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From: Alan Badmington
Date: 09 Oct 2007
Time: 04:48:28 -0500
Remote Name: 195.194.75.225
Hi Jackie, On April 1, 2000, I witnessed a group of PWS speaking (before an audience) about how they were dealing with their respective stuttering problems. The positive manner in which they spoke had a huge impact upon me (so much so, that I even remember the date) ;-) One, in particular, had developed into a successful public speaker. At the time, I had long given up on my stuttering. I was resigned to the fact that it would remain a problem for the rest of my days. Everything changed when I heard him speaking. When he addressed the audience, he was so assured, so confident and so in control of the situation. When he made reference to his public speaking activities and successes, I became even more interested. I wanted to be like him - I wanted to become a public speaker. He became my role model. For the very first time in my life, I believed that it was possible to deal with my stuttering difficulties. He was living proof of that `dream'. When British athlete, Roger Bannister, ran the mile in less than four minutes back in the 1950's, the beliefs of other athletes changed overnight. Prior to his record-breaking performance, everyone considered it impossible to break the `four minute mile' barrier. He proved it could be done. Within a relatively short period, many other athletes were regularly achieving the same feat. Within two years, I understand that well over 100 had, amazingly, achieved that 'impossible' goal. The person I heard speaking became MY Roger Bannister and I shall be, forever, grateful to him for showing me what was possible. He was hugely instrumental in changing the direction of my life. On May 4, 2000 (that date is also indelibly imprinted upon my memory), I joined a particular programme that (inter alia) encouraged non-avoidance and expansion of comfort zones. It provided me with a new speaking technique (and tools to deal with words that attracted an emotional charge), while also introducing me to the stuttering hexagon concept. This, together with a 24 hour support network, gave me the confidence to discard the Edinburgh Masker (an early version of the Masked Auditory Feedback device) that had been an integral part of my life for more than 20 years. I felt that it was time to walk unaided. The rest is history, as they say – I have not looked back since. ;-) Somehow, the successes that I have attained after ceasing to use the Masker have tasted a little sweeter. I valued its assistance for two decades – without it, my life would have embraced so many more avoidance strategies. But...it was great to stand on my own two feet after such a lengthy time. When you achieve something that you, hitherto, considered impossible, it causes you to challenge your self-limiting beliefs. If we conquer something that has challenged our advancement, we grow in stature. That’s exactly what I have done during the past seven years. Thank you for participating in the discussion. Kindest regards Alan