! I CANNOT EMPHASIZE IT ENOUGH-- DO NOT BUY HIS PROGRAM--HE'S A FRAUD LIKE ANDREW BELL-
THEY PROMOTE FALSE PROMISES TO LURE YOU INTO
SPENDING YOUR HARD-EARND MONEY!!!

DO NOT BUY!!

Caps Locks were for emphasis- not anger- i hope nobody makes the mistake I did by ordering--of course

Of course I did not know before I ordered
his course that it was a fake scam----

Luckily I disputed that $95 credit card charge I payed Hill for his course with my bank-- I told them what
had happened-- and they said it was OK--
I got the $95 refunded and the transaction was
dropped---!!!

I was not willing to pay for something which was
not benefical!!

[happy7117]

Whisky,

I have just looked at this website. You dont go into much detail about your stuttering experience and the rest of it contents is links to stuttering websites offering "CURES".

Stop trying to profit from this forum and go find some other mugs to try and con.

Took the stuttered words right out of my mouth!!
He's a con-artist!!!

He should be in jail along with Andrew Bell
and his crap stutter-cured course!!!