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From: Lynne Shields
Date: 06 Oct 2007
Time: 22:27:45 -0500
Remote Name: 70.237.139.52
Dear Charlton, From what you write, it seems that you have had a major attitude change about your speech, and that, at the same time, your stuttering has become much less tense. If your stuttering is easier because you are letting yourself stutter freely rather than try to push through words, then you are doing what some call 'stuttering easily'. That is often a goal of formal speech therapy for stuttering. You seem to be concerned about whether this is a temporary condition, right? How long ago you made the decision to "just let go", and how long you have been able to stutter with less tension? If it is the case that you have stopped using struggle behaviors or tension when attempting to get through stuttered words, then your greater ease of speaking comes from that change--you have stopped doing what made speaking physically more difficult for you. What I have described is not a bubble--it is a real change in behavior leading to a real change in communication skill. You may still experience the typical and natural ups and downs in fluency that many who stutter experience, but this would still constitute a real gain. I am interested to hear more about what you changed when you say that you are not trying to not stutter or be fluent. What physical behaviors have you altered? I believe that it is important for you to know exactly what you have done to make the change in speaking, so that you can maintain it. By way of analogy, people who are good athletes aren't good simply because they have natural talent. They are good athletes because they analyze the physical moves then need for their sport and work to improve those so that they can perform well consistently. And, they practice, tweak the skills, and practice some more. Best wishes, Lynne