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From: Vivian Sisskin
Date: 13 Oct 2007
Time: 14:02:39 -0500
Remote Name: 68.227.196.186
Virginia, I find that specific sound and/or word fears are extremely common among the clients I see. One explanation is that these stem from conditioned learning, for example, a man whose name is Chris (and has trouble saying his name) reports that he always has trouble with /k/ sounds like “computer” or “communication”. Another frequent remark I hear is “I can never say /s/ words, like the word ‘stuttering’!” These beliefs are realities for the client, as they experience these fears daily. I find that in the context of treatment, it is more important for my clients to understand the process of conditioned learning, and how it might apply to their unique stuttering pattern, than it is to try to change their beliefs. In fact, sound fears don’t differ much from situational fears (talking on the phone, ordering in a restaurant, introducing oneself) in terms of how they are successfully reduced. Most often, people are changed by what they DO, not what they believe. Once they begin to face the feared sound (confront the fear) and reduce the avoidance of that sound (say it often) they report less difficulty and eventually the sound becomes neutral as a stuttering predictor for them.